By Canadian Press

Rangers forward Chris Kreider a healthy scratch against Devils

Dec 23, 2024 | 12:08 PM

NEWARK, N.J. (AP) — New York Rangers forward Chris Kreider was a healthy scratch Monday against the New Jersey Devils for the first time this season.

The Rangers lost their fourth straight home game 3-1 to the Carolina Hurricanes on Sunday, and have been in a freefall since winning at Vancouver on Nov. 19. New York has lost 12 of their last 16 games as Kreider and longtime linemate Mika Zibanejad have particularly struggled.

Forward Jonny Brodzinski was added to the lineup against New Jersey in Kreider’s place.

The 33-year-old left wing has 11 goals and one assist in 30 games this season. He missed three games with an upper-body injury in late November.

Kreider scored a career-best 52 goals in 2021-22 and has been a steady performer for the Rangers since his debut during the 2012 playoffs. He scored 39 goals with 75 points last season. Kreider was a first-round draft pick by New York in 2009 (19th overall) and has played 845 career games plus 123 more in the playoffs.

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Kreider is third all-time on the franchise list with 315 goals behind Rod Gilbert (406) and Jean Ratelle (336). Kreider also has 114 career power-play goals, second-most in team history.

He has two more seasons beyond the current one on his seven-year, $45.5 million contract. The deal is set to expire after the 2026-27 season.

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AP NHL: https://apnews.com/hub/nhl

Allan Kreda, The Associated Press