Chris Kreider ties career-high in points amid resurgent season

WINNIPEG, Manitoba — Just when you think Chris Kreider is slowing down, he ramps it back up again. 

The veteran winger matched his career-high in points with 53 after scoring two goals in the Rangers’ 4-1 win over the Jets on Sunday night at the Canada Life Center. Kreider is now one point away from 400 in his career. 

“He’s rolling pretty good,” head coach Gerard Gallant said after the win, which improved the Rangers’ record to 36-15-5. “Big power-play goal tonight and then he scores another nice goal. So the big guys are scoring key goals at key times and it put us in control of that game pretty good.” 

After the Jets pulled within one behind Nikolaj Ehler’s power-play goal in the second, there was no sign of panic or hesitancy from the Rangers, who extended their lead by two in the final frame. Kreider took a pass off the boards from Mika Zibanejad, won the race to the puck and scored his second of the night and 38th of the season — which tied him with the Oilers’ Leon Draisaitl for second in the league in goals. 

“That’s something me and Mika have looked for I think the entire time we’ve played together,” Kreider said. “And it’s not always there, but when it is, he serves it up perfectly. It’s something [Alexis Lafreniere] started to look for too.”

Despite getting outshot 16-9 in the first period, the Rangers emerged with a 2-0 lead. Winnipeg may have put more pucks on net, but none of them were classified as high-danger. 

After Barclay Goodrow opened the scoring just over two minutes into the game, the Rangers earned back-to-back power plays later in the first period. On the second opportunity, Kreider backhanded a contested centering feed from Artemi Panarin past Jets goalie Connor Hellebuyck at 17:28.