Rangers Need Shesterkin & Special Teams to Continue Carrying Team

As the Rangers look to continue their playoff run, they will need their star goalie and reliable special teams units to continue coming through in the second round.

Igor Shesterkin

Two postseasons ago, Shesterkin got off to a rough start and was pulled in back-to-back losses in Game 3 and Game 4 in the Rangers’ first-round matchup against the Pittsburgh Penguins. Under a lot of pressure, the star goalie rallied and helped the team advance after trailing 3-1 in the series. He played at an elite level for the rest of that postseason and helped the team make an unexpected run to the Eastern Conference Final. He had a .929 save percentage (SV%) and a 2.59 goals-against average (GAA). Last postseason he had a .931 SV% and a 1.96 GAA though the team was eliminated in the first round.

This postseason, Shesterkin stopped 20 of 21 shots in a 4-1 Game 1 victory. In a wild Game 2, he stopped 22 of 25 shots including some great scoring chances from the slot, and helped the team hold on for a 4-3 victory.

Shesterkin’s best performance of the series came in Game 3 though it did not start well as he fanned on a weak wrist shot and the Rangers fell behind 1-0 early in the first period. From that point on, he was fantastic, making saves on odd-man rushes and after some giveaways in the defensive zone. The team did not play their best but he led them to a 3-1 victory. In Game 4 he stopped 23 of 25 shots and made a big save late in the third period with the team clinging to a one-goal lead. They added a late empty net goal for insurance and closed out the series with a 4-2 victory. Shesterkin finished with a .931 SV% and a 1.75 GAA.

The Rangers need Shesterkin to continue his excellent play to get through the second round. The Capitals had some injuries and were not a great offensive team as they averaged just 2.63 goals per game in the regular season. The next matchup will be a tougher one but their star goalie’s playoff performances thus far in his career should give them confidence.

Special Teams

Both the power play and penalty kill were very important parts of the Rangers’ success during the regular season and they played a big role in their sweep of the Capitals. In Game 1, they killed off a couple of key penalties while the score was 0-0 though neither team scored a power play or shorthanded goal in the game. In Game 2, they allowed two power-play goals but Mika Zibanejad and Jack Roslovic scored power-play goals and in a turning point, K’Andre Miller scored the game-winning goal while shorthanded off a beautiful passing play.

In Game 3, special teams helped steal one for the Rangers as they killed off all six Capitals’ power plays and Barclay Goodrow scored the game-winning goal shorthanded off a nice feed from Vincent Trocheck. Trocheck later added a power-play goal for insurance. In Game 4, the Rangers killed off two penalties and scored three power-play goals including Artemi Panarin’s game-winning goal in the third period. He gave the puck to Adam Fox at the point and circled the net before getting the puck back and scoring on a nice wrist shot.

The Rangers had excellent puck movement on the power play throughout the first round with Chris Kreider creating havoc in front of the net. Fox and Panarin were excellent at the point and quick passes by Zibanejad and Trocheck helped set up great scoring chances.

While the Rangers took a lot of penalties against the Capitals, their penalty kill came through the majority of the time as they took away time and space from Alexander Ovechkin. They blocked a lot of shots, rarely got caught out of position, and used their speed to create scoring chances while shorthanded.

For the Rangers Moving Forward

The Rangers are off to a great start this postseason thanks to their strong play on special teams and Shesterkin’s impressive series against the Capitals. After going through some early struggles this season, Shesterkin returned to form late in the regular season and has carried that into the playoffs, while special teams played a big role in the team winning the Presidents’ Trophy.

In the second round, the Rangers will once again have to rely heavily on Shesterkin and their special teams and the first round should give them confidence in both.