RALEIGH, N.C. — The ‘I-GOR!’ chants made it all the way to PNC Arena.
They echoed throughout the building periodically from a strong New York presence in the crowd. They vibrated around the rink after every big save and in every moment that Rangers goalie Igor Shesterkin closed the door on the Hurricanes to help punch his team’s ticket to the Eastern Conference Final with a 6-2 win over a Carolina team that was previously undefeated at home.
After 39 saves in an overtime victory over the Penguins in Game 7 in Round 1 and 37 saves in this Game 7 triumph over the Hurricanes in Round 2, the legacy of Shesterkin’s name has only just begun.
“He’s done it all year,” head coach Gerard Gallant said after the win, which tees up a conference final matchup with the reigning back-to-back Stanley Cup champions, the Lightning. “Nothing surprises me. He made some great saves at key times. Obviously, in that first period, I think they had [16] shots and he was outstanding and made that 2-0 lead hold up for us.”
With 16 saves in the first period, Shesterkin was in the zone from puck drop. He withstood a push from the Hurricanes in the opening minutes before robbing a one-timer in the slot from Carolina’s top-line winger Tuevo Teravainen later in the period. Shesterkin swallowed up a shot from Nino Niederreiter to kick off the second period and kept the puck out of the net on another sequence in which he lost his stick amid a bunch of traffic in front of him.
The 26-year-old netminder has said he always tries to just play his game, no matter how bright the lights of the stage are, but do these Game 7s feel any different for him?
“A little shaky before game,” Shesterkin said without the help of a translator. “But when I go to the ice, I try to forget about everything and try to keep focus on the puck.
“It’s great, great feeling. I think we did a great job. Blocked lots of shots and you have to be ready for next round.”
Shesterkin said the Rangers’ two early power-play goals helped him settle into the game. From then on, he said, he just tried to do his job and stop the puck. But it’s been Shesterkin’s sturdiness in net that has grounded the Rangers all season long, and it’s carried over into the postseason.
“Shesty was his usual self,” Adam Fox said.
Shesterkin and the Rangers have gone up against third-string goalies, backup goalies and had one game against a starter who was coming off a broken foot. The challenge in goal that awaits in the next round will be unlike anything they’ve seen before.
That challenge has a name, too, and it’s Andrei Vasilevskiy.
“He is the best goalie in the world right now,” Shesterkin said frankly. “I think it will be a good battle.”