Rangers' best chance to make playoffs rests with Igor Shesterkin
Rangers goaltender Igor Shesterkin (31) reacts during the second period against the Vancouver Canucks at Madison Square Garden in New York, NY, on Saturday, Mar 22, 2025. Credit: Brad Penner
As they jetted off Sunday for their three-game California road trip, the odds were against the Rangers as far as making the playoffs.
With 11 games left in the regular season, they are one point behind Montreal, which has 13 games remaining, for the final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference. The Islanders, who also have 13 games remaining, are one point behind them. Columbus is three back of the Rangers, but the Blue Jackets also have 13 games remaining.
Moneypuck’s calculations gave the Rangers a 26.5% chance of making the playoffs, which is less than the Islanders (30.7%) and Montreal (45.7%). Tankathon rates their remaining schedule the 13th- toughest in the league, based on their opponents’ points percentage. Montreal’s remaining schedule is the 26th-toughest (the Islanders’ is fifth-toughest).
But the Rangers do have Igor Shesterkin, and right now, he’s their best hope for beating the odds.
When the rest of the team no-showed in Tuesday’s devastating 2-1 loss to Calgary, it was Shesterkin who kept them in the game all the way to the end, as the Rangers were outshot 35-13. And when they somehow managed to beat Vancouver on Saturday, in a game in which they were outshot 39-12, it was mostly because Shesterkin made 36 saves and kept them in it until they finally came alive in the third period.
(The goalie also got the crowd into the game when he took a roughing penalty while the Rangers were killing a penalty in the second period. That helped, too.)
“There’s a reason why we pay him so much money,’’ Jonny Brodzinski said of Shesterkin, who signed an eight-year contract extension in December that will make him the highest-paid goalie in the league at an average salary of $11.5 million. “He’s the best goalie in the league.’’
Brodzinski, who scored two of the Rangers’ four third-period goals against Vancouver, pointed to Shesterkin’s multiple saves against Norris Trophy-winning defenseman Quinn Hughes as an example of how the goalie keeps his team in the game.
“The reason why you [pay him so much] is he makes saves like that,’’ Brodzinski said. “Quinn Hughes walking right down the slot three times in that third period, and he’s making big-time saves. And he makes it look easy. So it’s always nice knowing he’s back there.’’
Shesterkin’s overall numbers (24-25-4, 2.81 goals-against average, .907 save percentage) look somewhat pedestrian compared with his career numbers (159-84-21, 2.50, .918). But he clearly has been sharper in his last seven games (2.33 GAA, .919 save percentage, one shutout), even though the Rangers have gone only 3-4 in those games.
“He’s doing his part,’’ coach Peter Laviolette said. “He’s giving us a chance to win. I think there’s things that [as a team] we can do better. I think at times we could give him a little bit more run support out there offensively.’’
That’s certainly true. No matter how well he plays, Shesterkin isn’t going to be able to win all of the games the Rangers need to make the playoffs. His teammates are going to have to help by picking up their defensive game, cutting way down on their turnovers and scoring some timely goals.
But as long as they have Shesterkin in goal playing as well as he is, they have a chance.
Notes & quotes: The Rangers signed defenseman Jackson Dorrington, 20, to a three-year entry-level contract, the team announced. Dorrington was one of the prospects acquired in the J.T. Miller trade. The 6-2, 192-pounder, a sixth-round pick by Vancouver in the 2022 draft, had two goals and 13 assists in 37 games for Northeastern this season.
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.
