Shesterkin does it all for Rangers to force Game 7
Makes 37 saves, has two assists in win against Hurricanes to move to 4-0 when facing elimination
"It's great to have a goalie whose next step is to start scoring goals," the Rangers forward said.
That's about the only thing Shesterkin didn't do in New York's 5-2 win against the Carolina Hurricanes in Game 6 of the Eastern Conference Second Round at Madison Square Garden on Saturday.
The 26-year-old made 37 saves on 39 shots, which is expected of him, but he also had two assists and was called for an interference penalty as well.
It all made a difference in the Rangers forcing Game 7 at PNC Arena in Raleigh, North Carolina, on Monday (8 p.m. ET; ESPN, SN, TVAS). The winner will face the Tampa Bay Lightning in the Eastern Conference Final.
"Real good, obviously," Rangers coach Gerard Gallant said. "He made some real key saves for us, and the two assists were huge. I think he was trying to get three there in the third period when he passed it up the middle."
RELATED: [Complete Hurricanes vs. Rangers series coverage]
To fully grasp Shesterkin's night we have to start at the beginning with his save on Hurricanes forward Sebastian Aho at 7:05 of the first period.
Aho had a breakaway, and Shesterkin stopped it with his right pad and blocker.
Three seconds later, he stuffed forward Teuvo Teravainen's backhand from the slot.
Tyler Motte scored 14 seconds after that, taking the puck from inside the Rangers' defensive zone all the way down and scoring with a shot that got through Carolina goalie Antti Raanta at 7:22 to give New York a 1-0 lead.
"What happened is, I just managed to predict his move there," Shesterkin said through a translator describing his save on Aho. "That definitely gave me a boost of energy. Then that goal after that really motivated me. Honestly, I just tried to do my job and stay in the game."
Said Gallant, "Well, that's him. He plays his best hockey when we give up a couple breakaways in the first period, and he's done it all year long. It makes me a little nervous, but he gets into the game, he focuses, and he makes those key saves for us. It's not a surprise for us, but fortunately for us, he makes those saves at a key time."
Mika Zibanejad scored a power-play goal at 9:51 of the first to give New York a 2-0 lead.
Of course, it was Shesterkin who started the play from in front of his net, settling the puck for defenseman Adam Fox to start the rush. Fox got to the Rangers' blue line, found Zibanejad through the neutral zone, and the Rangers center did the rest, getting around Hurricanes defensemen Brady Skjei and Brett Pesce before scoring from the bottom of the right circle.
Shesterkin kept it 2-0 with a save on Nino Niederreiter's point-blank shot from the left hash marks at 15:01, then made a glove save from his belly on Jordan Martinook at 15:38.
He made 15 saves in the first period alone.
"That gives us the 2-0 lead and gives a lot of confidence afterward," Gallant said.
Shesterkin stayed busy in the second period, assisting on Filip Chytil's goal that made it 4-1 at 6:47, making him the first goalie in Stanley Cup Playoff history to have two assists in a game when his team is facing elimination.
He is the fifth goalie to have two assists in any playoff game, and the first since Pekka Rinne did it with the Nashville Predators on April 15, 2017, against the Chicago Blackhawks.
But Shesterkin gave up two goals in the second period, too, to Skjei at 5:05 and Vincent Trocheck at 12:47.
And then he took his minor penalty for interference on Seth Jarvis at 17:42. Shesterkin came out of his net past the right post and shoved Jarvis to the ice, preventing him from going behind the net.
The Rangers, though, had been hemmed in their zone for nearly two minutes prior to the penalty, so Gallant said he might have done it just to get a whistle.
"I think that was a bit of my mistake, I shouldn't have gone that far," Shesterkin said. "I just wanted to get behind the net and I met with the player there. To be honest, he was a bit on the smaller side. If he was a bit bigger, I would have probably been the one who fell over."
The Rangers killed the penalty without allowing a shot on goal, though.
"They really saved me," Shesterkin said. "They put up a crazy effort."
Not as crazy as Shesterkin's performance in Game 6, which improved his record to 4-0 with a .925 save percentage, three assists and two penalty minutes when the Rangers have faced elimination this postseason. He had an assist in Game 6 of the first round against the Pittsburgh Penguins.
"He's outstanding," Gallant said. "He's been like that all year for us."
He needs to be again on Monday. Maybe that's when he scores, too.
