Dealing with goalie Igor Shesterkin is one factor, however dealing with a annoyed Igor Shesterkin is one other.
The Penguins realized that lesson at Madison Sq. Backyard on Thursday evening, when Shesterkin dropped the iron curtain and made 30 saves to propel the Rangers to a 3-0 victory and cap an intense regular-season collection with Pittsburgh. Time will inform if there may be to be a playoff collection, as properly.
Shesterkin had surrendered three or extra objectives in half of his earlier 10 begins coming into Thursday’s matchup, marking one of many hardest stretches of his younger NHL profession.
However it is just “powerful” by Shesterkin’s requirements, that are considerably increased than most different goalies within the league given how otherworldly his numbers have been since he joined the Rangers towards the tip of the pandemic-shortened 2019-20 season.
Defenseman Jacob Trouba not too long ago mentioned all people within the Rangers’ locker room is aware of simply how a lot Shesterkin doesn’t prefer to lose. He merely expects a whole lot of himself.
That was evident after the Russian netminder declined to debate his recreation following the Rangers’ 4-3 shootout loss to the Flyers on Sunday. He did, nonetheless, admit he was annoyed. So, naturally, Shesterkin was again to his brick-wall methods on Thursday.
“Clearly, the previous couple of video games didn’t go as deliberate,” Shesterkin mentioned by means of a translator after the win, which introduced the Rangers’ magic quantity to clinch a playoff berth down to 2. “I used to be actually attempting to get my grasp on the sport. However we’ll preserve shifting ahead from there, I’ll work with the coaches and we’ll attempt to transfer on.”
Shesterkin, who earned his fourth shutout of the season, had the Backyard chanting his identify. After denying Penguins top-line winger Jake Guentzel in entrance to maintain the guests off the scoreboard towards the tip of the second interval, the ‘IG-OR!’ cheers reverberated from the decrease bowl and as much as the pinwheel ceiling.
“If he realized the right way to rating as properly, I believe he’d actually be there,” mentioned Artemi Panarin, who took a slick go from Andrew Copp and backhanded it residence for the 2-0 lead at 9:47 of the center body. “However proper now, we’ll preserve him on the wage he’s received.”
“He promised that if I began scoring, he’d share a bit little bit of his contract,” Shesterkin quipped in response.
This was the way in which the Rangers needed to depart it off with the Penguins.
It was the fourth time the 2 groups squared off within the span of 41 days, and the Rangers had the final phrase. The Blueshirts had been seemingly in management for 60 minutes, leaning on a fierce forecheck and clogging the capturing lanes within the defensive zone.
The Penguins had been with out Sidney Crosby, John Marino, and Radim Zohorna, who had been all sidelined with a non-COVID sickness. They even needed to recall ahead Filip Hallander below emergency circumstances for the second time this week to fill out the lineup.
However the Rangers had a close to picture-perfect show of the way in which they wish to be working come the tip of the common season.
Commerce-deadline acquisition Frank Vatrano opened up the scoring within the first interval. Defensemen Braden Schneider and Trouba throwing their our bodies round. Panarin being traditional Panarin. Oh, and Shesterkin monitoring each puck in sight.
“Folks had been frightened about him, I wasn’t,” head coach Gerard Gallant mentioned of Shesterkin. “He performed rather well, made some actual key saves at key instances.”
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