In the New York Rangers's 2-1 victory over the Carolina Hurricanes, the opening goal scored by Chris Kreider held a deeper significance in the club's history.
Just 2:41 into the first period of play against the Hurricanes, Artemi Panarin sent a puck from the right corner to find Chris Kreider's twig back door on the powerplay. It put the Rangers up 1-0 and helped the team win their sixth straight game.
There are layers to the goal. It's Kreider's 7th goal of the season and 5th on the powerplay. He leads the league in goals on the man advantage.
It also ties him with Andy Bathgate for fourth all-time in goals for the New York Rangers. Andy Bathgate's number 9 is in the rafters at Madison Square Garden, he was an icon and a face in the game of hockey from the mid-1950s to early 1970s. He played 12 seasons as a Ranger before he was dealt to the Maple Leafs where he won the Stanley Cup in 1964.
For Panarin, he skated in his 600th game and extended his current point streak to 10 games. Darren Turcotte is the last Ranger to accomplish a double-digit streak, doing so in 11 games during the 1990-1991 season.
The "Bread Man" is the sixth player in franchise history with at least three double-digit point streaks (Gilbert, Messier, Leetch, Rogers, Ratelle). Since 2015-2015, Panarin is 2nd in the NHL in assists (456), and 4th in points (677).
MORE FROM THN: