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The Sky Is the Limit For New York Rangers’ Chris Kreider

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As Marc Staal walked the puck over the Ottawa Senators blueline, Chris Kreider exploded toward the top of the blue paint. Receiving the saucer pass, Kreider deposited the black disc into the back of the net for the game tying goal. In Tuesday night’s 3-2 overtime victory against Senators, the New York Ranger forward registered one goal and seven shots on net.  Ottawa threw everything they had at the third-year man from Boston College as Erik Karlsson shadowed Kreider for much of the game.

While No. 20 only potted one goal, Kreider commanded respect on the ice.  His size and speed enable him to elevate his game to an elite level. On the MSG Postgame, several Ranger players talked about how “Chris (Kreider) is able to kick it into another gear that not many can match.” This causes other NHL teams to pick their poison. Not every club has the luxury of having two shutdown defensive pairs.

When Kreider is able to play in the manner in which he did on Tuesday, his ability forces the opponent into the choice of playing their top defender against him or Rick Nash. Ottawa elected to play Karlsson against Kreider, figuring the young Swede was the only player on their roster who could match Kreider’s speed and power. Nash, a 28-goal scorer, licked his chops with a second-tier defender attempting to stop him. If Kreider can keep playing at a high level, he and Nash can form a dynamic duo that can lead the Rangers deep into the playoffs.

However, Rangerstown has not had the pleasure of seeing that gear out of No. 20 on a nightly basis. The powerful forward’s inconsistency continues to be the Blueshirts’ greatest enigma. Although his potential is endless, Kreider vanishes for games at a time. The image of a power forward picking the puck off of the boards in stride, streaking in like a missile on goal is often mistaken for an NHL thug. He is known throughout the league as the “goalie killer.” Last year, the youngster took out Carey Price in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals against the Montreal Canadiens. Kreider has also injured Senators goalie Craig Anderson and ran over Pittsburgh Penguins goalie Marc-Andre Fleury last Mother’s Day.

Kreider is still discovering his identity on the ice and trying to tap into his unlimited potential. This year, No. 20 leads the Rangers in penalty minutes. This can widely be attributed to Kreider learning how to use his body. During the maturation process, the forward has been leaning on his mentor Nash. Rangerstown can only hope that Nash imparts some of his attributes on the young kid. In addition to his discipline, Kreider needs to improve his puck possession in the offensive zone. He also needs to be more accountable in the defensive zone.

While not progressing as fast as many in Rangerstown had hoped, Kreider is showing signs of improvement. In addition to the offensive threat Kreider posed against Ottawa, he logged major minutes down the stretch, making a key defensive play in overtime prior to Carl Hagelin‘s game-winning goal.

When talking to MSG’s John Giannone after the game, Kreider said that that is linemates helped him find that gear. In analyzing Kreider, that is what separates him from stardom. He relies on his teammates to elevate his game where stars (such as Nash) can flip the switch themselves on command. Kreider will one day reach that level. When he does, both he and the Rangers will be a force to be reckoned with.

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