SUNRISE, Fla. -- Igor Shesterkin can't deny the pressure of being in this moment in the Eastern Conference Final, the stress of the Florida Panthers coming at him in waves, shot attempt after shot attempt like they did in the third period Sunday.
But let it get to him? Uh, no.
That's not happening to the New York Rangers goalie. It's the opposite, in fact.
"Honestly, I just try to enjoy it," Shesterkin said.
That's what it looks like too to Shesterkin's predecessor in New York, the last goalie to take the Rangers to the Stanley Cup Final, whose No. 30 hangs in the rafters of Madison Square Garden.
"You have to embrace it, the whole thing, the moment, the pressure, the fact you're playing teams that are coming after you," Henrik Lundqvist, who helped the Rangers reach the Final in 2014, told NHL.com. "That's No. 1. And you can see he's enjoying it. He's playing a big part in the series right now the way he's playing. That's fun. You want to play a part in it."
Shesterkin is playing the biggest role in the Rangers' success against the Panthers and in the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
The Rangers lead the best-of-7 series against the Panthers 2-1 going into Game 4 at Amerant Bank Arena on Tuesday (8 p.m. ET; ESPN+, ESPN, SN, TVAS, CBC).
They are 10-3 in the playoffs.
Shesterkin has a .933 save percentage and 2.13 goals-against average in the series against Florida. He has allowed seven goals in three games, including an own-goal against him in Game 1.
He has a .925 save percentage and 2.33 GAA in 13 playoff games.
He gave up four goals in Game 3 on Sunday, including two in the third period, and Rangers coach Peter Laviolette said it still might have been his best game of the playoffs.
Shesterkin made 33 saves to give the Rangers a chance to steal a 5-4 win in overtime despite being outshot 37-23, including 18-8 after the second period. The Panthers had 108 shot attempts in the game; the Rangers had 43.
"I thought he played a heck of a game," Laviolette said. "I thought he made big saves in the third period. They had a good third. They were behind by two. They really pushed. We could have done things better in the third, and when we needed our goaltender he was excellent. He continued to make those next saves and he continued to put us in position to find success."
The Rangers are 4-0 in games decided in overtime largely because of Shesterkin. He has 27 saves in overtime.
New York has six comeback wins during the playoffs, including Game 3 of the conference final, and it's again largely because of Shesterkin, who has a .942 save percentage after the first period in the playoffs (17 goals on 293 shots).
He has an .876 save percentage in the first period (15 goals on 121 shots).
"What's been impressive I think so far in the playoffs is his ability to raise his level when the team really needs it, to step up in a tie game, overtime," Lundqvist said. "There's been a couple games, like against Carolina when they gave up a couple early goals, but then he just locked it in and gave the team a chance to come back. It looks like he's really playing a confident game right now."
Shesterkin said he wasn't bothered by Florida's constant attack in Game 3. He said he thinks that was enjoyable for him too.
"I just try to be ready for everything," he said. "It doesn't matter how many shots we face, how many shot attempts they try."
There's no question Shesterkin is keeping loose too. He was cracking jokes Monday, like when he was asked about Panthers forward Matthew Tkachuk trying to get in his face and say something to him during Game 3.
"I'm lucky because I don't speak English," he said, in perfect English.
Lundqvist said if the goalie is laughing and joking around, it's a tell for how he feels about his role, his game and the team.
"You look at the group, they're playing well as a team and everybody from fourth line to the star players, they're all adding so much right now," Lundqvist said. "It looks like they have a great energy in that room and it helps, of course. It helps people relax and enjoy the moment when you do that. It's easier to play your best too."
But the Rangers know there's a balance between expecting Shesterkin to be on every game, which they do and he pretty much is, and taking it for granted that he's always going to be there to bail them out.
"Yeah, I mean, there definitely is," defenseman Jacob Trouba said. "You don't want to lean on him as much as we probably have at times, but there's also a confidence of you know he's there, you know what he's capable of doing and how he's playing."
That confidence is built from Shesterkin's work ethic.
"He prepares better than probably anyone I've ever played with," Trouba said. "With that preparation it builds the confidence for him, which takes the stress and worry [away]. He has the confidence and he's prepared for it, so he has the ability to know how he's going to play."
And he's consistent with it, because his mental approach, routine and physical preparation never changes.
"He comes in every day with that same identity that he wants to be the best goalie in the world," defenseman K'Andre Miller said.
He's playing like it and loving every minute of it too.
"He's pretty much the same as he always is," center Vincent Trocheck said. "He means business."
