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The New York Rangers were eliminated in six games by the Florida Panthers in the Eastern Conference Finals on Sunday, but that was not the fault of goalie Igor Shesterkin, and Panthers head coach Paul Maurice had nothing but nice words to say about the Rangers and specifically Shesterkin in his press conference after the game.
“I also thought that Igor Shesterkin, I haven't seen a series by a goaltender like that since Jose Theodore in 2002, he won the Hart Trophy that year,” Paul Maurice said, via Rangers Videos on X. “And we had a very similar experience, kind of the last game, where he was just lights out. We got in alone at least four times at least four times in Games 1 through 5. And six times one game, and got nothing, and got nothing. Like that was, he was brilliant in this series.”
"I haven't seen a series by a goaltender like that since José Théodore in 2002."
Paul Maurice says that Igor Shesterkin was "brilliant" in this series: pic.twitter.com/OJnoiGOiDG
— Rangers Videos (@SNYRangers) June 2, 2024
Igor Shesterkin turned in a great playoff run, posting a .927 save percentage in 16 games, according to NHL.com, and he was clearly the biggest reason that the Rangers got this close to the Stanley Cup Final. In the end, the Panthers outplayed the Rangers in the series, and Shesterkin simply could not do it all by himself. Maurice also took time to credit Rangers coach Peter Laviolette for leading the Rangers this far.
“Pete (Peter Laviolette) as an incredible ability to develop an identity with his teams,” Maurice said, via Rangers Videos on X. “And you go back and the 2006 team went to speed, like they timed that rule changes so very well and to give Erik Cole, and the Philadelphia team almost the same idea right? Michael Leighton's in goal and they get to the Stanley Cup Final. The Nashville team prior to 2018, we played them in the semifinals to seven games. I thought that was brilliant goaltending by Pittsburgh, was the difference in that series. He has the ability to develop an identity with a team and they can run hot because of that.”
The Rangers have been a team that has Stanley Cup aspirations for the last few years, and this was Peter Laviolette's first year at the helm. The group of players is intact for next year, but it is unclear what the path forward is for the team to be a true threat to win it all.
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Sense of fear the Rangers are repeating history with Igor Shesterkin
The Rangers making deep playoff runs on the back of the best goaltender in the league, but not going all the way because the rest of the team is not up to the task is not an unfamiliar experience for the organization and fanbase. That is the reason that Hall of Famer Henrik Lundqvist did not win a Stanley Cup in his career.
Looking at this year's playoff run and the statistics that Shesterkin put up, you could argue that it is the same thing happening in this case. Going back to 2012, when the Rangers started to be a consistent contender with Henrik Lundqvist, the Rangers have allowed 2.56 goals per playoff game, which is the fourth-fewest in the NHL, and they have only scored 2.49 per playoff game, which is the fifth-fewest in the NHL, according to James Smyth.
The Rangers have thrived on elite goaltending and and an elite power play, while lacking in the five-on-five department compared to other contenders. It is on Chris Drury and Laviolette this summer to finally crack the code to make the Rangers a strong five-on-five team.
