How much will Igor Shesterkin start for Rangers this season? Peter Laviolette keeping cards close to vest
New York Rangers goaltender Igor Shesterkin (31) makes a save during the third period of an NHL hockey game against the Buffalo Sabres, Thursday, Oct, 12, 2023, in Buffalo, N.Y. Credit: AP/Jeffrey T. Barnes
COLUMBUS, Ohio — Rangers coach Peter Laviolette explained Friday that he is not one to ever reveal his intended starting goaltender the day before a game. So at this point, it’s unknown whether No. 1 goalie Igor Shesterkin will be in goal again when the Blueshirts take on the Columbus Blue Jackets in their second game of the season.
But there’s no reason why he couldn’t be. Shesterkin earned the 100th victory of his NHL career — in his 159th appearance — in Thursday’s season-opening 5-1 win over the Sabres in Buffalo.
“A hundred wins out of 159 [games], that’s impressive,’’ Laviolette said after Friday’s brief practice in Columbus. “You can see it, though. You can see the way he practices, the way he prepares himself. His professionalism.’’
“He’s won a lot,’’ center Mika Zibanejad said. “He hasn’t played a long time, but he’s got 100 wins already. That’s obviously impressive. I think he’s shown that since he came here that he’s an unbelievable goalie.’’
Thursday’s win seemed almost routine for Shesterkin, who has looked superhuman many times in his four seasons in the league. He made 24 saves against the Sabres and his teammates blocked 23 shots. According to the analytics site Natural Stat Trick, the Rangers faced only six high-danger chances in the game.
Earlier this week, Laviolette danced around the question of how many games he thinks Shesterkin might play this season, saying that in Shesterkin and backup Jonathan Quick, “we’ve got two quality goaltenders.’’
Shesterkin, 27, made a career-high 58 starts last season, his first in the NHL in which he didn’t miss any time to injury. So if he stays healthy again, might that number increase?
When asked earlier this week how many games he thinks he can play, Shesterkin also parried the question.
“We’ll see,’’ he said. “We talk with Benny [Allaire, the team’s goalie coach] every day, so he’ll look at me, he’ll ask me how I feel. If he asks me if I can play more, of course I can play more. But if he tells me I need to play less, I will play less. Anything for the team.’’
The Rangers will want Shesterkin to play in their home opener Monday against the Arizona Coyotes, so it might make sense to give Quick the start Saturday and save Shesterkin for Monday.
But Laviolette and Allaire also could allow Shesterkin to build some momentum by starting him Saturday and Monday. After that, there are two days before the next game, Thursday at home against Nashville, so Shesterkin could do that one, too. If so, that would mean four straight starts to open the season.
The other consideration, though, is that at some point, Quick will need to play. The second-winningest American-born goaltender and a three-time Stanley Cup champion, Quick is in his first season playing the role of backup and, frankly, he wasn’t great in the preseason. Sitting out too long is going to be hard enough for him to handle as it is, and if he doesn’t play Saturday, it could end up being a while before he does.
Laviolette said he doesn’t reveal potential lineup changes the day before a game, either, so whether left wing Jimmy Vesey or defenseman Zac Jones, Thursday’s scratches, might play Saturday remains open to speculation.
Colin Stephenson covers the Rangers for Newsday. He has spent more than two decades covering the NHL and just about every sports team in the New York metropolitan area.
