GREENBURGH, N.Y. -- Igor Shesterkin is ready for the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
"I am feeling great," the New York Rangers goalie said Saturday. "We had three days of great work on the ice, so ready to go."
Shesterkin and the Rangers, the Presidents' Trophy winners with a team record 114 points, begin their postseason Sunday when they play Game 1 against the Washington Capitals in the Eastern Conference First Round at Madison Square Garden (3 p.m. ET; ESPN, SN, TVAS, MNMT, MSG).
The Rangers enter the playoffs with arguably the best goalie in the NHL for the past 10-plus weeks; since Feb. 9, Shesterkin is 17-5-1 with four shutouts, a 2.20 goals-against average and .930 save percentage in 23 games.
In that time, he was second in the NHL in wins (Jake Oettinger of the Dallas Stars had 18), tied for first in shutouts with Sergei Bobrovsky of the Florida Panthers and the Capitals' Charlie Lindgren, who will be in the net opposite Shesterkin on Sunday. He's also first in save percentage and third in GAA among the 45 goalies who played at least 13 games since Feb. 9.
"For me, when a goaltender is on, they're always in position," Rangers coach Peter Laviolette said. "They know where the puck is going. They know where the next play is and they know how to get there. I can't tell you exactly how they do, but it's how they get from here to over here on a really dangerous situation or a dangerous chance, how far out they are, how far back they are, where they push off and where they have to stop. He knows where the next one is and he's in position to get there."
Shesterkin was off his game in the first half of the season and his numbers reflected it; he had a 2.86 GAA, .899 save percentage and zero shutouts in 32 games through the NHL All-Star break.
But there he was in Toronto, the goalie representing the Rangers in the 2024 NHL All-Star Game.
It was a fun weekend, but a bit of a weird place for Shesterkin to be because he admittedly did not think he belonged at All-Star Weekend because of his struggles.
When he returned to New York, the Rangers devised a plan for him to take the pressure off, give him the physical and mental reset they all felt he needed.
"We were up front about it," Laviolette said. "I think for everybody, the top offensive players, the top defensive players, the top goaltenders, there's always some ups and downs inside of a very successful season for a player. This was an opportunity where we thought we had a few days to get him some work on the ice and see if we can take that game to the next level like he's I think accustomed to."
So, Shesterkin watched Jonathan Quick allow one goal in a win against the Colorado Avalanche on Feb. 5, then do the same thing two nights later against the Tampa Bay Lightning. He also didn't start the Rangers’ last game before the All-Star break, a 7-2 win at the Ottawa Senators on Jan. 27.
As Quick was playing, Shesterkin was working behind the scenes with goalie coach Benoit Allaire on all things technical about his game.
"I thought he did a great job in just coming in and working every day, and from there to me it did reflect in his games," Laviolette said. "He was able to take it to another level."
He was back in goal Feb. 9 at the Chicago Blackhawks, his first start in two weeks. The Rangers won 4-3 in overtime. His confidence began to grow and eventually soar.
Shesterkin found his way back to being one of the best in the world.
"After All-Star break, I just thought I do not deserve to be an All-Star," Shesterkin said. "After All-Star, I just tried to show I deserved."
And so, he enters the playoffs feeling as good as he has felt all season, maybe as well as he's felt since he took New York to the Eastern Conference Final two years ago, his Vezina Trophy-winning season.
"I think his game has grown tremendously, and he's done a great job of almost having a bounce back type of year if you want to call it that," defenseman K'Andre Miller said. "He's done everything to get his confidence back and get back to the way he wants to play."
The difference is this time Shesterkin has experience and a forthright belief that the Rangers not only can win the Stanley Cup, but if all things stay the same, they will win it.
"Yeah, why not [us]? It's true," Shesterkin said. "We just need hard work every game and everything can happen. We have a pretty good team this season. Everyone played the best hockey they can, and we just need to be strong together."
