After the years of waiting, Igor Shesterkin was welcomed to the chaos of Rangers hockey.
The long-considered heir apparent to Henrik Lundqvist in the Broadway nets, Shesterkin allowed a goal on the first shot he faced in his NHL debut, and then another on his third. But then his Rangers turned it on, for themselves and for their 24-year-old Russian netminder, overtaking then holding off the powerful Avalanche for a 5-3 victory on Tuesday night at the Garden.
“We didn’t hesitate to give him a taste of Rangers hockey,” coach David Quinn said to a couple laughs.
Of course, the goalies — plural — will be a huge part of the story for the Rangers (20-18-4) from here on out, as Lundqvist backed up in this one while Alex Georgiev was made a healthy scratch. Carrying three goalies for a long period can be untenable, but the Rangers felt they needed to call up Shesterkin after his dominant first half of the season for AHL Hartford, as he adapted to the North American game with ease.
Which doesn’t mean he lives without a pulse.
“On my way to the arena, my hands were shaking and I couldn’t even drink water,” Shesterkin said through an interpreter, still a little unsure of his improved English under the bright lights of the postgame locker room. “But as I stepped on the ice, I felt everyone’s support and energy and it really helped me.”
What helped the Rangers the most was his deft glove hand, his ability to see long shots through traffic and catch them with nary a rebound. The Avalanche (25-15-4) are the highest scoring team in the league, but the Rangers entered the third period with a 4-3 lead.
That’s when Shesterkin turned aside all 13 shots he saw before Artemi Panarin added to his two assists and another terrific night with an empty-netter to seal the deal. It drew the Rangers off the bench to congratulate Shesterkin, including a nice embrace from Lundqvist. And then Shesterkin looked up into the stands for his parents and his wife, all in attendance for this historic debut.
“The emotions were brilliant,” Shesterkin said.
After being taken in the fourth round (No. 118 overall) in 2014, Shesterkin had been biding his time in the KHL, putting up unfathomable numbers in a league that has a skewed competitive balance. But with half a year as the best goalie in the AHL, and now this NHL debut, the audition at the highest level has started.
“I liked it, but I can play a lot better,” said Shesterkin, who finished with 29 saves. “I just need to get used to it a little bit more.”
Confidence was apparent on his first touch of the puck, when he came out of the net to play what Quinn called “a 70-foot saucer pass” up to Kaapo Kakko. But at 4:44, J.T. Compher got his first of two goals on a deflection in front, and it was followed less than two minutes later when Nathan MacKinnon — of all people — was allowed to walk in for a breakaway that he buried between Shesterkin’s legs.
“It wasn’t how I ideally would have wanted it to go,” Shesterkin said, “but I’m very grateful for everyone’s support.”
The on-ice support started with a Chris Kreider power-play goal, and then one from Mika Zibanejad to tie it, 2-2. Brady Skjei then had a long blast make it 3-2 at 8:05 of the second, negated by the second from Compher on a blown net-front coverage. But Ryan Strome got what proved to be the game-winner when he finished one into a net left open by goalie Philipp Grubauer following an offensive-zone draw at 13:29 of the second
From there, some puck management and some steady goaltending did the rest. When Shesterkin grabbed down a long shot from Ian Cole with just over two minutes left in regulation, the chants of “Igor! Igor!” began to rain down in earnest.
They followed again after the win was wrapped up, a debut the only way these Rangers would have it — totally chaotic.
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