Informal polling of NHL experts by Forever Blueshirts frequently sees the names of Shesterkin and Hellebuyck mentioned as the two best goalies in the sport.

Former Rangers goalie and current TSN and NHL Network Radio analyst Martin Biron knows exactly which goalie he’d select to carry his team in the Stanley Cup Playoffs, though.

“In my book, [Shesterkin] is the best goaltender in the National Hockey League,” Biron told Forever Blueshirts recently on the RINK RAP podcast. “He’s the guy that I would want.”

Biron, who knows great goalies, having partnered with Dominik Hasek with the Buffalo Sabres and Henrik Lundqvist with the Rangers, is well aware that Shesterkin isn’t having his best season. But, even still, his faith in the 29-year-old is not shaken.

“Am I saying he’s having the best season this season? No,” Biron stated. “I think Connor Hellebuyck is having the best season. I think Logan Thompson (Washington Capitals) is having a better season. I think Lukas Dostal in Anaheim is having a better season.

“But I would still pick Igor Shesterkin over all of these guys because I know what I’m going to get. And that to me is why the Rangers are never out of it.”

Shesterkin is 21-21-4 in 46 starts this season, already his most losses (21) in a single season since entering the League in 2019-20. He has a bloated 2.89 goals-against average and diminished .905 save percentage, each the worst of his NHL career.

More than anything, he’s been inconsistent. Spectacular one night. Not so much the next. Even within a game, there’s been inconsistency. Brilliant much of the game Saturday against the Ottawa Senators, Shesterkin allowed two goals in the final 10 minutes when unable to cover pucks in the crease during mad scrambles. Then Brady Tkachuk’s game-winning goal 33 seconds into overtime went right between Shesterkin’s pads.

Shesterkin would be the first to tell you he needed to be better there.

Of course, putrid team defense factored into each of those three goals, especially on K’Andre Miller’s atrocious turnover that led to Tkachuk scoring off a 2-on-1.

Ands that’s been the case all season. The Rangers have consistently hung Shesterkin and Jonathan Quick out to dry, and are only within striking distance of a playoff spot at all for the amount of times their goalies bailed them out win games they probably deserved to lose.

If anything, Shesterkin and Quick appear at times worn down by the amount of Grade A chances they face on a nightly basis.

Those are key reasons why the Rangers (31-27-6) are ninth in the Eastern Conference, two points out of the second wild card and three out of the top wild-card spot with 18 games to play.

Related: Should Alexis Lafreniere be playing for his Rangers future down the stretch this season

Rangers can make deep playoff run because of Igor Shesterkin, Martin Biron believes

Biron’s seen this script before. In his early years at the end of the 1990’s and early 2000s, Biron’s goalie partner was Hasek, who routinely stood on his head to keep the Sabres afloat, even taking them to the Stanley Cup Final in 1999, when they lost to the Dallas Stars in six games.

“Look, Dominik Hasek in Buffalo was the guy behind the team that struggled, that would get out-shot sometimes 40-18 in a game and win 3-2 or 2-1. They even went to the Stanley Cup Final on the back of Dominik Hasek,” Biron explained. “I think the Rangers can go to a Stanley Cup Final and maybe even win the Stanley Cup because of Igor Shesterkin. Now, other parts (of their game) are gonna have to get going and their defensive structure worries me … but they can still get there if he gets hot for 20 games because Igor can be unbeatable in the spring.”

Not that Shesterkin hasn’t been an outstanding regular-season goalie in the NHL — just look at his Vezina Trophy season in 2021-22 when he had a 2.07 GAA and .935 save percentage in 53 games — but he’s really solidified his reputation as a big-game goalie in the Stanley Cup Playoffs. He led the the Rangers to the Eastern Conference Final twice in the past three seasons, and without a doubt carried the Rangers within two wins of reaching the Cup Final last spring when they were badly outplayed by the Florida Panthers.

It’s that resume that landed Shesterkin the richest contract for a goalie in NHL history, one that kicks in next season and pays him $11.5 million annually through 2032-33.

But it’s also what has Biron such a believer.

“I have no worries about Igor Shesterkin.”

First, Chris Kreider landed on IR with an upper-body injury, likely to his back, since the 33-year-old has publicly discussed dealing with back issues this season. Then the Rangers went out and turned a feel-good night into a disaster at MSG, blowing a 3-0 lead early and a 4-3 lead late in a disastrous 5-4 overtime loss to the Dallas Stars. And in that game, Filip Chytil sustained an upper-body injury and didn’t play in the third period.

Another injury is bad enough for the depleted Rangers (18-20-2). But with Chytil there’s always fear that “upper-body injury” means “head injury” or a concussion. Let’s hope that’s not the case. But the fear is always real considering the 25-year-old’s history.

Anyway, that was a real capper to a real crapper of a day for the Rangers.

They practice today in Westchester, and we’ll monitor all the latest with Chytil, as well as plans for Arthur Kaliyev and the rest of their news, here at Forever Blueshirts.

For those keeping score at home, the Rangers have not won consecutive games since a three-game winning streak Nov. 14-19. Tuesday was the sixth time since then that they followed a win with a loss, and the ninth time this season they’ve lost after a singular victory.

Six points and six teams separate the Rangers from the second wild card in the Eastern Conference as they reach the midway point of the schedule on Thursday against the Devils.

New York Rangers news

Our three takeaways from the Rangers’ latest loss is low-lighted by a rough night for Adam Fox, and also includes the latest on Chytil.

Kaliyev took part in the morning skate but wasn’t in the lineup against the Stars. The 23-year-old did say coming to the Rangers is a “dream come true” and there’s hope he can juice the offense a bit moving forward.

In a chat with me on the Rink Rap podcast, LA-based NHL insider Dennis Bernstein questioned what Kaliyev will bring to the Rangers lineup, noting he’s a “one-dimensional” player with severe limitations.

Here’s a link to watch the complete interview with Dennis Bernstein on YouTube and another to listen on Simplecast.

On the injury front, yes, Kreider was placed on IR, but the good news is that Igor Shesterkin skated with the Rangers on Tuesday morning. The 29-year-old goalie missed his fourth game but appears to be on the road back.

Our Nick Vazquez detailed why the Rangers need more from their two newest defensemen, Will Borgen and Urho Vaakanainen.

NHL news

Connor Hellebuyck became the third-fastest goalie to reach 300 NHL wins when he led the Winnipeg Jets to a 5-2 victory against the Nashville Predators.

However, in that game, Jets defenseman Josh Morrissey sustained a lower-body injury when he crashed into a goal post and is considered day to day.

The Columbus Blue Jackets — yes, the Columbus Blue Jackets — moved into the second wild card spot in the East with a 4-3 shootout win against the Pittsburgh Penguins.

Blue Jackets forward Sean Monahan was forced to leave that game with an upper-body injury.

More injury news, Minnesota Wild defenseman Brock Faber exited a 6-4 win against the St. Louis Blues with an upper-body injury.

Former Rangers forward Patrick Kane kept the good times rolling in Detroit. His overtime goal lifted the Red Wings to their fifth straight win, 3-2 against the Ottawa Senators.

The Toronto Maple Leafs also won their fifth consecutive game, 3-2 against the Philadelphia Flyers.

The Edmonton Oilers are streaking, as well. They won their fourth straight game, riding Adam Henrique’s two goals to a 4-0 win against the struggling Boston Bruins.

The Jets (14-1-0) have won six in a row after losing their only game of the season Oct. 28 against the Toronto Maple Leafs. They started off with an eight-game wining streak and are the only team in NHL history to win 14 of their first 15 games. Under new coach Scott Arniel, a former Rangers assistant, the Jets have fired on all cylinders since Day 1 this season.

Winnipeg just took care of the Dallas Stars, defeating the Western Conference power 4-1 on Saturday. That followed a pair of shutouts against the Utah Hockey Club and the Colorado Avalanche. They Jets are also 6-0-0 on the road.

