The Calgary Flames might have been red hot entering Monday, but Igor Shesterkin stayed cool while earning his first shutout of the season. The streak has reached five wins in a row after Monday’s 2-0 victory. Depth scoring, solid defence, and goaltending have led to the recent success of the New York Rangers. Although the top guns have been quiet in February, the team is slowly rediscovering their identity. January seemed to be the dog days of the season, where the entire team was not scoring. Now, even the bottom six forwards are getting their fair share of love when it comes to goal-scoring. Could this Igor Shesterkin shutout by a turning point?
STUCK WITH IT. ? pic.twitter.com/r05abEZsRj
— New York Rangers (@NYRangers) February 13, 2024
February has been flawless for the Rangers and their win over Calgary proved it. Sure, the powerplay has not scored a goal since January 21. Let’s look beyond the powerplay. The defensive core has limited their puck-watching. Both goaltenders are playing lights out when their name is called. Depth forwards are putting pressure on the top six by scoring goals game in and game out. Monday was a perfect representation of what a masterclass looks like. Finally, for all sixty minutes, the Rangers might have dominated an entire hockey game. The main player in doing so might have been the man in between the pipes.
Igor Shesterkin: Cooler Than The Other Side Of The Pillow during shutout
It all started during All-Star Weekend in Toronto. The moment Igor Shesterkin was selected to Team Matthews (and the seventh of eight goaltenders), he knew that he would have all eyes on him. Matched up against Team Hughes, a shootout was needed to determine a winner to face Team McDavid. Four rounds were needed for the shootout and four saves were made by our beloved Igor. The smiles shared between Shesterkin, Vincent Trocheck, and the rest of Team Matthews were a sight to see. From that moment on, Shesterkin’s second half of the season began.
Monday was a confidence boost for Shesterkin, earning 29 saves against a Calgary team who had been scoring goals left and right entering Monday’s contest. From the opening puck drop, Shesterkin shut the door and did not provide the opposition any glimmer of hope. From flashing the leather in the first to double saves in the third, this was easily one of Shesterkin’s best starts as a Ranger. Fans were hoping that Igor would find that one game, that one opportunity to earn back the trust of the fanbase. Monday proved that although Jonathan Quick is a solid option, Igor Shesterkin will be the man to take New York to the promised land.
What was made clear from early on in his career was that he has been hard on himself. We can all relate somewhat to wanting to be the best at what we do. Seeing Shesterkin visibly upset made it alarming. All of that has been put to rest after Monday’s performance. After a first star and the Broadway Hat, it is safe to say that Igor just might be back.
Weather outside: frightful.
This Igor hat pic: delightful. pic.twitter.com/p8hdTrxhNc— New York Rangers (@NYRangers) February 13, 2024
New Powerplay Units, Same Old Results
One of the headlines entering Monday were Peter Laviolette‘s new powerplay units comprised in practices in the days following. What was once a league’s best man-advantage unit is now almost a laughing stock. The lack of production was evident and enough was enough for Laviolette as he introduced two brand new units to kick off the first powerplay on Monday.
The new first unit was Adam Fox, Blake Wheeler, Jonny Brodzinski, Mika Zibanejad, and Chris Kreider. The second unit lined up as Erik Gustafsson, Artemi Panarin, Vincent Trocheck, Alexis Lafreniere, and Kaapo Kakko. These fresh, brand-new units only lasted just two minutes. The second powerplay of the game saw a reunion of the original unit which still tallied a goose egg on Monday.
It is more than a lack of shot taking, it is being too pretty on the puck. Each of the five players on the original powerplay unit has the potential to hold onto the puck and create a play when needed. The unit did not need to be broken up, rather they just need to be taught a new gameplan. Implement the Kreider deflection more often, use Zibanejad’s one-time more often, or have Fox take a shot once in a while. Come the latter part of the year, this unit is in need of a Zach Bryan-type of a “Revival.”
Main photo by: Brad Penner – USA Today Sports
