Kreider’s late injury ‘ripped my heart out’

Chris Kreider missed the final and most important six games of the Rangers’ season with an “impact-based injury, a lower-back issue and muscle spasms,” the winger said Monday during the team’s endof-season media availability.

“Getting injured at the time of year that it occurred was one of the more frustrating things that I’ve ever dealt with in my pro career,” he said. “You’re in position with six games left where chips might’ve been down, but I think we had some control over our own destiny if we continued winning hockey games.

“It really, really hurt, not being able to play in those two Islanders games.”

The 30-year-old added that he couldn’t get his injuries to calm down so that he could play without hindering the team.

“It ripped my heart out,” said Kreider, who finished the season with 20 goals and 10 assists, including a teamhigh 11 power-play goals.

When the Rangers were set to play the home-and-home series against the Islanders on April 29 and May 1, their playoff hopes were still alive. They had just come off a 7-3 run, which included a 6-0 stretch against the Devils and Sabres, and were hovering over the fourth-place Bruins.

But Kreider was deemed a gametime decision ahead of the first of two against the Islanders and was unable to play. Defenseman Ryan Lindgren was then injured during that game following a collision with Cal Clutterbuck, just nine days after the team lost Jacob Trouba in the 6-1 loss to the Isles on April 20.

The Blueshirts were suddenly without three of their most physical players heading into the most crucial stretch of their season.

While Kreider was visibly disappointed in how his own season came to an end, the veteran Ranger wanted to highlight the positives that he personally took away.

“I think the amount of adversity, on and off the ice, that our team saw as consistently as we did, I think my big takeaway was — I just can’t say how proud I am enough of our group, of our individuals,” he said. “For them to show up and try to get better and try to win hockey games, I think the group really came together. Of course, the youngest team in hockey, a lot of new faces, a lot of guys stepping into roles in positions that they may not have been in the past. I think the entire year was a terrific learning experience.”