Kreider nets 30th, Rangers go on to defeat Kings in shootout 3-2

The New York Rangers handed the Los Angeles Kings a 3-2 shootout loss on the strength of Chris Kreider’s 30th goal of the season and an incredible move by Adam Fox to lock up the win.

Poor starts to hockey games have become far too familiar for the New York Rangers.  Monday night’s game against the Los Angeles Kings looked quite familiar to Saturday night’s game against the Arizona Coyotes but the result was the same as the Rangers overcame a late one-goal deficit and came back to win the contest in a shootout 3-2.

New York extended its home winning streak to five in a row and has earned points in six straight home games (5-0-1). On the year, the Rangers have earned a point in 15 of their 18 home games (13-3-2).

Before the Rangers could celebrate their 28th win and 60th point of the season, the 60 points in 43 games, it marks the fourth-fewest contests needed in franchise history to hit the 60-point mark, they had to survive a horrid first period that saw the Blueshirts outshot by the Kings 11-3.

 Kreider Hits 30

The only salvage the team could take into the first-period intermission was the 1-0 lead they possessed on a power-play goal by Chris Kreider. His 30th goal of the year was scored with 1.5 seconds left in the opening period.  It was his 15th power-play goal and has him the leading scorer in both categories as of last night.

He is the fourth different player in franchise history to score 30 goals in 43 or fewer games in a season, joining Rod Gilbert (42 GP in 1971-72), Bill Cook (42 GP in 1930-31 & 1926-27), and Don Murdoch (43 GP in 1976-77).

Adam Fox registered his 39^th assist of the season on Kreider’s goal, the second-most in the NHL and the most among defensemen. Fox’s 46 points lead league defensemen. Fox has recorded points in six-straight games (2G-8A) and has points in eight of his last 10 games (2G-11A).

The Kings scored the next two goals taking a 2-1 lead into the third period. The third period was played with the Rangers putting a lot of pressure o the Kings and it paid off when Barclay Goodrow deflected a shot by Artemi Panarin to tie the game at 2 with less than five minutes to play in the game.

Spectacular Shootout Goal To Win It

After a scoreless overtime period, the skills competition, correction, the shootout began. It went six rounds with the Rangers needing to score twice to keep the shootout tied before Adam Fox stood at center ice to take the team’s 6th shot against the Kings netminder.

Fox skated down the ice and backhanded the puck that wedged itself in the top of the cage to give the Rangers the win.

“The [move] I did, I’m comfortable doing that,” he said after the win, I didn’t want to over-complicate anything, so I just made a little fake there and you know, just glad it worked out.”

Igor Shesterkin recorded his 20th win of the season for the first time in his career.

The Rangers visit Columbus on Thursday night before coming back home for Henrik Lundqvist’s jersey retirement on Friday.