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The Rangers went the distance to reach their first Eastern Conference Finals since 2015 — thanks to their resident Mr. Game 7.
On Monday, Chris Kreider scored twice in the Rangers’ 6-2 victory over the Hurricanes, which puts them in their first conference finals since 2015 — to face the team that knocked them out, the two-time defending Stanley Cup champion Lightning.
The 31-year-old Kreider is the only member of that 2015 team on this roster — and the seven-year, $45 million extension signed in 2020 ($6.5M cap hit) will ensure he’s there to deliver decisive goals at least through the ’26-27 season.
- He’s 7-1 in Game 7s, the second-most wins in NHL history (six others have eight).
- Kreider’s 15 career goals in elimination games are T2 in league history, one behind Mark Messier.
- He has 60 combined goals (52 in the regular season), two shy of the Rangers record (Adam Graves, ’93-94).
- The Rangers have won five elimination games this postseason, the eighth team in history to win as much in a single playoffs.
Kreider’s heroics helped the Rangers win multiple series despite multi-game deficits — the fourth team to do so in a single postseason.
Now, the Rangers (+150) will continue their run for a first Stanley Cup since 1994 with home-ice advantage against the Lightning (-175).
Ahead of Game 1 (Wednesday, 8 p.m. ET, ESPN), New York is riding a franchise-record six-game playoff win streak at Madison Square Garden.
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