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The main factor that has distinguished the Rangers is Igor Shesterkin………..
The Rangers lead the Hurricanes 3-0 in their second-round series and are one victory away from the Eastern Conference finals. There are several reasons for this.
To be precise, there are 99 of them.
Igor Shesterkin, the goalie for the Rangers, has stopped 104 shots from Carolina in the last two games.
The Rangers have dominated the Hurricanes with their power play and penalty kill.
Their best players have consistently produced the greatest plays at the most crucial times. Artemi Panarin’s incredible between-the-legs redirect that set up the game-winning goal in overtime on Thursday night is just one example.
But no light has shined more consistently brilliantly over the first seven games of these Stanley Cup playoffs — all wins — than Shesterkin.
Rod Brind’Amour, the head coach of Carolina, recognised on Friday that the Rangers goalie has been their best player consistently.
“There’s no avoiding the fact that he has been the difference,” Brind’Amour remarked. “You must offer him credit. He has produced many excellent saves. He did a few [saves] that were truly exceptional. And that’s the difference between that relationship if they go in a different direction.
“You can argue that our shooting isn’t good enough, but he’s also making some excellent saves. He is exceptional.
Shesterkin had an excellent regular season, finishing with a 36-17-2 record, a 2.58 goals-against average, and a.912 save %, excluding a brief mid-season dip.
Even though he was already excellent throughout the regular season, he has become even more of a player in the postseason. With a 2.35 goals-against average and a.930 save percentage, Shesterkin is 7-0.
Two very different playoff series the Rangers have played serve as examples of his calibre of play.
In the first round, Washington was a low-shotting squad devoid of many talented shooters who could score goals. Shesterkin’s task was to stay alert for the rare high-quality scoring opportunities and avoid falling asleep during periods of inactivity, even though he wasn’t facing a lot of shots.
Against the Capitals, he did precisely that, giving up just seven goals in four games.
On the other hand, Carolina’s team is loaded with players who can score goals, and they frequently shower their opponent’s goalie with shots. In the second game, Shesterkin stopped 54 of the 57 attempts that the Hurricanes attempted on goal.
When Shesterkin stoned the Canes on two power plays in overtime during Game 2 at the Garden, he was at his best.
Thursday night, the Canes fired 47 more rubber shots at Shesterkin, but they were only able to get two past him. The second came during a desperate six-on-five comeback in which their goalie was withdrawn in favour of an extra skater.
Alex Wennberg, a centre for the Rangers, said on Friday, “He changed the game.” “A goaltender is required to make those saves. And to be really honest, Igor is producing a large quantity of them for us—not just one or two. He makes crucial saves to give us the advantage as well as crucial saves to keep us in the game. It is quite pleasant to possess that.
Like Wennberg, who was acquired around the trade deadline, Rangers centre Jack Roslovic described Shesterkin as “locked in.”
Roslovic stated on Friday, “He’s been making timely saves, big saves, flashy saves and then all the nuts and bolts saves that he makes that nobody really notices.” He serves as the skeleton and final line of defence. And life is much easier when a guy is sparkling like that.
Even though the Rangers’ penalty kill units have performed admirably, Shesterkin’s efforts on the Carolina power play have left the Hurricanes looking frustrated and forlorn.
Rangers coach Peter Laviolette stated on Friday, “They often say your goaltender is your best penalty killer, and he’s been outstanding with that.” “That can calm things down and take the edge off [the opposing] building.”
The players in front of Shesterkin have greater confidence when he performs well. Watching it is a lovely experience since it truly is a chain reaction, unless you chance to be sporting a Hurricanes jersey.
Andrei Svechnikov of Carolina stated, “We’ve been playing in their zone a lot, but ‘Shesty’ has been good for them.” “Something special needs to be done here; I’m not sure what it is.”