It goes without saying that Igor Shesterkin needs to make money if the Rangers have any chance of competing against the bruised Panthers.
His play anchored the Rangers, who took advantage of the Hurricanes’ special teams and goaltending deficiencies.
When it came to 5-on-5 play, Carolina was at the wheel from start to finish in that series.
Florida is expected to replicate the same unblocked shot differential advantage as the No. 3 team in the playoffs, especially with the league’s most harmonious forward running from top to bottom in the lineup. It is expected that this advantage will further increase with checks.
Shesterkin has stopped just about everything I’ve seen him do, unless the opponent decides on a dangerous scoring opportunity or causes traffic in front of the net.
The Panthers allow the third-most dangerous shots at 4.45 per game.
According to Natural Stat Trick, 10 of Shesterkin’s 18 missed goals against Carolina came from dangerous shots out of 62 total chances.
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He ranks second in goals against expectations in the playoffs to only the Bruins’ Jeremy Swayman, who matched the Panthers’ 33 shots per game.
It’s no secret that Shesterkin is a reliable player. He holds the best playoff save percentage in Rangers history among eligible goaltenders at .927.
Would you bet on the NHL?
The Rangers showed they can show up to the rink still as their flawed January selves, even at points.
He had his hands full in his two starts against Florida during the regular season, making the over at a moderate set-saving prop worth the cost.
Play: Igor Shesterkin 28.5 saves or better (-130, FanDuel).
