KREI AND KREI SOME MORE
Kreider scores twice in 3rd to lift Rangers past Penguins
Chris Kreider scored twice in the third period to lift the Rangers to a 4-2 victory over the Pittsburgh Penguins Thursday night at Madison Square Garden.
The win puts the Rangers (3919-10, 88 points) 10 points ahead of Pittsburgh (34-34-10, 78 points) for third place in the Metropolitan Division with repeat matchup coming up Saturday night at the Garden.
This coming just four days after the Blueshirts suffered an overtime loss at Pittsburgh.
Mike Zibanejad had a goal and an assist, and Tyler Motte also scored for the Rangers, who have won four out of their last five games.
Igor Shesterkin made 26 saves for the Blueshirts.
Jake Guentzel and Rickard Rakell both scored for Pittsburgh with Sidney Crosby assisting on both goals.
The Rangers are 6-1-1 in their last eight home games against Pittsburgh, and the teams will square off again Saturday night at The Garden. Penguins forward Jake Guentzel tied it 2-all at 9:09 of the third with his 30th goal after Motte put the Rangers ahead 2-1 late in the second.
Motte’s unassisted goal at 16:53 came just more than two minutes after Pittsburgh’s Rickard Rakell evened the game.
The goal was Motte’s first since returning to the Rangers in a trade with Ottawa on Feb. 19. Motte was a valuable contributor in New York’s postseason run last spring and has been part of an effective fourth line in recent games with Barclay Goodrow and Jimmy Vesey.
Zibanejad opened the scoring with his team-leading 35th goal at 2:51 of the first, taking a banked pass off the left boards by Artemi Panarin before skating in on Jarry and rifling the puck past the Penguins netminder. It was the ninth time this season Zibanejad scored the opening goal. He has 21 points — including 13 goals — in his last 19 games.
Vladimir Tarasenko also assisted and has points in nine of his first 17 games with the Rangers.
Panarin leads the Rangers with 55 assists and 75 points overall.
The Rangers were coming off a 5-3 home win over Washington on Tuesday, while the Penguins lost at home to Montreal the same day.
Penguins captain Sidney Crosby assisted on both Pittsburgh goals. He leads the team with 83nd points, ensuring the 35-year-old Penguins star will average a point per game for the 18th time in his 18 NHL seasons. In 81 career games against the Rangers, Crosby has 38 goals and 66 assists.
NOTES: The Rangers scratched injured defenseman Ryan Lindgren for the ninth straight game. … Since Dec. 5, when they turned their season around with a comeback 6-4 home win over St. Louis, the Rangers are 28-9-5.