You get the point. The Jets are playing at a superb level. How sustainable this run is can be debated. But there’s no debate that they’re the best in the NHL right now.

The Rangers (9-3-1) have the fifth-highest points percentage in the League (.731) even though they’re 4-3-0 in their past seven games. They were better in a 4-0 shutout win against the Detroit Red Wings on Saturday, following an ugly 6-1 loss to the Buffalo Sabres on Thursday. But there’s plenty that needs to be cleaned up in their game, especially facing such an elite opponent Tuesday.

Related: Rangers look to take down ‘top dogs’ when they face NHL-best Jets

3 things to watch for when Rangers host Jets

1. First goal wins

OK, this is quite simplistic. But with the Rangers and Jets, scoring the first goal is a big deal. How big? Well, the Rangers are 9-0-0 when scoring first this season. Yes, that accounts for each of their wins so far. Conversely, the Rangers are 0-3-1 — winless — when allowing the first goal.

The Jets are 7-0-0 scoring first. Of course, since they’ve won all but one game this season, they’re still pretty darn good — 7-1-0 — when giving up the first one.

That doesn’t mean you can pick up and leave The Garden on Tuesday after the first goal is scored because you know the game’s outcome already. But it is something to keep an eye. Especially for the Rangers, who could use a major jolt of energy that comes from an early lead on home ice. They could use that at a time their confidence is not so high right now and against such an elite opponent.

2. Best on best

Each team owns elite goaltending. Winnipeg’s Connor Hellebuyck (11-1-0, 1.83 goals-against average, .935 save percentage, three shutouts) is the reigning Vezina Trophy winner as top NHL goalie, and a two-time Vezina winner. He’s also the NHL First Star of the Week after allowing one goal in three starts. New York’s Igor Shesterkin (6-3-1, 2.62 GAA, .920 save percentage, one shutout) won the Vezina in 2021-22 and has been lights out this season, except for his last start against the Sabres when he allowed five goals on 12 shots.

The Jets have the lowest team GAA (2.07) and the Rangers are second (2.31). The teams are tied for best save percentage (.929). So, safe to call it best on best Tuesday.

An equally intriguing elite matchup will be the League’s top power play — the Jets are an almost absurd 41.9 percent — against the top PK in the NHL, where the Rangers are 91.1 percent and have allowed one power-play goal in the past seven games, and only four in 13 games this season.

3. Trade partners

The Rangers and Jets swapped defensemen in a trade back on June 17, 2019, when New York acquired its future captain Jacob Trouba in exchange for Neal Pionk and a first-round draft pick. Though Trouba is the higher profile player — not to mention higher paid ($8 million AAV to $5.875 million) — it’s been a trade that, by and large, has worked out for each side.

Despite his overpriced contract, Trouba has been a hard-hitting defenseman and team leader, who twice topped 30 points. He struggled badly last season and through the 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs. He started strong this season but has tapered off, and his defensive play is again under fire.

Pionk’s been extremely steady for the Jets, and actually has a higher TOI these days (21:01) than Trouba (20:28). The 29-year-old has 30+ points in each of his five seasons with the Jets, including an NHL career-high 45 in 2019-20. He’s off to an outstanding start on the second defense pair this season; his 14 points are fourth most among all NHL defensemen so far and are three more than New York’s star d-man Adam Fox, who has 11.

New York Rangers projected lineup

Panarin – Zibanejad – Lafreniere

Kreider – Trocheck – Smith

Cuylle – Chytil – Kakko

Edstrom – Carrick – Rempe

Lindgren – Fox

Miller – Trouba

Jones – Schneider

Shesterkin

Quick

Rangers vs. Jets: When, where, what time, how to watch

Who: New York Rangers vs. Winnipeg Jets

When: Tuesday, Nov. 12 at 7 p.m. ET

Where: Madison Square Garden

How to Watch: MSG

Click here for New York Rangers complete 2024-25 schedule and game results

The Jets are rolling with a 14-1-0 record and an NHL-best 28 points. They also just set an NHL record as the first team to earn 14 wins in their first 15 games of the season.

