It’s time for Igor Shesterkin to revert to his Vezina-winning ways
Jonathan Quick has arguably been the best goaltender on the New York Rangers this season with a 2.35 GAA, a 0.918 save percentage, and 11 wins. No, he hasn’t put up the most consistent numbers, which you can see with his pedestrian 0.471 quality starts percentage. However, the 38-year-old has shown us he’s still more than capable of putting up solid production.
Meanwhile, Shesterkin’s output is a far cry from his Vezina-winning 2021-22 season, when he put up 36 wins, a 0.935 save percentage, and a 2.07 GAA that year to go with an impeccable 0.731 quality starts percentage. Last season, he wasn’t as good, but fans of opposing teams still groaned when they realized Shesterkin was in the net for New York.
This year, that trend has cooled, as Shesterkin’s 0.899 save percentage and 2.86 GAA sit tied for 30th and 20th in the league, respectively, per QuantHockey. Heading into the most important stretch of the season, Shesterkin must find his game and bring that old Vezina-winning version of himself forward for the final two months of the year. If not, it will be tough for the Rangers to snag a top seed in the 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs.