Igor Shesterkin making big saves as Rangers chase third Stanley Cup Final in 30 years – Trentonian

BIO

Igor Shesterkin

Few goalies in NHL history have made the instant impact Shesterkin did when he came to the New York Rangers midway through the 2019-20 season.

The Rangers selected Shesterkin, a Moscow native, in the fourth round (No. 118) in the 2014 NHL Draft. Then they waited while he developed into one of the top goalies in the Kontinental Hockey League. From 2016-17 through 2018-19, he was 71-12-10 for SKA St. Petersburg, and in his final season he was 24-4-0 with a 1.11 goals-against average and .953 save percentage.

Shesterkin signed with the Rangers on May 3, 2019 and began the season with Hartford of the American Hockey League, where he went 17-4-3 with a 1.90 GAA and .934 save percentage. The Rangers recalled him on Jan. 6, 2020, and he won his NHL debut the next night by making 29 saves in a 5-3 victory against the Colorado Avalanche.

In his first 12 games, Shesterkin went 10-2-0 with a 2.52 GAA and .922 save percentage, assuming the No. 1 role that had been Henrik Lundqvist’s since 2005-06. He won seven consecutive games from Jan. 31-Feb. 22, 2020, allowing a total of 16 goals and showing he has the potential to carry the Rangers through the new decade.

Igor Shesterkin - New York Rangers Goaltender - ESPN

Shesterkin made 79 saves for the Rangers before a 4-3 loss in triple-overtime to the Pittsburgh Penguins in Game 1 of the 2022 Eastern Conference First Round. It broke the Rangers record set by Mike Richter (59) on Jan. 31, 1991 (regular season or playoffs). It was also the second most in a Stanley Cup Playoff game. Joonas Korpisalo made 85 saves for the Columbus Blue Jackets against the Tampa Bay Lightning in Game 1 of the 2020 first round, won 3-2 by the Lightning in the fifth OT.

Shesterkin won the Vezina Trophy, voted to the best goalie in the NHL, in 2021-22. In 53 games he led the NHL with a 2.09 goals-against average, and his .935 save percentage was the best in the League and third-best all-time among goalies to play at least 50 games (Tim Thomas, Boston Bruins, .938 in 2010-11; Dominik Hasek, Buffalo Sabres, .937 in 1998-99). Shesterkin was the third Rangers goalie to win the award since NHL general managers began voting on it in 1981-82, along with John Vanbiesbrouck (1985-86) and Henrik Lundqvist (2011-12).