Watch: Chris Kreider's natural third-period hat trick shatters Hurricanes' comeback hopes

The Carolina Hurricanes were cruising, leading by two goals in the third period of Game 6 and well on their way to forcing a deciding Game 7.

But Chris Kreider stepped in, lifting the New York Rangers to an incredible come-from-behind victory after notching a natural hat trick in the third period.

With the Rangers trailing 3-1 and the Hurricanes buzzing, Kreider scored at 6:43 of the third to pull New York within a goal.

Then, four minutes later, he netted the tying marker at 11:54 off a beautiful deflection in front of Carolina netminder Frederik Andersen.

Kreider would secure the hat trick four minutes and 13 seconds later, again positioning himself in front of the Hurricanes' cage before redirecting a gorgeous pass into the back of the net for the go-ahead goal.

The third-period heroics helped Kreider join some elite and rare company. According to The Athletic, he's only the third Rangers player to score a hat trick in any period in the playoffs. Hall of Famers Mark Messier (1994) and Wayne Gretzky (1997) are the others.

The Hurricanes were attempting to become only the fifth team in NHL history to overcome a 3-0 deficit in the playoffs and the first since the Los Angeles Kings in 2014.

While the loss is heartbreaking on its own, Carolina had countless chances to bury the Rangers before Kreider's first goal of the third period, including two shots that hit the goal post.

Regardless, instead of preparing for a Game 7, the franchise begins an offseason haunted by what could have been.

Conversely, the Rangers avoided near disaster to move on to the Eastern Conference Finals, the team's second trip in three seasons. They await the winner of the other East semifinal, which the Florida Panthers lead 3-2 over the Boston Bruins.