The Carolina Hurricanes had been cruising, main by two targets within the third interval of Sport 6 and properly on their approach to forcing a deciding Sport 7.
However Chris Kreider stepped in, lifting the New York Rangers to an unimaginable come-from-behind victory after notching a pure hat trick within the third interval.
With the Rangers trailing 3-1 and the Hurricanes buzzing, Kreider scored at 6:43 of the third to drag New York inside a aim.
Then, 4 minutes later, he netted the tying marker at 11:54 off a wonderful deflection in entrance of Carolina netminder Frederik Andersen.
Kreider would safe the hat trick 4 minutes and 13 seconds later, once more positioning himself in entrance of the Hurricanes’ cage earlier than redirecting a stunning go into the again of the web for the go-ahead aim.
The third-period heroics helped Kreider be part of some elite and uncommon firm. In keeping with The Athletic, he is solely the third Rangers participant to attain a hat trick in any interval within the playoffs. Corridor of Famers Mark Messier (1994) and Wayne Gretzky (1997) are the others.
The Hurricanes had been making an attempt to develop into solely the fifth staff in NHL historical past to beat a 3-0 deficit within the playoffs and the primary because the Los Angeles Kings in 2014.
Whereas the loss is heartbreaking by itself, Carolina had numerous probabilities to bury the Rangers earlier than Kreider’s first aim of the third interval, together with two photographs that hit the aim put up.
Regardless, as an alternative of making ready for a Sport 7, the franchise begins an offseason haunted by what might have been.
Conversely, the Rangers prevented close to catastrophe to maneuver on to the Jap Convention Finals, the staff’s second journey in three seasons. They await the winner of the opposite East semifinal, which the Florida Panthers lead 3-2 over the Boston Bruins.
