Rangers: Success Rests on Igor Shesterkin’s Shoulders for Game 4

The series stands at 2-1, and the New York Rangers are trying to keep their playoff hopes alive. If the Pittsburgh Penguins can steal another one away tonight, the light is fading for Rangers hopefuls.

This series has been dramatic, to say the least. It has featured tenacity and grit, multiple calls reported to Toronto for video review, and goaltenders being pulled and switched due to injury. The latter is the most interesting of this series, in my opinion.

The performance by Rangers goaltender Igor Shesterkin in game 3 is undoubtedly the most significant question mark for the Rangers at the moment. Can he recover in such a quick turnaround and be the rock that this Rangers team expects him to be?

Disaster in Game 3

Everything that could have gone wrong for the Rangers did in game 3 . PPG Paints Arena in Pittsburgh was electric, and the Penguins just fed on all of that energy. Shesterkin, who made his first Stanley Cup Playoff start outside of Madison Square Garden, was picked apart in his only period of play.

There was that awful opening goal, just 117 seconds into the game, bouncing off of Rangers d-man Patrik Nemeth. There was a glimpse of hope when Kaapo Kakko scored his first career playoff goal some minutes later, but that was about it for supporting Shesterkin in the first period. The Penguins scored on back-to-back powerplays and dug the hole to 3-1. Pittsburgh forward Evan Rodrigues scored the latter of the two powerplay goals and would seal Shesterkin’s fate by potting another goal at the 15:15 mark. The final stat-line was 11 saves on 15 shots, and it just seemed that Shesterkin was out of it from the jump.

He was indecisive with the puck and often out of position for easier saves. It seemed that the crowd chanting “I-GOR” was getting to him early, and that opening goal set the tone for the rest of the period. Pulling Shesterkin was the right call, and giving him the rest of the night off may keep the Rangers in this series. It all depends on tonight, of course, how this team responds, and ultimately how Shesterkin responds.

Success Rests On #31’s Shoulders

It all comes down to Shesterkin. The Ranger’s best and only chance of winning the series back in their favor is giving their number one goaltender help. If he gets rocked in the early going, you might as well seal the series, and the 2021-22 season, as a failure.

But, this is where Shesterkin plays at his best. After getting blasted and losing a start, he has notoriously come back in his next start with a much better performance. On several occasions this season, he has given up three, four, or even five goals and led the Rangers back to a shutout a few days later in his next start between the pipes.

It has even happened against these Pittsburgh Penguins. On March 22, the Rangers were led by their number one goaltender against the New Jersey Devils and was pulled after allowing five goals in 40 minutes. The next start was against Pittsburgh, and he made 20 saves on 21 shots in the Ranger’s 5-1 victory. And then, on April 3, the Rangers lost a close one to the Philadelphia Flyers in a shootout, 4-3. Shesterkin then sat the next matchup against the Devils before playing once again against the Penguins on April 7. He shut them out, saving all 30 shots he faced by Evgeni Malkin and company.

The Rangers have to keep the puck down at the other end. Shesterkin has faced 139 shot attempts already in this series. Giving him a chance to settle into this game with an easier opening period will give them the best chance at victory.

In this week's episode we discuss how the 4 Nations have been a pleasant surprise, NYR's tricky situation, 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. 4 Nations Break
  2. Too Good to Tank, Too Bad to Rank
  3. Miller Time
  4. Borgan a Bargain?
  5. Guest Ryan Mead

Discover more from Inside The Rink

Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.

One thought on “Rangers: Success Rests on Igor Shesterkin’s Shoulders for Game 4”

Leave a Reply

Connor McDavid skating for the Edmonton Oilers

NHL Game Preview: Edmonton Oilers at Philadelphia Flyers with Line Combinations 2/22/2025

Edmonton Oilers (34-17-4, 72 pts) at Philadelphia Flyers (24-26-7, 55 pts) Venue: Wells Fargo CenterDate: Saturday, February 22Time: 1:00 pm EST TV: ESPN+ / Sportsnet / NBCSPRadio:Edmonton Oilers – CHED 880 AMPhiladelphia Flyers – WMMR 93.3 FM DraftKings Sportsbook Betting Lines:Edmonton Oilers -1.5 ML -195Philadelphia Flyers +1.5 ML +165O/U 6.5 Purchase tickets via Ticketmaster Edmonton […]

Read More
Nathan MacKinnon skating for the Colorado Avalanche

NHL Game Preview: Colorado Avalanche at Nashville Predators with Line Combinations 2/22/2025

Colorado Avalanche at Nashville Predators Venue: Bridgestone ArenaDate: Saturday, February 22Time: 6:00 PM EST TV: ESPN+ / FDSNSO / ALTRadio:Colorado – Altitude Sports Radio 92.5 FM / 950 AMNashville – The Game 102.5 FM DraftKings Sportsbook Betting Lines:Colorado -1.5 ML +190Nashville +1.5 ML -230O/U 5.5 Purchase tickets via Ticketmaster Colorado Avalanche News & Notes: Coming […]

Read More
Mark Scheifele skating for the Winnipeg Jets

NHL Game Preview: Winnipeg Jets at St. Louis Blues with Line Combinations 2/22/2025

Winnipeg Jets at St. Louis Blues Venue: Enterprise CenterDate: Saturday, February 8Time: 6:00 pm CST TV: ESPN+ / Matrix-MW / KMOV-TV / SNWRadio: Winnipeg – Power 97St. Louis – 101 ESPN (101.1 FM) DraftKings Sportsbook Betting Lines:Winnipeg -1.5 ML +195St. Louis +1.5 ML -238O/U 5.5 Purchase tickets via Ticketmaster Winnipeg Jets News & Notes:  Winnipeg leads the […]

Read More