The New York Rangers were in Vancouver on Tuesday night for a late night showdown with the Canucks. After trading leads in the first two periods, a pretty passing play from Mika Zibanejad and Reilly Smith ended in a Chris Kreider goal halfway through the third period to give the Rangers a 4-3 lead that they would never relinquish. Igor Shesterkin improved on his record for the season earning his eighth win, bringing him to a record of 8-4-1.
Grading Shesterkin's Play
The Rangers and Igor Shesterkin have found themselves giving up early goals entirely too often this season. In his last four starts for the Rangers, Shesterkin has allowed a goal in the first four minutes of the game and Tuesday was no exception. Just 34 seconds into the first period, a Quinn Hughes backhander from the hashmarks beat Igor Shesterkin and the Rangers found themselves trailing to start a game yet again. Of course, the defensive efforts of the Rangers share some of the blame in this trend, but when it comes to protecting the net, the buck stops with Shesterkin.
On a night when Igor boasted just an .875 save percentage, Rangers fans still found a highlight to make them smile thanks to some classic Shesterkin antics. After Vancouver's Conor Garland got too close to the Rangers goaltender for comfort, Shesterkin responded in kind by latching onto Garland's leg, refusing to let him chase the puck into the corner.
igor got me CRYING pic.twitter.com/I5MsqpM5zq
— chris kreider respecter (@jonmoxIeys) November 20, 2024
While plays like this are fun, it's hard to ignore Shesterkin's stats in his last five starts. There is no debate about the fact that Shesterkin is a world-class goaltender and will be worth every penny for the Rangers moving forward. That being said, he is still subject to criticism. Across his last five starts Shesterkin has a goals against average of 3.4 and a save percentage of just .835.
The role of an NHL goalie is to give his team a chance at winning every game and Tuesday night Igor Shesterkin did just enough for the Rangers to come away with two points. His save percentage under .900 and his allowing of yet another early goal lose the 28-year-old some points even if his antics buy back some goodwill from fans. All in all Igor is deserving of about a B- for his performance Tuesday night. He has the misfortune of being one of the best goaltenders in the world which means that when he struggles, people notice.