Everything went right for New York Rangers forward Chris Kreider last season.
Kreider, 31, scored 52 goals and finished with a career-high 77 points in the regular season. He was also great in the Stanley Cup playoffs as he added another ten goals and finished the postseason with 16 points before the team lost to the Tampa Bay Lightning in six games in the Eastern Conference Finals.
Things have been much different for Kreider this season. Yes, Kreider is currently (Tuesday, January 24) second on the team with 19 goals, and yes, he is tied with Vincent Trocheck for second on the team in shots on goal with 142.
With that said, things have been a lot more difficult for Kreider this season. For starters, he is struggling to score on the power play.
Last season, Kreider led the team with 26 power-play goals. This season, he has scored just four goals with the man advantage.
His struggles on the power play are one of the reasons why the Rangers are 16th in the league with the man advantage this season. Last season, the power play was the team’s bread and butter as they finished the regular season with the league’s fourth-best power play.
Secondly, opposing teams are focusing on him more. They all saw what he could do if given time and space, and this season, they have done a better job of taking those things away and limiting his scoring opportunities.
Lastly, there have been times this season when he has looked frustrated because the puck is not going in the net as much this year as it was for him last season. Again, he is still second on the team in goals and is on his way to another 30-goal season, but with everything he accomplished last year, he may have put too much pressure on himself to do the same thing this season.
What matters right now is that Kreider needs to start scoring goals again. Whether it is during even strength, on the power play, or killing a penalty, Kreider needs to find the back of the net.
When Kreider is on his game, the Rangers are a very tough team to beat. With Kreider’s speed, agility, quick release, and nose for the net, the puck finds him and, more often than not, ends up in the back of the net.
If the Rangers can get Kreider back to his goal-scoring form, they will again be a very dangerous team come April.
