RALEIGH, N.C. — There are many reasons why the Rangers held a commanding 3-0 lead in the second round heading into Saturday night’s Game 4 against the Hurricanes, one win away from advancing to the Eastern Conference Finals. .
To be exact, there are 99 of them.
That’s the number Rangers goaltender Igor Shesterkin has saved on 104 shots in Carolina over the past two games.
The Rangers’ penalty kill and power play overwhelmed the Hurricanes.
Their star players have made their biggest plays in the biggest moments. Most recently, Thursday night’s overtime game was highlighted by Artemi Panarin’s piece of art redirecting the game-winning goal between his legs.
But through the first seven games of the Stanley Cup Playoffs (all wins), no star has shone as consistently bright as Shesterkin.
The Rangers’ goaltender is the team’s best player every night, something Carolina coach Rod Brind’Amour acknowledged Friday.
“He made a difference. There’s no way around that,” Brind’Amour said. “You have to give him credit. He’s made a lot of quality saves. There were a couple. [saves] He made it world class. And that’s the couple that would be the difference, even if they went in different directions.
“People might say we don’t take enough shots, but he makes some pretty good saves. He’s world class.”
Other than a brief midseason slump, Shesterkin had an excellent regular season, posting a 36-17-2 record, 2.58 goals-against average, and .912 save percentage.
This is Exhibit A for players who performed well in the regular season but also improved in the postseason. Shesterkin is 7-0 with a 2.35 goals against and .930 save percentage.
Just look at the two contrasting playoff series the Rangers have played to see just how good he is.
In the opener, Washington was a low-shooting team and didn’t have many skilled snipers to score. So while Shesterkin wasn’t facing a ton of shots, his challenge was not to get sleepy during stretches of inaction and stay sharp for the occasional quality scoring chances.
He did just that, allowing just seven goals in four games against the Capitals.
On the flip side, Carolina has a lineup with a lot of scoring threats and frequently slams a ton of shots onto opposing goalies. The Hurricanes had 57 shots on target in Game 2, and Shesterkin rejected 54 of them.
Shesterkin had his best performance in Game 2 at the Garden when he stoned the Canes on two power plays in overtime.
On Thursday night, Keynes fired 47 more rubber bullets at Shesterkin, passing him by just two shots. The second of those shots came during a desperate 6-on-5 rally in the second half when the goalie was removed to make way for an extra skater.
“He changed the game,” Rangers center Alex Wennberg said Friday. “You need a goalkeeper to make saves. And to be honest, Igor makes a lot for us, not just one or two. He makes important plays that keep us in the game. He made a save and made an important save that gave us an advantage. I’m really glad I did that.”
Rangers center Jack Roslovic also called Shesterkin, a trade deadline acquisition like Wennberg, “locked in.”
“He makes all the timely saves, big saves, flashy saves, important saves that no one notices,” Roslovic said Friday. “He’s the backbone, the last line of defense. And when a guy shines like that, it makes his life a lot easier.”
As good as the Rangers’ penalty kill unit was, Shesterkin’s commitment to Carolina’s power play cost the life of the Hurricanes, who looked exasperated and without answers.
“Goaltenders are often said to be the best penalty killers, and he stood out in that regard,” Rangers manager Peter Laviolette said Friday. “It can take away the edge.” [the opposing] Build things and solve them. ”
The better Shesterkin is, the more confident the players in front of him will be. It’s just a chain reaction, and it’s beautiful to watch, unless you’re wearing a Hurricanes jersey.
“We played in their zone a lot, but ‘Shesty’ was good for them,” Carolina winger Andrei Svechnikov said. “I don’t know what we have to do, but we have to do something special here.”
Saturday night may be the last chance to do that.
“From my experience so far, a goaltender might have to be the really, really best player, or one of the best players anyway,” Laviolette said. “He seems really focused right now and he’s really working on his game.
“At the end of the day, it’s one guy that saves a lot of things. There’s confidence in the team knowing you can play a certain way and he’s got your back. I think he will make the save.”
He’s made 99 of those in his last two games.
People who make a difference.
