Rangers’ Chris Kreider Is Past And Present Mr. Game 7

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.