The Rangers, or more precisely, Igor Shesterkin, defeated the Devils 3-1 on Friday. Igor the Great was top notch once again, stopping 32 of 33 shots, many from high-danger spots to earn the win. For all the talk of Shesterkin leading the Vezina race, chatter has picked up lately as to whether he is a prime Hart candidate as well.
Game recap:
A few thoughts: 1) Shesterkin is 7-1-1 in his past nine starts and has allowed two or fewer goals in eight of them. On the year, Shesterkin is 27-6-3 with a 1.96 GAA and a .940 save percentage. Look at those last two numbers and let that dominance sink in. In addition, only three goalies in NHL history have finished with a save percentage of .940 or better, with Shesterkin threatening to become the fourth.
Coach Gerald Gallant post-game noted just how good Shesterkin was. Similar sentiments were echoed by Devils' coach Lindy Ruff. Filip Chytil summarized the team's view of their netminders' play.
“He’s been unbelievable, I mean seriously? How many Grade A chances, rush chances they got, Grade A chances, breakaways, he’s unbelievable,… said Gallant"Shesterkin had a great game," Ruff said. "He made some high-quality saves. We missed some really good opportunities and he made saves on some really good ones. That was a game where he shut us down on some real good looks."
"He's unbelievable, he's out of this world," Chytil said of Shesterkin. "That's incredible what he's doing every night, the way he's playing."
If how Igor is playing doesn't remind you of what Henrik Lundqvist provided, you either aren't a Rangers fan or watching closely enough. But, while all the platitudes are wonderful and have been earned, it's far from the ideal, as the team needs to be better in all facets around him. Bleeding shots, especially high-danger ones, are recipes for either disaster or wearing down your goalie or both.
Gallant recognized that the team did not play particularly well and were bailed out by Igor. "I hate to critique a win, but I know we can be better than that," he said. "They’re a good team, but some of them were chances that were created by our (mistakes). I didn't like the way we played in the neutral zone. ... I just thought we could have been better in a lot of areas." If GM Chris Drury truly believes the team has a shot this season, then reinforcements are needed, especially up front.
2) Trade market - much of the recent focus appears to have centered on Anaheim's Rickard Rakell, who would be a solid addition. Claude Giroux is likely headed elsewhere and Joe Pavelski might not be traded. Rakell would help solve a lot of issues, as he can move up and down the lineup but be a perfect third line winger. Montreal's Arturri Lehkonen is also a possibility, though as an RFA, unlike Rakell, who is a UFA, the cost might be higher and cap room needed to be created or saved to re-sign him. In addition, Columbus' Max Domi might be a fallback option, as he too will be a UFA and would boost the third line. (Update, thanks for the comments in the blog. As mentioned there, Winnipeg’s Paul Stastny is an option as well, same with Calle Jarnkrok from Seattle). Acquiring two of the above, dependent on cost, allows a fourth line of Barclay Goodrow-Kevin Rooney-Ryan Reaves, which is the team's best options for that trio.
Ben Chiarot, as mentioned in a recent blog, seems to still be the blueliner of choice. His recent uptick in offensive production won't assist teams in trying to get Montreal off the first round ask. If New York pays that price, it's a vast overpayment. Give me Calvin de Hann or someone of that ilk for a much cheaper price and likely similar play as a depth blueiner. In about a week, following the upcoming four-game road trip, we should have a better sense as to whether Patrik Nemeth is locked in opposite Braden Schneider and if additional support is needed.
3) Scoring - Mika Zibanejad and Chris Kreider drove the offense, again. Each had a goal and an assist. On the goal by Zib, good job by the five on the ice maintaining possession of the puck in the offensive zone and by Jacob Trouba to get the shot on or near the net. Kreider's goal was set up by something we have seen little off this year, the stretch diagonal pass.
A staple under AV and David Quinn, that play has been in mothballs much of the season. Unsure the exact driver, though the system might be the cause, resulting in minimal breakout. Yesterday, it was Adam Fox from the right of Shesterkin to Zib at the far, left side of the red line. Zib gained the zone and found Kreider for the one-timer past Nico Daws. Amazing that the puck moves faster than the player.
Filip Chytil finally got off the schneid with his first goal in five games. Ryan Lindgren got the puck in the neutral zone off a New Jersey turnover, skated into the left circle and dropped it back for a short-side shot by Chytil. The goal wasn't the impressive part, Chytil recognizing the situation and calling for the puck to create the chance was. This might give Chytil a boost of confidence or augment his trade value. Tune in about two weeks or so to find out.
4) Road trip. After all the road games early in the season, New York has enjoyed a lot of home cooking lately. This next week will be a good litmus test for the team and also allow for additional bonding to take place. Sunday in Winnipeg, Tuesday in Minnesota. Thursday in St. Louis. Saturday in Dallas. The latter three teams in the playoffs with Winnipeg scuffling and hanging on by a thread. If you want to show you are an elite team, go on the road and win three of four.