In a game where the New York Rangers outshot their opponent 51-21, one would think that the Blueshirts would come away with a victory, right?
Wrong. On Monday night, February 20, at Madison Square Garden, the Rangers lost to the visiting Winnipeg Jets by a score of 4-1. Oh yeah, the Jets were playing their second game in as many nights.
Clearly, the difference in the game was the goaltending. Jets goaltender Connor Hellebuyck was masterful in making 50 saves and earning his team a big two points to help keep pace in the tight Central Division.
Hellebuyck made the saves he was supposed to make, did an excellent job of controlling his rebounds, and was the main reason why his team won the hockey game. He has been great all season long for his hockey club and is one of the main reasons why his team is one of the best in the league this year.
At the other end of the ice, Rangers’ All-Star goaltender Igor Shesterkin struggled once again. Unfortunately for both Shesterkin and the team, this is something that is starting to become a theme.
For Shesterkin, it was the fourth straight start where his save percentage fell under .900, something that has also happened in nine of his last 16 starts. In the game, he stopped 17 of 21 shots, and while the blame should not be placed solely on his shoulders, it was apparent that Shesterkin’s play between the pipes was the main reason why his team lost on Monday night.
What is somewhat maddening is that after the game, Rangers head coach Gerard Gallant told reporters that he had no problem with the way Shesterkin played.
“I thought he (Shesterkin) was fine. I didn’t see any issue with the goals he gave up,” Gerard Gallant said after the game.
While it is nice that Gallant is maybe trying to do the right thing by not making Shesterkin’s play an issue, what he said could not be further from the truth. Shesterkin is struggling right now.
One could see that on both the second and third goals that were scored on him, both of which came from Jets forward Mark Scheifele. On the second goal, Shesterkin lost the puck at his feet and allowed Sheiefele to poke the puck in, and then on the third one, he allowed Scheifele’s backhand shot from far out to beat him glove side.
These are shots that Shesterkin usually stops with relative ease. They are also shots that he should stop without a problem.
Mollie Walker, one of the Rangers beat writers for the New York Post, said in the article she filed after the game that Shesterkin refused to speak to the media after the game. While it is easy to understand why Shesterkin would be upset after the game, it would have been better for him to take some accountability and maybe try to explain what is going on with his game.
Pucks seem to be going behind Shesterkin rather easily over the last few weeks. His goals-against average is now up to 2.59, and his save percentage has dropped to .912, both of which are not up to his career standards.
Here is a look at his play in his last five games:
- February 8 against the Vancouver Canucks: Three goals against on 25 shots for a .880 save percentage.
- February 10 against the Seattle Kraken: Three goals against on 29 shots for a .897 save percentage.
- February 15 against the Vancouver Canucks: Four goals against on 29 shots for a .862 save percentage.
- February 17 against the Edmonton Oilers: Four goals against on 29 shots for a .862 save percentage.
- February 20 against the Winnipeg Jets: Four goals against on 21 shots for a .810 save percentage.
Because the team’s offense has been so good lately, Shesterkin won four of those five games. Had that not been the case, it could be said that he would be riding a five-game winless streak.
Shesterkin needs to figure out what is happening with his game and get it back in working order as soon as possible. If he is not able to do that, it might be a very short postseason run for the Rangers come April.
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