Chris Kreider unlikely to rest during New York Rangers stretch run
It’s been an amazing season for Chris Kreider and the New York Rangers.
With 50 goals in 76 games, the Blueshirts top sniper has six more contests to score five more times and break Jaromir Jagr’s single season mark of 54 done in 2005-06.
“I don’t worry about the record– I’d love to see him get it,” head coach Gerard Gallant said on Monday. “I told him that on the bench the other night, ‘lets try and scores some goals here and get the record’, but he just takes it one game at a time.”
Chris Kreider unlikely to be given a rest
There’s been a lot of talk around the team ever since they clinched a playoff berth about resting some players. Thus far, the only regular to be given a game off was Alexis Lafreniere and he responded with the first two goal game of his NHL career.
Currently, only four Rangers have played in all 76 games this season. They are the defense pairing of Jacob Trouba and K’Andre Miller, along with 2/3 of the top line; Mika Zibanejad and Chris Kreider.
“I don’t see Chris Kreider wanting to rest,” Gallant answered about giving CK20 a night off. “He’s a big horse of a guy that just seems to keep going and going.
“If you give Kreids a rest he’ll want to come into the rink and workout twice that day,” Gallant explained while shrugging his shoulders.
Kreider truly is a hulk of hockey player at 6-3 and 217 lbs. He plays at top speed with a physical edge. However, he’s also smart enough to slip in and out of traffic to avoid taking the usual beating most guys who like to stand in front do.
Of course, if Kreider wants a rest his coach will gladly give it to him.
“If Kreids comes to us and says ‘I don’t feel well‘, then we”ll put him out of the lineup,” Gallant noted. “If we feel a guy needs a break, we’ll give it but he’s shown no indication of that.”
Kreider only fourth Blueshirt to score 50
Kreider, 30, made history when he tucked home a rebound of an Adam Fox point shot in a 4-2 loss against the Carolina Hurricanes earlier this month.
By doing so, he became only the fourth Blueshirt in team history to reach 50 goals in a single season tying him with Vic Hadfield for third. Only Adam Graves (52) and Jaromir Jagr (54) are ahead of him with 6 games remaining on this campaign.
“It’s hard after a game like that,” explained Kreider after the game. “I think it would mean a lot more if we found a way to win the game, but it’s something that I’ll appreciate. It’s just hard to appreciate right now.”
Kreider became just the 8th player to score 50 goals in his 10th season or later. He’s also the 4th to do it for the first time at 30 years or older.
Ever the team-first guy and someone who does not like the spotlight on him, Kreider wanted to get back to normal.
“I’m glad it’s over,” Kreider said. “I could feel guys looking for me… I was telling Mika I felt like a shooting guard a lot of the night trying to work my way around picks and get open.
“We’ve got some absolutely incredible people in that room who were pulling for me and that means the world to me, but put it behind us and everyone can go back to shooting the puck and I can go back to screening the goalie.”
The Rangers face the Winnipeg Jets at Madison Square Garden, for game details click here.
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