Igor Shesterkin cannot ignore the pressure of being in the Eastern Conference Final, saddled with the stress of the Florida Panthers rushing at him in waves, repeated shot attempts, like they did in the third period Sunday.
The New York Rangers goalie is not letting it get to him.
“Honestly, I just try to enjoy it,” Shesterkin said.
That is what it looks like to his predecessor in New York, the last goalie to lead the Rangers to the Stanley Cup Final, whose No.30 hangs in the rafters of Madison Square Garden.
“You have to embrace it, the whole thing, the moment, the pressure, the fact you’re playing teams that are coming after you,” Henrik Lundqvist, who helped the Rangers reach the Final in 2014, told NHL.com. “That’s No. 1. And you can see he’s enjoying it. He’s playing a big part in the series right now the way he’s playing. That’s fun. You want to play a part in it.”
Shesterkin is playing a significant role in the Rangers’ win against the Florida Panthers and in the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
New York leads the best-of-7 series against Florida 2-1 entering Game 4 at Amerant Bank Arena on Tuesday (8 p.m. ET; ESPN+, ESPN, SN, TVAS, CBC).
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The Rangers are 10-3 in the playoffs.
Igor has a .933 save percentage and 2.13 goals-against average in the series against the Panthers. He has permitted seven goals in three matches, including an own-goal against him in Game 1.
He has a .925 save percentage and 2.33 GAA in 13 playoff matches.
Shesterkin conceded four goals in Game 3 on Sunday, including two in the third period, and Rangers coach Peter Laviolette said it still might have been his best match of the playoffs.
The goalie made 33 saves to give New York a chance to steal a 5-4 victory in overtime despite being outshot 37-23, including 18-8 after the second period. The Panthers had 108 attempts in the match; while the Rangers had 43.
“I thought he played a heck of a game,” Laviolette said. “I thought he made big saves in the third period. They had a good third. They were behind by two. They really pushed. We could have done things better in the third, and when we needed our goaltender he was excellent. He continued to make those next saves and he continued to put us in position to find success.”
The Rangers are 4-0 in matches decided in overtime thanks to Igor. He has 27 saves in overtime.
New York has six comeback wins during the playoffs, including Game 3 of the conference final, and it is again due to his efforts. He has a .942 save percentage after the first period in the playoffs (17 goals on 293 shots).
He has an .876 save percentage in the first period (15 goals on 121 shots).
“What’s been impressive I think so far in the playoffs is his ability to raise his level when the team really needs it, to step up in a tie game, overtime,” Lundqvist said. “There’s been a couple games, like against Carolina when they gave up a couple early goals, but then he just locked it in and gave the team a chance to come back. It looks like he’s really playing a confident game right now.”
Shesterkin was not bothered by the Panthers constant attack in Game 3. Instead he found it enjoyable.
“I just try to be ready for everything,” he said. “It doesn’t matter how many shots we face, how many shot attempts they try.”
Igor kept loose too. He was cracking jokes on Monday, like asking Florida forward Matthew Tkachuk to get in his face and say something to him during Game 3.
“I’m lucky because I don’t speak English,” he said, in perfect English.
Lundqvist said if the goalie is laughing and joking around, it is an indication of how he feels about his role, his game and the team.
“You look at the group, they’re playing well as a team and everybody from fourth line to the star players, they’re all adding so much right now,” Lundqvist said. “It looks like they have a great energy in that room and it helps, of course. It helps people relax and enjoy the moment when you do that. It’s easier to play your best too.”
But the New York Rangers understand that there is a balance between expecting Shesterkin to be in every match, which they do and he pretty much is, and taking it for granted that he is always going to be there to save them.
“Yeah, I mean, there definitely is,” defenseman Jacob Trouba said. “You don’t want to lean on him as much as we probably have at times, but there’s also a confidence that you know he’s there, you know what he’s capable of doing and how he’s playing.”
That confidence is built from Shesterkin’s work ethic.
“He prepares better than probably anyone I’ve ever played with,” Trouba said. “With that preparation it builds the confidence for him, which takes the stress and worry [away]. He has the confidence and he’s prepared for it, so he has the ability to know how he’s going to play.”
And he is consistent with it, because his mental approach, routine and physical preparation never changes.
“He comes in every day with that same identity that he wants to be the best goalie in the world,” defenseman K’Andre Miller said.
He is playing like it and loving every minute of it too.
“He’s pretty much the same as he always is,” center Vincent Trocheck said. “He means business.”
