Chris Kreider Is A Surprising Healthy Scratch Against Devils

Chris Kreider will serve as a healthy scratch for the New York Rangers’ Monday afternoon game against the New Jersey Devils.

This comes one day after the Rangers suffered a 3-1 loss to the Carolina Hurricanes.

The Rangers have lost 12 out of their last 16 games, so it seems Peter Laviolette is sending a clear message by benching one of his top veteran forwards, showing that nobody is guaranteed a spot in the lineup.

According to Vince Z. Mercogliano of USA Today, Kreider has been dealing with an achy back, but is healthy enough to play.

The 33-year-old has recorded 11 goals, one assist and 12 points in 30 games while averaging 17:26 minutes.