Igor Shesterkin believes ‘something broke this season’ for Rangers, causing lack of confidence
There were many telling statistics to explain why the New York Rangers missed the Stanley Cup Playoffs this season following three straight postseason appearances, including two trips to the Eastern Conference Final.
Among the biggest indicators of a season gone massively awry was their lack of resiliency, highlighted by rarely demonstrating the ability to rally from deficits. That especially stands out because the Rangers specialized in comebacks in 2023-24, when they won 55 games and their first Presidents’ Trophy since 2014-15.
It was also something that goaltender Igor Shesterkin seemed to hint at during the Rangers break-up day on Monday.
“In my mind, something broke during the season, and [went] the other way. We couldn’t handle it. It was our job to try to find the way to get back,” Shesterkin told reporters.
Initially it seemed like Shesterkin was referencing some of the off-ice events such as how general manager Chris Drury handled moving on from respected veterans Barclay Goodrow and Jacob Trouba along with including how Chris Kreider’s name was included in a memo to the other general managers about available players on Nov. 25, when the Rangers were starting their 4-15-0 slide following a deceiving 12-4-1 start.
Given a chance to follow up, Shesterkin pointed more to the dearth of comebacks in a season when a multiple-goal deficit usually felt insurmountable.
“Probably not too much confidence,” Shesterkin said. “If we can look on the last season before when we won (the) President’s Trophy, if we’re down 3-0 we still know we get back but during the season I didn’t feel that sometimes.”
The statistics certainly back up Shesterkin’s words.
The Rangers finished with 16 comeback wins, including only five in the third period. In 2023-24, the Rangers led the League with 28 comeback wins, including 14 in the third period.
They were also 5-22-0 when trailing after the opening period and 4-31-1 when trailing through two periods this season. In 2023-24 they were 11-14-1 when trailing through 20 minutes and 10-18-1 when trailing after 40 minutes.
New York didn’t win a single game when trailing by multiple goals until their next-to-last contest of the season, a 5-3 comeback victory against the Florida Panthers when they erased a 3-1 deficit.
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Rangers ‘pissed away good goaltending’ failing to make playoffs this season
The 16 comeback wins occurred after the Rangers combined for 77 comeback victories in the previous three seasons. It was their fewest in an 82-game season since finishing with 14 in 2017-18, the season when the rebuild under former GM Jeff Gorton started.
“I just think there was a missing sense of cohesion,” defenseman Adam Fox said Monday. “That resilience that we had come to make our identity — the year before we had 20-something comeback wins — and didn’t really have any this year. So, I think that’s something we got to figure out why that was.”
The Rangers’ struggles in their own end, including atrocious lack of defensive structure, resulted in plenty of Grade A scoring chances against Shesterkin and fellow goalie Jonathan Quick. Goals were often scored in bunches against the Rangers, and far too many were off wide-open looks down the middle. The Rangers lost 17 games by more than three goals this season, with little blame falling on the shoulders of Shesterkin and Quick.
“We had a lot of confidence in it and then this year we were not coming back early in the year,” Vincent Trocheck said. “It kind of goes the other way. You don’t have the confidence. You go down in a game. It starts to weigh on you, you start to sink.”
The various issues in front of him contributed to Shesterkin finishing with the first losing record of his career, 27-29-5. His 2.86 goals-against and .905 save percentage were career worsts; Shesterkin faced a career-high 1,751 shots after facing 1,606 in 2023-24.
Shesterkin was forced to make at least 40 saves five times this season and at least 30 in 21 games. He was 11-9-1 in those games.
Last season, Shesterkin only needed to make 40 saves once and at least 30 saves in 18 games. In those games, Shesterkin was 13-3-2.
Per MoneyPuck, Shesterkin was seventh in the NHL this season with 21.6 goals saved above expected.
“I think we pissed away good goaltending, which is not good,” defenseman Calvin de Haan said. “That’s the most important position. If that starts going to the wayside it’s not good but again, I think you need some bounces here and there. It was just hard to watch at times because you know everyone’s out there trying a hundred percent.”
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