“They’re the top dogs in the League right now, I mean they just set a record,” coach Peter Laviolette explained Monday. “I think their record is justified. For us, it’ll be a great test, a great challenge as we’re playing the best team in the League right now.”

The Rangers must contend with a team that’s not only lost just once, but one that tops the League in goals for (4.47 per game), goals against (2.07), goal differential (plus 36) and on the power play (41.9 percent).

Related: Rangers face huge test against League-leading Jets at either best or worst time

Rangers must bring ‘A game’ against red-hot Jets

The Jets are firing on all cylinders. They just handedly defeated the Dallas Stars, a Western Conference favorite, 4-1 on Saturday, and will look to win their seventh straight game Tuesday. The Jets loss came against the Toronto Maple Leafs on Oct. 28, a 6-4 final, which occurred after a season-opening eight-game winning streak.

“Anytime you play the top team in the League, it’s a great challenge to see where you’re at,” veteran forward Sam Carrick said after practice Monday. “We want to bring our “A game” and prove that we’re up there with them. No better way to do it than to play them at home here in front of our fans.”

Over the past few weeks, the Rangers have struggled to bring that “A” game Carrick eludes to. Despite a 4-3-0 record in their past seven games, New York has developed a habit of giving up far too many chances against, and have been relying heavily on their goaltenders to win them games and mask the damage in their losses.

Simply, the Rangers have often been out-hustled, out-worked, out-skated, out-chanced — you name it. That won’t do against the No. 1 overall team in the NHL.

“They’re a deep team,” continued Carrick. “Hard to play against, hard to create chances against. They’re rolling right now, obviously they’re a confident group. It’s going to be important to get off to a good start and roll a bit from there.”

The last time the Rangers were on home ice, they did not get off to a good start. It was quite the opposite, in fact, when they gave up a goal just 26 seconds into the game against the Buffalo Sabres on their way to an embarrassing 6-1 loss. They’ll look to repay the Blueshirts Faithful with a much better performance Tuesday.

To do so, they’ll need to shut down Winnipeg’s top offensive weapons. Mark Scheifele and Kyle Connor lead the way with 19 points each, and Nikolaj Ehlers is right there with 18. Don’t forget about Josh Morrissey on the blue line either. He’s got 16 points (two goals, 14 assists) to start the season, second among all NHL defensemen. Morrissey is tied for ninth among all skaters in assists.

The Rangers will also have to figure out goalie Connor Hellebuyck, who is making an early case to win the Vezina Trophy again. The reigning Vezina winner is 11-1-0 with a stellar .935 save percentage and 1.83 goals against average. He also leads the NHL with three shutouts, including two last week, which helped him be named the NHL First Star of the Week on Monday.

Hellebuyck has allowed one goal in his past three games.

“They’re just a good team,” defenseman Zac Jones said. “They’re fast, they’re hard, they play a simple game, and they’ve got a lot of talented players over there, so we need to limit their chances and play our game.”

Limiting chances will be the name of the game for New York. They’ve continued to struggle with giving up too many scoring chances, and too many high-danger one. According to Natural Stat Trick, the Rangers have 396 scoring chances for, 437 against, and 172 high-danger chances for, 184 against in all situations this season.

What masks these numbers are the Rangers goalies. Igor Shesterkin and Jonathan Quick have given up 30 goals on the season, yet the Rangers have an expected goal against of 47.68. If not for these two, the Rangers would be far worse off than a 9-3-1 record.

As for who starts in goal for the Rangers, you’d think Shesterkin will. However, Quick, coming off a 37-save shutout against the Detroit Red Wings on Saturday, was the first goalie off the ice after practice on Monday. Stay tuned.

No matter who’s in goal, the Rangers need one of their best efforts of the young season to measure up against the red-hot Jets.

The Rangers (9-3-1) started strong, with a franchise-record six-game point streak (5-0-1) to begin the season, but have cooled considerably since. Their 4-3-0 mark the past few weeks is a testament to excellent goaltending, solid special-teams play and some timely quick-strike goals. Otherwise, they’ve been largely out-worked, out-hustled, out-chanced and out-played recently.

