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Published May 26, 2024 at 11:56 pm ET
SUNRISE, Fla. — It’s pretty rare for the winning goaltender to allow four goals and end up being one of the heroes.
But then again, it’s pretty rare for a team to survive a 21-4 scoring deficit in the fourth period and end up winning the game.
That’s exactly what the Rangers did in Sunday’s 5-4 overtime win in Game 3 of the Eastern Conference Final over the Panthers: rely on Igor Shesterkin to bail them out for much of a third period in the that almost succumbed to collapse.
Igor Shesterkin made 33 saves during the Rangers’ Game 3 win on Sunday. Carlos Wenzelberg
Shesterkin, the only thing between the Rangers and an infamous loss, played his role to perfection, stopping 33 shots and operating as a wall during a late penalty in which the Panthers threw absolutely everything into the Rangers’ net.
For almost 90 seconds the puck did not leave the Rangers zone.
And the Blueshirts, with the help of their goalie, who turned away a couple of Carter Verhaeghe chances, survived.
“That one was definitely hectic,” Ryan Lindgren said. “Obviously it hurts that it is (Jacob Trouba) who goes to the area; he is a good penalty killer. But in that case they had opportunities. Shesty grew huge again. They had a lot of time in the area. By the end we were pretty exhausted.”
It wasn’t the only time Shesterkin bailed out his team late in the game.
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It wasn’t until after the penalty that he made the save of the night, stoneing Matthew Tkachuk from just 8 feet away when the Panthers superstar had the puck on his stick and time to shoot with 39 seconds left in regulation.
That save, and others like it, are the reason the Rangers have Igor Shesterkin.
Igor Shesterkin has bested Sergei Bobrovsky so far in the Eastern Conference final. Charles Wenzelberg Igor Shesterkin helped the Rangers escape with an overtime victory in Game 3 and take a 2-1 series lead. Carlos Wenzelberg
That save is why he is their most valuable asset in these playoffs.
And by the way, in the duel of Russian goalkeepers that makes up these conference finals, Shesterkin has far surpassed Sergei Bobrovsky, who made five of the 23 shots he saw on Sunday and did not have to face almost the same type of long shots. pressure.
Given how analytics favor the Panthers in the series, it’s not a stretch to say that Shesterkin is the main reason the Rangers have a 2-1 lead after three games.
“At the end of the day, you need the goalkeeper to help you and he does it more than once or twice,” said Alex Wennberg, who became the star of the night with the winning goal in overtime. “It’s a good feeling to have those saves and it makes a difference.”
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