The New York Rangers have a history of great goalkeepers.
For years, Mike Richter was their main man in goal, and for 15 years, Henrik Lundqvist was the face of the franchise.
The Swede is one of the best goalkeepers in the modern era, and when he left the Rangers for the Washington Capitals — a team he never played a game for due to a heart condition being discovered — it was unsure who would replace him as the Rangers’ next star goalie.
But it didn’t take long for Russian Igor Shesterkin to dominate, and now, he has absolutely established himself as one of the top goalies in the NHL.
Shesterkin has been a key factor in the Rangers’ cup run this postseason, and at the moment, he and the Rangers have a 2-1 series lead over the Florida Panthers.
Looking at statistics and shots taken, Florida has been the better team so far, but Shesterkin has played some incredible hockey.
Only one other goalie, Jake Oettinger, has saved more shots than Shesterkin this playoffs – and has played three more games than the Russian.
The Panthers aren’t the easiest team to come up against in the postseason.
They’re a strong and physical team, with a superstar goalie in goalie Sergei Bobrovsky, and pests like Nick Cousins and Matthew Tkachuk, willing to do anything to win.
Tkachuk is often praised for how he performs during playoffs. He is always in his opponents’ faces and always does everything together under their skins.
Tkachuk is a master of the chirp, and on Monday, Shesterkin was asked what it’s like to have players like Tkachuk ’yap’ at him during games, after saves, after a period. And his response was absolutely hilarious.
”I’m lucky because I don’t speak English,” Shesterkin, per NHL.com’s Dan Rosen.
The funniest part? Shesterkin said that in English. Shesterkin isn’t the most verbal guy off the ice, as he prefers to let his play do the talking. And he’s doing that to perfection so far. But this quote was absolutely perfect, and fans loved it!
