Chris Kreider

While the end result wasn’t what they wanted, the Rangers got an inspired effort out of Chris Kreider. Recalled from Hartford after posting two goals and two assists, he had an active game last night against the Flyers.

Given an opportunity to play on the top line with Brad Richards and Derek Stepan, Kreider was involved offensively. In 27 shifts, he took two shots and missed another couple of chances. Most importantly, he used his 6-3, 230 frame to keep plays alive in the offensive zone. He was particularly effective on the fore-check getting to loose pucks and winning board battles. Kreider also threw his weight around registering a game high six hits. Coincidentally, one of those included taking out his own teammate when he slammed into Ryan McDonagh. The frightening sequence occurred in the second period, forcing McDonagh to the bench. Luckily, he was okay and returned.

Kreider had an active stick credited with three takeaways. Also the most of any skater. His combination of size, strength and speed should be an asset for the Rangers. Even though he got credited with a dubious assist on Richards’ fifth of the season, the hard work paid off. When a player plays well, they earn breaks. I wonder if they’ll eventually change the scoring to Stepan, who chipped the pass to Richards. What matters most is Kreider competed and was rewarded by Alain Vigneault with over 19 minutes of ice-time. That’s what we want to see. He’ll still have to bury a few to stay on the top unit. Maybe the next project will be returning him to the front of the net on the power play.

It’s all a matter of being consistent. With the Rangers finally ending the merciless nine-game road trip tomorrow with a visit at Detroit, let’s see if he can follow up with another strong performance.