When the New York Rangers were in a massive slump this season, many put the blame on struggling goaltender Igor Shesterkin. The former Vezina-winner hadn’t looked like himself for quite some time, but many others believed he would bounce back at some point. Lingering injuries, confidence issues, and a struggling defensive corps were all factors limiting Shesterkin’s abilities, but following the All-Star break, Igor looks to be back and better than ever.
Shesterkin has been near-perfect in the month of February
So far this month, Shesterkin has gone 5-0-0 and has had a save percentage of .945%. His two most recent victories against Dallas and New Jersey were close to perfect with only one goal against in each, as both contests easily could have been shutouts for the Russian goaltender.
Shetserkin may have started the season off in a rough patch, but any doubts can be put to rest now. He’s been stellar in his last five performances, helping the Rangers reach some dominating wins. His only questionable game might be the 2024 Stadium Series in which he allowed five goals against, but an outdoor game with many external factors is hard to judge against the rest of his recent play.
Is the Rangers’ goaltending debate over starting Quick finally put to rest?
Before Shesterkin began his hot streak, many fans called for Peter Laviolette to name backup goaltender Jonathan Quick the new starter. He too was playing incredibly, and was undoubtedly the hot hand at the time. This reality led to Quick earning more starts, but he still split most of the games with Shesterkin.
Now that Shesterkin is hot, it’ll be interesting to see how the Rangers play their goaltenders moving forward. Quick hasn’t regressed at all, but he hasn’t been given the start in over a week. It’ll be important for the Rangers to not overwork Shesterkin ahead of the postseason, but also to keep him hot at the same time.