Kreider calls himself out for Game 7 performance: 'It was shameful'

The New York Rangers were eliminated from the postseason on Monday after a 4-0 loss in Game 7 of their first-round series against the New Jersey Devils.

Rangers veteran Chris Kreider was minus-4 in Monday's loss and called himself out after the season-ending defeat.

“I’m one of the veteran leaders, I’m one of the guys who should have set the example and instead I’m on for all four goals against,” Kreider told The New York Post. “That cannot happen and especially in Game 7.

“It was shameful.”

The Rangers were blanked by the Devils' breakout star of the postseason, Akira Schmid, who made 31 saves to improve to 4-1 in the series after taking over from Vitek Vanecek.

New York held a 2-0 advantage in the series before the Devils won three straight. The Rangers posted their first home-ice win of the series in Game 6 to force a Game 7.

The first-round exit comes one year after the Rangers reached the Eastern Conference final and serves as a disappointing end after the team loaded up at the trade deadline, bringing in Vladimir Tarasenko and Patrick Kane. 

“Talent doesn’t mean a thing,” head coach Gerard Gallant said postgame on Monday. “It’s great to have talent, but you’ve got to play together and work together. Obviously, the four games that we lost, we had two goals. That’s the bottom line. You’re not going to win if you get two goals in four games.

“I love to have talent, but you love to have work ethic and more forecheck and stuff like that. We just didn’t get it done."

Kane and Tarasenko headline the team's relatively short list of pending free agents, joined by Tyler Motte, Niko Mikkola and Jaroslav Halak. Alexis Lafreniere, K'Andre Miller and Libor Hajek are all scheduled for restricted free agency this summer.