The New York Rangers recently suffered a defeat against the Utah Hockey Club, but after that loss, the team focused on tightening their defense. They achieved this goal on Monday, with Igor Shesterkin allowing just one goal in a 4-1 victory over the Detroit Red Wings. Shesterkin’s impressive performance astonished many, including Detroit’s coach, Derek Lalonde.
After the game, Lalonde praised the Rangers’ goaltender, calling him “special.” He unexpectedly brought up Shesterkin’s rumored rejection of a significant contract offer from the Rangers, saying, “He’s special. I can see why he turned down the 88 (million dollars). Good agent,” according to NHL.com senior writer Dan Rosen. It is unusual for an opposing coach to publicly discuss another player’s contract situation, but it’s clear that Lalonde was impressed by Shesterkin. The goaltender stopped 31 shots, securing his team’s first home win of the 2024-25 NHL season.
Shesterkin aimed to recover from a less-than-stellar outing against Utah, and he succeeded in doing so against Lalonde’s Red Wings. The Rangers opened the scoring with Alexis Lafreniere netting his second goal of the season at 11:45 in the first period. Though New York seemed poised to go into the break with the lead, the Red Wings equalized in the dying seconds when Justin Holl assisted captain Dylan Larkin for a goal, ending the first period tied 1-1.
The second period was largely scoreless until Chris Kreider scored for the Rangers, who went on to add two more goals in the third period, sealing their victory. Despite having opportunities, particularly during the power play, Detroit could not find a way to beat Shesterkin.
On a positive note for the Red Wings, they won’t have to wait long for a chance to redeem themselves, as they will face the Rangers again just a few days later in Detroit. It will be intriguing to see if the Red Wings can devise a better offensive strategy or if the Rangers will once again come out on top.
