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How former Rangers star helped put Ducks playoff party on hold amid 7-year drought
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- How former Rangers star helped put Ducks playoff party on hold amid 7-year drought
Chris Kreider's resurgence this season is among the reasons why the Anaheim Ducks are on the verge of reaching the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the first time in eight years. However, with a chance to clinch a postseason berth on home ice Sunday night, the Ducks lost to the woeful Vancouver Canucks 4-3, with the former New York Rangers star sitting in the penalty box when the game-deciding goal was scored in the waning seconds of overtime.
Kreider landed in the box at 2:53 of OT for slashing Vancouver's Drew O'Connor, who broke in on Ducks goalie Lukas Dostal following an Anaheim turnover. Dostal made a slew of big-time saves during Vancouver's power play, and it looked like Kreider was off the hook, until Marco Rossi tucked a right-wing shot inside the post short side with 10 seconds left in overtime.
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The Ducks received one standings point for the OT defeat, but needed two points to clinch their first playoff berth since 2018 . Their ticket can be punched as soon as Monday, if the Nashville Predators lose to the San Jose Sharks in any fashion. Anaheim plays twice more in the regular season, road games at the Minnesota Wild on Tuesday and Predators on Thursday.
Though Kreider's penalty led to the game-deciding power-play goal, had he not slashed O'Connor, there's a chance the game could've ended right then and there since the Canucks forward had a clear path to the net.
Also, the Ducks wouldn't have earned even a single point in this one had Kreider not assisted on two of their goals, including Leo Carlsson 's tying tally 6:56 into the third period that brough the Ducks back from a 3-1 deficit.
Kreider now has 28 assists this season, 20 more than he had a year ago with the Rangers . It's also the second-highest total in his 14-season NHL career, only behind the 36 he recorded in 2023-24.
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The 34-year-old forward, who turns 35 later this month, is sixth on the Ducks with 50 points, and fourth with 22 goals this season. It's the sixth time Kreider's had at least 50 points in a season and the eighth straight year with at least 20 goals (11th overall).
Add his production, experience, and leadership together, and Kreider's played a big role in helping the Ducks reach this point in their rebuild. It's what the Ducks envisioned when they acquired him from the Rangers this past offseason.
Kreider, and former Rangers captain Jacob Trouba , each are getting a last laugh at New York's expense. Each is in Anaheim now, playing with some of the best young talent in the League, including forward Cutter Gauthier who scored twice Sunday to notch his first 40-goal season. With the Ducks closing in on a playoff spot, the Rangers are last in the Eastern Conference and crossing their fingers that they win the NHL Draft Lottery and land the top pick this year to help kickstart their retool.
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