Unless I miss my guess, you will be hearing much about Chris Kreider in another 10 days or so. And in two languages.
Because now that the Rangers clinched the first wild-card spot with Sunday’s 4-3 victory over the Flyers at the Garden (at the Garden!), it is only left to the Canadiens to pick up the three points necessary to clinch first place in the Atlantic to set up a playoff confrontation between Kreider and Carey Price.
“Ah come on, that was five years ago,” Kreider said.
Three, but who’s counting?
Only all of hockey Montreal that has been waiting for this since the second-period collision in Game 1 of the 2014 conference finals ultimately knocked Price out of the remainder of the series after 40 minutes, that’s who’s been counting.
“I’m ready. I’m not worried,” Kreider, who notched his scored his 28th goal in this one by deflecting Derek Stepan’s left-wing shot past Anthony Stolarz at 9:16 of the third period. “I’m going to play my game, no matter who it’s against.”
Much of Kreider’s game takes place around the goalmouth. When he’s on, as he has been much more often than not again, he is either driving to the net with or without the puck or he is setting up in front as a screen.
“The goalies are too good and they’re too big to think they’re going to get beaten by a clean shot,” Kreider said. “I’ve got to get to the front and take away their eyes.”
That’s what Kreider did in the second period to Stolarz, the rookie getting his third big league start, during the Rangers’ second-period power play on which Mika Zibanejad scorched one short side from the inner left hashmark.
“Mika told me that doesn’t go in without a screen,” Kreider said. “That’s where I’ve got to be in order to be effective.”
But there are times when Kreider gets to the front that things go bump in the night. Sometimes goalies get bumped. Sometimes Kreider gets sent off for goaltender interference. Last Saturday in L.A. when Kings defenseman Derek Forbort boxed out the winger into Jonathan Quick was one of those times.
Indeed, it marked Kreider’s fourth goaltender interference minor of the year, which is the most in the league by one over Washington’s Justin Williams. No player had picked up more than three since 2013-14.
“As long as I’m not getting called for those on reputation, I’m OK with it,” Kreider said. “Tom Kowal was the ref who called that one and he also worked the next game in Anaheim. So I asked him about it, he explained it, and it was all good.”
The Rangers did enough good things while eliminating the Flyers from playoff contention to end their Garden losing streak at a distinctly unmanageable eight games (0-5-3). They were more effective on the forecheck and winning pucks below the hash marks than they’d been for some time. And, despite a few noticeable boo-boos, they were cleaner and less frantic in their own end much of the night.
Tanner Glass (who was assessed a first-period charging penalty apparently for being Tanner Glass) was assertive down low with Oscar Lindberg and Jesper Fast on a fourth line that will probably be the fourth line when the tournament starts. Kreider and linemates Derek Stepan and Mats Zuccarello were on the puck all night.
“It’s so important where we place the puck on our chip-ins,” said Kreider, whose pressure forced Michael Del Zotto into the turnover off which Lindberg scored from in front. “We can’t allow the goalie to go out and play it or else we’re chasing.
“We’ve got to be smart on it. And when I’m carrying and chip it, I have to go get it myself. For a while I was deferring too much to Zuke. But we had a line meeting and I’m trying to be more aware of that.”
Kreider scored 21 goals each of the last two seasons. His goal against Philly gave him the club lead with 28, surpassing Michael Grabner by one. He may not yet be the quintessential Brendan Shanahan-Keith Tkachuk-Rick Tocchet, but he’s coming and he’s going (to the front of the net).
And unless something goes terribly amiss in Montreal over the next week, he will be coming to the front of Carey Price’s net.