Chris Kreider sent the New York Rangers to the Eastern Conference Finals with a third-period natural hat trick Thursday night.
Kreider scored three times in nine minutes to erase the Carolina Hurricanes' third-period Game 6 lead and lead the Rangers to a 4-3 elimination victory.
New York won the second-round series 4-2.
Kreider joins Wayne Gretzky and Mark Messier as the third player in Rangers franchise history to score a third-period postseason hat trick.
The Hurricanes threatened to send the series to a winner-takes-all Game 7 as Carolina headed into the third period with a two-goal lead.