Opinion: Rangers’ Shesterkin Is Struggling in a Big Way

Igor Shesterkin in net for the New York Rangers. Photo by Amanda Cain/NHLI
Photo by Amanda Cain/NHLI

In the beginning of the season, New York Rangers goaltender Igor Shesterkin looked like the best goaltender in the world.

Shesterkin, 28, was stealing games, coming up with big save after big save, and bailing out his team whenever there was a defensive miscue. He looked like a goaltender who was well on his way to earning the largest contract given to a masked man in NHL history.

Fast forward to today (Tuesday, December 3) and things are very different for the Russian netminder. As of this writing, Shesterkin is 8-9-0-1 with a 3.05 goals-against average, a .908 save percentage, and one shutout.

Those statistics are a far cry from the way he started the year. Here is what Shesterkin did in his first nine games of the season when he looked like a brick wall between the pipes:

  • October 9 vs. the Pittsburgh Penguins: 31-save shutout victory.
  • October 12 vs. the Utah Hockey Club: Stopped 20 of 26 shots in an overtime loss.
  • October 14 vs. the Detroit Red Wings: Stopped 31 of 32 shots and got the win.
  • October 19 vs. the Toronto Maple Leafs: Stopped 34 of 35 shots and got the win.
  • October 22 vs. the Montreal Canadiens: Stopped 21 of 23 shots and got the win.
  • October 24 vs. the Florida Panthers: Stopped 26 of 29 shots in a loss.
  • October 29 vs. the Washington Capitals: Stopped 41 of 45 shots in a loss.
  • November 1 vs. the Ottawa Senators: Stopped 40 of 41 shots and got the win.
Benders: Are the Bruins & Rangers Good Trade Partners?

As you can tell from the above, Shesterkin was on top of his game. He was winning hockey games, was keeping his team in games that they had not business being in, and was making a lot of big saves.

Unfortunately, things are very different now for both Shesterkin and the Rangers. After getting off to a fast start, the Rangers have come crumbling down as they are currently (As of Tuesday, December 3) fourth in the Metropolitan Division, sixth in the Eastern Conference, and 14th in the league with a 13-10-1 record for 27 points.

Shesterkin’s struggles have been very apparent in his last nine starts. In those nine games, Shesterkin is 2-7-0 with a 3.93 goals-against average and a .882 save percentage.

One reason why Shesterkin is not playing well is because his team is giving up a lot of shots and it is impacting Shesterkin in a negative way. Game after game, he is facing a lot of high-quality scoring chances, but unlike he did in the beginning of the season, he is no longer stopping them.

Another reason why he is struggling is because he is allowing goals early in the game. For the last few weeks, we have seen the Rangers get off to poor starts early in games as Shesterkin has been giving up goals right from the get go.

When a goaltender gives up a goal a few minutes into a game, it can negatively impact their confidence for the rest of the game. This might be what is happening with Shesterkin this season as there have been several occasions later on in said games where he is looking behind him after making a save.

One also cannot help but wonder if his contract status is negatively impacting the way he is playing. Shesterkin wants to be the highest paid goaltender in the league and wants to show both his team and the rest of the league that he deserves to have money thrown at him.

With that mindset, Shesterkin is probably putting extra pressure on himself. While that is not necessarily a bad thing, it might be hurting him right now because all he should focus on is stopping the puck and winning hockey games for his team to help them get back on the right track.

The Rangers desperately need Shesterkin to get back to playing like one of the best goaltenders in the world. If that does not happen, the team is going to sink and changes are going to have be made in a hurry.

Don't Cry-der Because It's Over Ranting Rangers: A New York Rangers Podcast

In this week's episode we discuss the Kreider trade and his impact as a Ranger, addressing NYR rumors going around, Mika and more.How to support us and our sponsors:Columbia Sports ApparelESPN+ SubscriptionFanaticsDraft Kings – CODE ITRThanks for listening! Please rate and review our show on your favorite listening platform. Check out our partner's website at www.insidetherink.com for all your latest hockey news.
  1. Don't Cry-der Because It's Over
  2. Can the Rangers Cop Robo?
  3. Guest Will Wright : 1st Pick this Year or Next?
  4. Fortune Telling w/ Joe Fortunato
  5. Built for Compliance, Not Cups

Discover more from Inside The Rink

Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.

Patrick Hoffman

Patrick covers the NHL for Inside The Rink. He has previously covered the league for The Ultimate Hockey Fan Cave, WTP Sports, Sportsnet.ca, Kukla’s Korner, Spector’s Hockey, NHL Network Radio blog, TheHockeyNews.com, The Fourth Period, Stan Fischler’s “The Fischler Report”, as well as a slew of others.

Leave a Reply

Edmonton Oilers Cup Final Defeat x2: Offseason Plans

When the Edmonton Oilers lost Game 7 last year, I was being a good sport and watching the entire Florida Panthers team raise the Stanley Cup. After Game 6 last week, I couldn’t take seeing the same team do it at our expense for the second time in a row. If you kept your TV […]

Read More
Philadelphia Flyers Acquire Trevor Zegras From Anaheim Ducks

Philadelphia Flyers Acquire Trevor Zegras From Anaheim Ducks

The Philadelphia Flyers are reportedly acquiring forward Trevor Zegras from the Anaheim Ducks.

Read More

Opinion: How Superstition Helped Fuel Florida’s Back-to-Back Championships

There are plenty of storylines that can come out of the playoffs, but by far the most unexpected one this year was the Dairy Queen Saga that followed the Panthers for the final two series. Born from a viral photo and some coaxing by Brad Marchand, there wasn’t a game day that went by where […]

Read More