Rangers’ Chris Kreider Still Feels The Sting of ECF Elimination Loss

Chris Kreider of the New York Rangers

Some losses are more challenging than others. For New York Rangers forward Chris Kreider, the six-game loss to the eventual Stanley Cup Champion Florida Panthers remains a painful reminder of what could have been.

“I just don’t think you ever downshift after that,” Kreider said from the Shoulder Check Showcase at Terry Conners Rink on Thursday. “Personally, I haven’t really been able to, so I just think you roll right into next season and continue to get better as a team and as individuals.”

The Rangers held a two-to-one lead in the series, then dropped the next three games by one goal and were eliminated following a President Trophy season in which the club won 53 games, the most in franchise history. The postseason is a different animal, one that shows how the success of an 82-game regular season does not transfer over to a championship.

The 12-year NHL veteran respected the Panthers’ style of play against the Blueshirt, a style that he believes the Rangers could resemble because it has proven to work.

“I think that was the best team we played all year, I think they had absolutely zero ego to their game. They got to their game quicker than any other team. They had complete buy-in up and down their lineup, and to a man we all knew we were right there with them. It’s a game of inches so we’ve got to do the things right now in the offseason going into camp to make sure we come out on the other side of those close ones. “It’s that simple playoff style,” Kreider said. “It works. It works. We’re capable of doing those things and the more consistently we do those I think it just becomes the law of averages.”

Kreider even forced himself to watch some of the Stanley Cup Finals, “I just wanted to suffer through it.”

The team opening up at training camp next month will be similar to the one that went through the ECF loss in May.

The Rangers added Reily Smith and Sam Carrick while seeing Barclay Goodrow, Erik Gustafsson, Jack Roslovic, and Alex Wennberg leave the Blueshirts.

That sting Kreider has been mentioning does spread throughout most of the team and, hopefully, will continue to remind them what they need to do to win a Stanley Cup.

Follow Frank on X @RangerProud

Fortune Telling w/ Joe Fortunato Ranting Rangers: A New York Rangers Podcast

In this week's episode Joe Fortunato comes on to discuss NYR's offseason outlook now with Mike Sullivan hired, Drury's management of the team and more.How to support us and our sponsors:Columbia Sports ApparelESPN+ SubscriptionFanaticsDraft Kings – CODE ITRThanks for listening! Please rate and review our show on your favorite listening platform. Check out our partner's website at www.insidetherink.com for all your latest hockey news.
  1. Fortune Telling w/ Joe Fortunato
  2. Built for Compliance, Not Cups
  3. Masterclass Incompetence
  4. The Great Regression : 24-25 NYR
  5. 68 Down & We Needed This 1

Discover more from Inside The Rink

Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.

Leave a Reply

Edmonton Oilers

Edmonton Oilers Playoff Thoughts: Round 3, Game 5

Happy belated 9th Birthday, Ben Stelter. Tuesday night’s win was for you. We’re just one win away from a second straight Finals appearance. We always wish Ben were still with us and imagine how joyful he’d be to watch the Edmonton Oilers in these Playoff runs the last couple of years. A really nice gesture […]

Read More
NHL Playoff Preview: Edmonton Oilers at Dallas Stars with Line Combinations 5/29/2025

NHL Playoff Preview: Edmonton Oilers at Dallas Stars with Line Combinations 5/29/2025

NHL Playoff Preview: Edmonton Oilers at Dallas Stars with Line Combinations 5/29/2025

Read More
Porter Martone 2025 Draft Profile

2025 NHL Draft Prospect Profile: Porter Martone

The Scouting Report: Porter Martone of Peterborough, ON, is one of the prominent players available in the 2025 NHL Draft and is projected to be a top-five selection. Martone has been in the conversation for the first overall pick at different times this season, and with 37 goals and 98 points in 57 games with […]

Read More