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The Rangers won for the fifth time in seven
games and beat the Devils for the first time in three meetings
thanks to Kreider, whose fourth career hat trick gave him nine
of his team-leading 13 goals in the past six games.
With the Rangers trailing 1-0, Kreider struck on the power play.
New York easily pushed the puck up the ice from the defensive
zone. Kreider finished off the play by parking himself at the
right doorstop, getting by Nathan Bastian and tucking Ryan
Strome's cross-ice pass under goalie Mackenzie Blackwood at 8:28
of the second.
Kreider's second goal occurred nearly 5 1/2 minutes later when
he deflected defenseman Ryan Lindgren's pass from the right wing
off New Jersey defenseman Damon Severson and over Blackwood. He
got his second hat trick of the season 23 seconds into the third
period by burying a wrist shot from the middle of the slot.
Pavel Buchnevich scored New York's fourth goal, defenseman
Brendan Smith and rookie Alexis Lafreniere scored the final two
goals in the last four-plus minutes.
Jack Hughes scored for the Devils, who lost their fourth
straight and eighth straight at home. New Jersey took its most
lopsided loss of the season and dropped 2-7-0 since a 5-2 win at
Madison Square Garden on Feb. 16.
Rangers goaltender Igor Shesterkin made 32 saves before getting
hurt in the third on a collision with Severson. With 5:52
remaining, Shesterkin was shaken up after sprawling through the
crease, could not put any weight on his right leg and was helped
back to the locker room after staying down on the ice for a few
minutes.
Before exiting, Shesterkin made 13 saves in the first period and
shortly before Kreider's first goal, he denied Miles Wood on an
odd-man rush.
Alexandar Georgiev finished off the game and stopped three
shots.
Blackwood allowed four goals on 15 shots before getting pulled
for Aaron Dell after Buchnevich finished off a give-and-go with
Lafreniere 3:57 into the third. Dell made two saves and yielded
two goals.
--Field Level Media
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