Rangers goalie Igor Shesterkin offered one other standout efficiency with 37 saves and two assists, on targets by Mika Zibanejad and Filip Chytil, because the Rangers prolonged their season at the very least another sport. Shesterkin turned the fifth goaltender to report a number of assists in a playoff sport and the primary Ranger with three in a single postseason (John Vanbiesbrouck had two in 1986 and three total).
“It’s always great to have a goalie whose next step is to start scoring goals,” Artemi Panarin, a Rangers ahead from Russia, stated by way of an interpreter.
But Shesterkin’s actual contribution is stopping pucks, which he did by walling off Sebastian Aho on an early breakaway, one of many crucial moments of Game 6. Shesterkin has been bedrock for the Rangers, and a main cause the group feels assured it might probably lastly finish Carolina’s residence domination, of their final probability to take action.
(*7*) Chytil stated. “I don’t know what the difference for us is to play on the road. In the first series, we found a way to win in Pittsburgh. I know they have the fans and the building they are used to. But we have to play hard and play our game and don’t focus on any other thing, just focus on the game and we can win the game.”
But there may be one other aspect to that equation that may additionally appear to favor the Rangers. While Shesterkin has been completely reliable relationship again to the ultimate three video games in opposition to the Penguins, his Carolina counterpart, Antti Raanta, simply hit a possible psychological snag.
After Raanta allowed three targets lower than 24 minutes into the sport, together with one or two that he might have saved, Brind’Amour sat him down in favor of Pyotr Kochetkov, the backup to the backup.
Raanta has performed past expectations since stepping in for Frederik Andersen, the Hurricanes’ lead goalie, who has been sidelined since April with an undisclosed lower-body damage. Raanta, a former Ranger, has spent most of his N.H.L. profession as a backup, however he has performed nicely within the playoffs, posting a 2.20 goals-against common, together with Saturday’s loss.
