‘I might’; Rangers coach may use Shesterkin vs. Lightning in back to back
Igor Shesterkin is a big reason why the New York Rangers are 3-0-0 this week. Coach Mike Sullivan isn’t saying whether he’ll get a shot at going 4-for-4 when the Tampa Bay Lightning come to Madison Square Garden on Saturday afternoon, 24 hours after No. 31 made 19 saves in a 6-2 road win against the Boston Bruins on Friday.
Sullivan has worked to limit his starting goaltender’s workload – and whatever he’s been doing paid off again Friday, when Shesterkin allowed two or fewer goals for the 12th time this season, tying him for the most such games in the NHL this season. He’s won six of his past eight starts and improved to 10-8-2 by beating the Bruins. His 2.45 goals-against average and .911 save percentage are among the top 10 in the NHL in each category among goalies who’ve played at least 10 games.
Though Shesterkin has started 20 of the Rangers’ 26 games this season, one thing he hasn’t done is play in back-to-back games. That could change Saturday, although Sullivan wasn’t tipping his hand after the win in Boston.
“Might I?” he replied when asked whether he planned to start Shesterkin in back-to-back games for the first time since March 15-16, 2025, and just the sixth time in his NHL career – twice after being pulled in the first game. “I might.”
But when asked “Will you?” his reply was simple: “I’ll tell you tomorrow.”
Sullivan’s decision on goalie use in back-to-backs this season usually consists of deciding which game Shesterkin gets and which goes to Jonathan Quick, one of the NHL’s top No. 2 goalies. But Quick appeared to injure his right leg in a crease collision late in the third period of a 3-2 loss to the Utah Mammoth on Saturday; the Rangers placed him on injured reserve Tuesday and brought up Dylan Garand from AHL Hartford to take his place.
The 23-year-old had an up-and-down preseason and a slow start to his fourth pro season in Hartford. He’s 3-6-2 as the No. 1 goalie for the mediocre Wolf Pack, with a 2.96 GAA and .897 save percentage. That’s a drop-off from last season, when Garand was an AHL All-Star, won 20 games for the first time as a pro, and tied for ninth among all goalies with a .913 save percentage.
Garand has been a spectator during Shesterkin’s three wins this week, and he has yet to play in an NHL game. Facing the red-hot Lightning, who will also be playing the second of back-to-back games after a 6-3 road victory against the Detroit Red Wings that extended their winning streak to six games, might be too much to ask of an untried rookie.
Sullivan has been cagey about who would start in the back-to-back games ever since Quick was injured.
“I’m not sure yet. We’re going to take each game as it comes. We’ll probably make decisions on a game-by-game basis,” Sullivan said Tuesday before the Rangers headed to Raleigh to play what turned out to be a 36-save 4-2 win against the Carolina Hurricanes.
“What I will tell you is I think because we’ve managed ‘Shesty’s’ workload to this point fairly well, if anyone’s in a position to take on more of a workload, I think Shesty’s [in a position] to do that.”
