The New York Rangers might have lost 4-2 to the Carolina Hurricanes on Tuesday night, but with a playoff spot already clinched and the first-round playoff matchup perhaps not being especially favorable for the top seed in the Metropolitan Division, the loss was far from the end of the world.
Of greater significance, at least in Rangers lore, was Chris Kreider hitting the 50-goal plateau.
Kreider Hits 50
With the Rangers trailing 3-1 late in the third period, head coach Gerard Gallant pulled goaltender Igor Shesterkin for an extra attacker. Coming out of a timeout to set up a play, the Rangers won the faceoff, leading to Adam Fox wristing a shot from the point that both Ryan Strome and Andrew Copp got a stick on before Kreider put home the rebound from his net-front office.