Shesterkin Should be Commended for Performance versus Washington

The New York Rangers were outshot, heavily behind in the possession category and ultimately lost to the Washington Capitals, 5-3, on Tuesday night. But, they were certainly not out-goalied, as Igor Shesterkin nearly survived a firing squad. 

With 41 saves, he shined despite the horrid defense in front of him. With the shots being 46 to a measly 19 for the Rangers, the entire roster in front of Shesterkin should be scolded for last night’s effort. 

According to Moneypuck.com, Shesterkin may have let up 4 goals, but he had an xGoals Against of 7.393. That is outstanding. 

Kept them alive till the very end

Even though he wasn’t labeled as a star of the game, Shesterkin was a shining light last night. He was quick, and agile and made the saves when needed, including this two-on-one that kept the Rangers within a goal in the third period. 

One of the things that stood out on the stat sheet is that Shesterkin kept one of the greatest power play units in the league at bay. He held the Capitals to no goals on four power play chances and made six saves in that duration. 

But, it wasn’t all sunshine and rainbows as he still allowed three quick first-period goals. Two of those went to someone chasing down Wayne Gretzky’s goal record, Alexander Ovechkin. If you are going to give up goals to anyone, at least it is too one of the greatest of all time.

With every passing game, Shesterkin is going to be under the microscope. As it gets closer to the end of the season, he will be zeroed in on by everybody. As it stands now, this game has been the only “bad game” so far in seven starts. That bodes very well for the Rangers as they want to make it back to playoffs at the end of this season.