Having one of the world’s top goaltenders on your team can easily lead to taking him for granted. This has been the case for the New York Rangers for about the last decade. Initially, they relied on Henrik Lundqvist, who was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame last November and consistently rescued the team throughout his career. Currently, the Rangers are experiencing a similar reliance on Igor Shesterkin, along with backup Jonathan Quick to some extent. Shesterkin’s remarkable performance has helped the Rangers reach the Eastern Conference Finals twice in the past three seasons, and he was awarded the Vezina Trophy as the league’s best goaltender in the 2021-22 season.
As of November 4, with 11 games into the season, the Rangers appear content to depend heavily on their goalies, especially Shesterkin. Despite holding the top spot in the Metropolitan Division and being second in the Eastern Conference and fourth overall in the league, their play without the puck leaves much to be desired.
The Rangers are currently allowing far too many shots each game, ranking 29th in the league in shots against with an average of approximately 33.1. This trend of permitting teams to bombard their goaltenders is unsustainable in both the regular season and the playoffs. Both Shesterkin, 28, and Quick, 38—who has only played two games—have already faced a significant number of shots, with Shesterkin making 279 saves out of 299 and Quick saving 61 of 64 shots.
Another issue is that the Rangers’ defensive pairings haven’t performed well. Head coach Peter Laviolette has been experimenting with combinations, but the results have been inconsistent. While some fans appreciate the Adam Fox and K’Andre Miller pairing for its offensive potential, it may not be wise as both players are offensive-minded and sometimes take risks. The Jacob Trouba and Zac Jones pairing has also resulted in many errors, with Jones still adjusting to the NHL and Trouba occasionally getting caught out of position while trying for big hits. Ryan Lindgren and Braden Schneider’s pairing hasn’t been terrible, but Lindgren seems off his game this season.
On a positive note, according to Mollie Walker, Rangers beat writer for The New York Post, the potential new defensive pairings from their practice on November 4 look more promising. These combinations have previously played together successfully. Although the Miller-Trouba pairing raises concerns due to their defensive struggles, there’s hope they might complement each other better this time.
The Rangers also need to address the excessive quality scoring chances they give up each game, frequently allowing shots from high-danger areas and leaving opponents wide open. Although Shesterkin has managed to handle many challenging chances with his reflexes and positioning, the Rangers have been fortunate to maintain their current record against weaker opponents. If they don’t improve their defensive play, it could significantly impact their performance come playoff time.
