How Rangers star knew Chris Kreider was there for game-winner against Bruins: ‘You can hear him … the way he skates’
Halfway through the third period Wednesday, the New York Rangers were in trouble, tied in a must-win matchup with the Boston Bruins, who aimed to make the most of a man-up advantage. But in the process of killing the crucial power play, New York’s veteran dynamic duo made a game-changing play, producing a short-handed goal in the Rangers 3-2 victory on Wednesday night.
The two longest-tenured Rangers, Chris Kreider and Mika Zibanejad, connected for the game-winner at 11:54 to give New York its second third period come-from-behind victory in as many games. The win was much-needed for the Rangers (26-23-4), who now sit four points back of the Bruins (27-23-6) in the playoff race, with three games in hand.
In the second period, two Bruins goals in a 16-second span swiftly turned their one-goal deficit into a one-goal lead, which they carried into the second intermission. Vincent Trocheck scored the equalizer for the Rangers at 5:27 of the third period, but a Matt Rempe holding penalty at 10:02 put Boston on the power play.
The Bruins managed two shots on Igor Shesterkin, before K’Andre Miller forced a turnover, and Adam Fox quickly sent the puck to Zibanejad. As Zibanejad worked his way from blue line to blue line on right wing, Kreider, trailing the play, took off, flying by three Bruins to set up a 2-on-1 short-handed rush.
“You can hear him. Not screaming, the way he skates,” Zibanejad said after the game.
Added Rangers coach Peter Laviolette, “‘Kreids’ literally shot out of a cannon there from the defensive zone.”
Zibanejad attempted to lead Kreider, but the pass was deflected by Charlie Coyle. The Bruins center did not get enough of it; the puck still made its way Kreider, who took it out of his skates and sent a shot into the back of the net – and Madison Square Garden into a frenzy.
“Its pretty amazing the way that they work together,” Laviolette said.
The two embraced, jumping and hugging as they crashed into the boards. The clutch goal marked Kreider’s 12th short-handed score since 2021-22, the most in the NHL. It was New York’s ninth shorty of the season, Kreider’s third.
After Zibanejad joined the Rangers in 2016, the pair have spent the majority of the past nine seasons on the same line, same power-play unit and working together on the PK. After acquiring J.T. Miller, Zibanejad has accompanied him and Artemi Panarin on the first line and thrived, tallying six points (one goal, five assists) in the past three games.
Though they may not be sharing a line together anymore, their chemistry has not lost a step, as evidenced by the game-winning goal on Wednesday.
“Obviously they’ve been playing together for 46 years, so they definitely have some chemistry,” Trocheck said, tongue firmly in cheek.
“We’ve played long enough together to know that my first look is to see if he’s coming with me,” added Zibanejad.
Related: 3 Rangers takeaways from another comeback win against Bruins
Second straight comeback victory keeps Rangers in wild-card hunt
A three-game losing streak to end January and open February threatened to erase New York from playoff contention, but back-to-back inspiring wins have the Rangers – and their fans – ready to believe.
In two straight games, the Blueshirts sat in their home locker room during the second intermission, trailing 2-1 with 20 minutes to play. In a postseason push as convoluted as this years, which features nearly every Eastern Conference team within striking distance, every game feels like a “must-win.” In both games, that’s just what the Rangers did.
First, Zibanejad kickstarted the comeback with a game-tying goal in New York’s 4-2 victory against the Vegas Golden Knights on Sunday, doubling as Jonathon Quick’s 400th NHL victory. Then on Wednesday, he set up Kreider for the short-handed goal that clinched a crucial Rangers comeback.
“We’re fighting for every point, we have that mentality,” Adam Fox said said Wednesday.
The consecutive wins leave the Blueshirts with 56 points, four back of the second wild card and five in arrears of the top wild card in the Eastern Conference. Though securing a playoff berth seems to be within reach, they’re as many points out as teams in their way, separating the from sole possession of the second wild card. The Rangers are currently 12th in the East.
Three points behind them are the Pittsburgh Penguins, whom the Rangers will welcome into The Garden on Friday. The Penguins have struggled in the New Year, only winning five games in 2025 (5-7-4).
“Every game’s incredibly important, we’re in a battle for the playoff hunt right now,” Kreider said Wednesday. “We want a good push going into the break.”
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