That’s exactly what Chris Kreider and the Rangers did Thursday night in Raleigh. They snatched victory from the jaws of defeat. It wasn’t just the game that was hanging in the balance in the third period, but in my opinion, it was the season. I am usually never one to quit on any of my teams and I try my hardest to stay upbeat and keep believing. But at 3-1 down and with a daunting seventh game looming Saturday night, the dream season felt over. And then, a miracle occurred. I’m not even sure how I am managing to write this piece right now. As I sit here after coming back from the watch party at “The World’s Most Famous Arena,” I am still in shock. Friend of the blog Anthony and I weren’t even sure if we should go to the watch party at the Garden…and I can confidently its currently the best $40 I ever spent.

I’ve never heard a noise like that in my life and I have been fortunate enough to be in attendance for some pretty epic sporting moments. Just a few thousand sounded like a capacity crowd making the “concrete jungle” come to life. When you put this reaction in the context of a several thousand people celebrating a goal scored 488 miles away, you truly realize just how special (and psychotic) New York sports fans are. And yes Chris Kreider, you owe me a new hat, as mine made its way to the sheet of ice at the Garden.

The Garden crowd was looking for something to cheer about all night. I thought the Rangers were fine in the first period. They had the puck a lot and won a lot of 50/50 battles. They even attempted 25 shots, yet they wound up with just three on goal thanks to nine Carolina blocks and 12 wide of the target. The period would have been acceptable except they allowed an ugly late lamp lighter to Martin Necas which seemed to put them in a hole mentally in the second period. After falling behind 2-0 there was a glimmer of hope, but it was quickly washed out by an Aho goal and a Martinook goal line clearance. With it all going against them, a Saturday night game seven felt more and more likely. A game no one wanted to happen, from the Rangers players to the fans, to my dad and I who had tickets to it (thank God we dodged that one). It was going to take a heroic third period effort to avoid that eventuality…enter Chris Kreider.

Kreider has always been a money player for this team, as he typically makes several key contributions in their playoff runs. From his introduction fresh out of college in 2012, to his ten-goal spring in 2022, number 20 has had many clutch moments in route to racking up 47 career playoff goals. Thursday night at PNC Arena was his magnum opus leading this team back in the third period. You have to give credit to his fellow big guns as well though. After a quiet game five, the Rangers top players needed to deliver if they were going to advance past the Canes. Kreider, Panarin, Trocheck, Zibanejad and Fox, the absolute core of this operation all teamed up to lead the rally in the third. The Blueshirts depth did their part too with hard working shifts by the third and fourth line and solid work from a defense core that was led by the grit of Ryan Lindgren and Jacob Trouba. And of course, how could we leave out number 31, who made several saves that truly saved the season after getting some help from the posts in the third period.

It’s natural to turn one’s attention to whatever lies ahead. People will nitpick the Rangers wins in this series and try to invalidate it in the name of getting clicks. Others will tell you they were never worried and that they had it all the way. Previews will drop where the writer will say “I prefer Boston” or “this is destiny, don’t worry about Florida.” My advice to you all is to follow the Rangers lead and ignore the noise. Block out the hot take media and don’t get ahead of yourself. This team, OUR team, stared into the abyss Thursday night and came out the other side with a spot in the final four. Enjoy this moment and buckle up for a ride that is hopefully just getting started. Believe in this team and be proud of what you witnessed; it doesn’t come along often. In fact, the last time the Rangers trailed in the third period of a sixth game of a series and came back to win on a hat trick, the year was…oh forget it you know the rest.

One half of the deal is now done. This spring of dreams lives on for the Rangers and now it’s up to the Knicks to join them in round three. So, enjoy this win and get ready to back our basketball team, it’s their time too! You can find me on Twitter @YNWA9623 and subscribe to the site by hitting the follow button in the bottom right corner and entering your email address. Check out our Instagram feed @thebroadwaybreakdownsports for special gameday and promotional content, including some video capturing the wild scenes at the Garden both inside and out from Thursday night. We have also launched a podcast which carries the same name as the Instagram account. Check out our new mailbag page to join the conversation here on the site and on our partners show, The Rangers Ed Podcast! We’ll be back with more soon!