The New York Rangers have seemed to surround and build the team around the goaltender.
Henrik Lundqvist has played such a significant role in this team for many years and has been the backbone of the New York Rangers. With that being said, while it’s sad to think about, Lundqvist may be close to ending his career. Without Lundqvist, the Rangers will need a goaltender that’ll fill the very big shoes left by Lundqvist.
It seems like the Rangers know exactly who to rely on. Igor Shesterkin is a goaltender that the Rangers had drafted back in 2014. This season Shesterkin has played with the Hartford Wolfpack in the AHL putting up impressive numbers. Shesterkin played 23 games with the Wolfpack and only allowing 1.93 goals-against average and a save percentage of .932. Finally though, Tuesday night Shesterkin made his first NHL game debut. The Rangers faced the Colorado Avalanche and won the game 5-3.
Shesterkin stopped a total of 29 shots with many resulting in the crowd in Madison Square Garden to erupt in “Igor! Igor! Igor!” chants.
While allowing three goals might not have been ideal for some fans or even Shesterkin himself, fans got to see what the future looks like for this team. There is a ton of hope and a bright future ahead.
This season has been inconsistent for the Rangers, but after the win against Colorado with a potential future starter, it seems like the Rangers are making the right moves. It has been well-known by fans that Shesterkin is very talented and one of the top goaltending prospects in the game. The game against Colorado allowed Shesterkin to prove that he is NHL ready. Shesterkin was quick and strong with each saves made during the last game.
One game is sadly not enough though, while Shesterkin played strong in the debut fans need to see Shesterkin start multiple games to really see what the future is like.
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