The New York Rangers have something interesting going on when it comes to their goaltenders.
They have a Vezina Trophy-winning and All-Star goaltender Igor Shesterkin. Shesterkin, 27, faltered in his second start since returning from injury in a 6-3 loss to the Dallas Stars back on Monday night, November 20th.
As of this writing (Wednesday night, November 22nd), Shesterkin, 27, is 7-3 with a 2.60 goals-against average and a .908 save percentage. Those numbers are not terrible.
Fans have to remember that he was mediocre for a decent chunk of last season before turning it around and finishing with terrific numbers once again. They also have to remember that he got banged up and might still be battling something.
Yes, he was cleared and has played in two of the team’s last three games. With that said, that does not mean that Shesterkin is 100 percent.
Meanwhile, the team’s supposed backup goaltender, Jonathan Quick, has been outstanding this season. After shutting out the Pittsburgh Penguins with a 32-save performance in his team’s 1-0 win on Wednesday night, November 22nd, Quick is now 5-0-0-1 with a 1.98 goals-against average, a .928 save percentage, and two shutouts.
Quick, 37, has not only been one of the biggest surprises on the Rangers this season, but he has also been one of the biggest surprises in the league. Just take a look at some of these interesting facts regarding Quick’s play so far this season:
- Leads the league in goals-against average for goaltenders who have played in at least six games (1.98)
- Has the seventh-best save percentage for goaltenders who have played in at least six games (.928)
- Tied for second in the league in shutouts (Two)
After struggling in the preseason, Quick has yet to play a bad game so far this season. He has given his team a chance to win every time he has played this season and has shown his head coach Peter Laviolette that he can be counted on in big spots.
One such example was on Wednesday night, November 22nd against the Penguins. With a Penguins lineup featuring the likes of Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, Jake Guentzel, Bryan Rust, Kris Letang, Erik Karlsson, and Reilly Smith, Laviollete started Quick and Quick made it count in every single way.
Quick stonewalled the Penguins in picking up his 60th career shutout, tying Pekka Rinne for the 19th most in NHL history. He made a huge save on Crosby with 11 seconds to go in the third period and was a big factor in helping his team kill off five penalties, including three in the third.
With Quick playing so well, a case can be made to continue to give him the net. Yes, Shesterkin is and always will be the team’s starting goaltender, but one cannot argue that Quick has been the better goaltender up to this point.
It will be interesting to see how Laviolette handles the team’s goaltenders over the next few games. Here is their schedule for the next three games:
- At Philadelphia against the Flyers on Friday afternoon, November 24th
- At home against the Boston Bruins on Saturday afternoon, November 25th
- At home against the Buffalo Sabres on Monday night, November 27th
Do not be surprised if Quick gets one or maybe even two of those games given how well he has played so far.
