The New York Rangers are coming off a loss to the Utah Hockey Club. After the loss, the team put an emphasis on limiting the goals they allow. They were successful in that mission on Monday, as Igor Shesterkin allowed one goal in a 4-1 win over the Detroit Red Wings. Shesterkin's performance left many in awe, including Detroit coach Derek Lalonde.

Lalonde met with reporters after the game on Monday night. He spoke about the Rangers goaltender, calling him “special.” In rather surprising fashion, he also referenced reports of Shesterkin rejecting a major contract offer from the Rangers while speaking to the media. “He's special. I can see why he turned down the 88 (million dollars). Good agent,” Lalonde said, via NHL.com senior writer Dan Rosen.

It's quite surprising to see an opposing coach publicly commenting on another player's contract situation. But it certainly makes sense that Derek Lalonde would be impressed with the Rangers goaltender. Shesterkin turned aside 31 shots to help his team to their first home victory of the young 2024-25 NHL season.

Igor Shesterkin leads Rangers to victory vs. Red Wings

Detroit Red Wings center Michael Rasmussen (27) attempts a wrap around on New York Rangers goaltender Igor Shesterkin (31) during the second period at Madison Square Garden.
Dennis Schneidler-Imagn Images
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Igor Shesterkin certainly wanted to bounce back from a less-than-ideal performance against the Utah Hockey Club. And he did just that against Derek Lalonde's Red Wings on Monday. The Rangers got the party started when Alexis Lafreniere scored his second of the season at 11:45 of the first period.

It appeared as if New York would carry the lead into the intermission. However, the Red Wings broke through at the last possible moment. Justin Holl carried the puck low before dishing it into the slot. Captain Dylan Larkin was there to fire it home as time expired. The teams headed to the locker room tied 1-1.

The game remained scoreless for much of the second period. But the Rangers broke through again thanks to Chris Kreider. In the third, New York added another two goals to sink the Red Wings. Detroit had their chances, especially on the power play. However, they could not solve Shesterkin.

One potential silver lining for the Red Wings is that they won't need to wait long for a rematch. In fact, the rematch between these teams is merely days away. The Rangers travel to face Detroit in the return leg of this home-and-home series on Thursday night. It will certainly be interesting to see if Detroit has a better strategy to generate offense, or if the Rangers will emerge victorious once again.