Rangers waste Igor Shesterkin’s brilliant performance in 3-2 loss to Flames
Igor Shesterkin’s brilliance gave the New York Rangers a chance to win Thursday night against the Calgary Flames – but they couldn’t capitalize on it.
Shesterkin did everything but stand on his head, facing a season-high 49 shots and finishing with 46 saves, but Connor Zary scored the tie-breaking goal at 10:35 of the third period to give the Flames a 3-2 victory at Scotiabank Saddledome.
Zary carried the puck into the lower left circle and hit a small opening in the top far corner to break a 2-2 tie. Dustin Wolf, who’s grabbed the No. 1 goaltending job with Calgary, allowed goals by Alexis Lafreniere and Will Cuylle 16 seconds apart late in the second period that got the Rangers even but was flawless otherwise, finishing with 27 saves and improving to 5-0-1 in his past six decisions.
The loss ended the Rangers’ three-game winning streak and came after they defeated the Seattle Kraken 2-0 and the Vancouver Canucks 4-3 in the first two of a four-game road trip that ends with a tilt against the Edmonton Oilers on Saturday.
Related: Rangers injury update: Filip Chytil skates with extras in Calgary
Calgary Flames 3 – New York Rangers 2
Shesterkin had to be on his game from the opening face-off. The Flames quickly put the Rangers on their heels in the early going and took the lead 7:26 into the game. With Yegor Sharangovich driving to the net and screening the goalie, Matt Coronato ripped a high wrist shot that caught the far corner for a 1-0 lead.
“He was fantastic,” Rangers captain Jacob Trouba said postgame. “He made a lot of big saves, especially in the first period. He was great throughout, and he gave us a chance.”
That was the only goal during the first 20 minutes, but not because the Flames weren’t pressing for more – Shesterkin was the only reason Calgary skated off the ice up one goal rather that two or three. New York had to kill off two power plays (the first one at 13:16 after Shesterkin was called for tripping), was outshot 20-5 and out-attempted 34-11 in the opening 20 minutes. The Rangers mounted almost no pressure on the forecheck and spent almost the entire period defending as the Flames, who hadn’t scored more than three goals in any of their previous 16 games, took the play to them.
“We got outworked. They were better than us in the first,” an unhappy coach Peter Laviolette said about the Rangers play in the opening period.
Defenseman Ryan Lindgren added that the Flames “came out hard. They were all over us. It’s definitely not the way we wanted to start the game.”
The power play that resulted from Shesterkin’s penalty didn’t result in a goal, but it did cost the Rangers one of their key forwards for a few minutes. Center Mika Zibanejad blocked a shot by Flames defenseman Rasmus Andersson, left the ice immediately and headed straight for the dressing room. However, he returned for the second period and showed no ill effects.
Calgary kept firing away in the second period, outshooting New York 12-3 through the first 6:10 and capitalized on their third power play just 19 seconds after Artemi Panarin was called for slashing at 8:10 to make it 2-0. Sharangovich set up in the right circle, took Mackenzie Weegar’s pass from the left point and one-timed it past Shesterkin, who might have been screened by defenseman K’Andre Miller.
The Rangers challenged, saying the play that led to the goal should have been whistled dead for an earlier hand pass – but after a lengthy review, the officials ruled that Jonathan Huberdeau’s misplay in the corner was a deflection, not a hand pass, and the goal stood. The Rangers did kill off the resulting bench minor, keeping the deficit at two goals.
Laviolette was still unhappy with the call after the game.
“He opened up his hand to play the puck, he goes to grab it and it bats off of his hand and goes right to the player,” the coach said. “It got called dead two more times in the game — the exact same plays. It gets called dead every time. Any time that ever happens on the ice, it gets called dead. I don’t understand. I still don’t understand.”
Killing the bench minor kill turned out to be huge when the Rangers finally began to get some chances midway through the period before tying the game with two goals in 16 seconds.
Lafreniere got the Rangers on the board at 16:37, snapping home a rebound after Dustin Wolf stopped Trouba’s screened wrister from the right point. Calgary was called for icing six seconds after the goal, and the Rangers tied it at 16:53. Kaapo Kakko won a face-off, Miller took a shot from the left point and Cuylle tipped it down from the slot and past Wolf – and suddenly, it was 2-2.
Wolf stood tall in the early stages of the third period, when the Rangers dominated for several consecutive shifts. But the Flames began to dominate again and controlled most of the play even after regaining the lead.
“We tied it up,” Lindgren said, “but we didn’t get it done in the third.”
The Rangers fell to 7-2-0 on the road this season. After a day off Friday, they visit the Oilers on Saturday, and then play two of their next three after that one also on the road next week.
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