Igor Shesterkin against the Montreal Canadiens The NY Rangers entered yesterday’s contest as the clear underdogs. While the Canadiens have been on a playoff-worthy run, the Rangers have been a struggling side throughout the season. Not to mention, their record at Madison Square Garden had been abysmal so far.But while the Rangers allowed Montreal to put four goals inside the net, by the time the final buzzer went off, the scoreboard read 5-4 in New York’s favor. Critics and fans quickly blamed primary goalie Igor Shesterkin for the close call, but head coach Mike Sullivan quickly defended him.
Mike Sullivan has Igor Shesterkin’s back despite Montreal Canadiens’ Dominance
From the moment the game started, the Canadiens looked to be in control, and within minutes of the first period, the side was already up 1-0. Subsequent goals by Arber Zhekaj and Jake Evans quickly put them 3-0 with less than two minutes remaining in the first period.But the Rangers were not done yet, and back-to-back goals by Noah Laba and Artemi Panarin within the last 71 seconds meant that by the time the first period was over, the Rangers had closed Montreal’s lead to 3-2. And the man who made it possible was none other than Shesterkin.While a few fans were quick to blame the goaltender for allowing four goals in the first place, head coach Sullivan was ready to diffuse the situation. In his post-game interview, he mentioned, “Yeah. I didn’t feel like any of the goals scored were, you know, bad goals.”Sullivan continued, “They were a little bit of a fluke, you know, on how some of them went in. I mean, give Montreal credit. They’ve got an opportunistic group; they can score. I never got the feeling behind the bench that, jeez, it just wasn’t Shesty’s night, or he didn’t have it, you know.”According to Sullivan, Shesterkin was the reason the Rangers were even able to make a comeback after trailing 3-0. The Rangers head coach believes that Shesterkin’s big save on the penalty kill in the first period is what gave New York the moment to reverse the game.But Sullivan also gave credit where it was due. He praised the Montreal side for taking advantage of any chances they got to score and being opportunistic. He also clarified that he never thought that his primary goalie was not in his A-game at any point of the contest.“You know, I never got the feeling that he wasn’t on his game. I thought he was; I thought he was locked in,” he explained. According to Sullivan, sometimes it can get to a goalie’s head if they allow too many goals in. That’s just the kind of pride Shesterkin has for his role,But despite the early scare, the Rangers held on as two second-period goals by the likes of Will Cuyelle and captain J.T. Miller made sure that the game was pushed to OT. Miller put the puck inside the net in a masterful way to give his side the final win. Also Read: NHL Updates: Edmonton Oilers Explored Buffalo Sabres Netminder Before Acquiring Tristan Jarry From Penguins