That’s not a great formula heading into a game against the Jets, who established a new NHL record by winning 14 of their first 15 games this season. They began the season with eight straight wins, lost to the Toronto Maple Leafs 6-4 on Oct. 28, then reeled off six more wins, including 4-1 at home against the Dallas Stars on Saturday.

The Jets lead the NHL in goals scored per game (4.47) and goals-against average (2.07). Their power play is tops in the NHL at an insane 41.9 percent and the Jets are No. 1 with a plus-36 goal differential.

They just finished off a 3-0-0 homestand and are 8-1-0 on home ice. Which means the Jets are a perfect 6-0-0 on the road, though that will get put to the test coming up. Their visit to Madison Square Garden on Tuesday starts a tough three-game road trip that includes games against the Tampa Bay Lightning and Florida Panthers. They play nine of their next 10 games through Dec. 1 on the road.

The analytics are good, yet not off-the-charts great, for the Jets. But it’s clear that two areas — besides their scorching power play — stand out. Connor Hellebuyck (11-1-0, 1.83 goals-against average, .935 save percentage, three shutouts) is playing out of his mind again after winning the Vezina Trophy a second time last season. Also, Jets defensemen have scored more goals and totaled more points than any other defense corps in the NHL.

Those areas have been difference makers for the Jets in their historic start.

Related: Rangers week ahead includes massive test against Jets before long road trip begins

This could be good or bad time for Rangers to play Jets

So, we’ve established that the Jets are steamrolling through the League right now. And the Rangers recently have looked quite mortal, to say the least.

That begs the question: is this a good time or a bad time for the Rangers to play the Jets?

The knee-jerk reply, for sure, is to say this is a terrible time for the Rangers to be playing the best team in the NHL. If the Blueshirts can be steamrolled by the likes of the Buffalo Sabres, Ottawa Senators (even though the Rangers won 2-1) and Washington Capitals recently — and not look so great in their 4-0 win Saturday against the Detroit Red Wings — then imagine what the Jets will do to them Tuesday.

That’s a fair take. It’d be hard to succeed with that quick-strike offense against the top goalie in the NHL. A more consistent attack, which means dictating how the game is played and winning puck battles in the offensive zone is what’s needed against Winnipeg. Thing is, New York hasn’t been able to play that way with any consistency in quite a while now.

Then there’s Hellebuyck, who’s allowed one goal in his past three starts. New York’s Igor Shesterkin wants to be the highest-paid goalie in NHL history, but right now Hellebuyck is the best in the game.

And a team that activates its defensemen as effectively as the Jets do, should give the Rangers all kinds of trouble through the neutral zone and defending in their own end — areas that have been hugely troublesome already for the Rangers.

Plus, it’s clear that their confidence is not exactly brimming right now. On the flip side, the Jets have plenty of confidence and swag within their game.

The other side of the argument is compelling, though. This game should hold the Rangers attention. They know they haven’t been good recently and certainly believe they’re as talented, if not more so, than the Jets. They’re aware that if the Sabres can put up six goals against them, then the Jets could run them right out of the building and on to 33rd Street Tuesday.

The Rangers should show much more attention to detail and be committed to getting off to a fast start, winning puck battles and raising their overall compete level. If they’re not going to do it now against the the first-overall Jets, then when is the right time?

Shesterkin has been sitting on that Sabres game for four days since Jonathan Quick started Saturday. The 28-year-old goalie is a fierce competitor and almost never follows one clunker with another. And remember, he’s been the Rangers best player all season, and stolen several wins and standings points already.

So, if the Rangers are going to snap out of their malaise, this is the game to do it.

Glass half-full or glass half-empty? We’ll find out Tuesday night.

Rebuild What??

Clearly no one has told the Rangers that they are supposed to be rebuilding.  Since the Rangers had their press conference and sent out a letter to season ticket holders explaining the rebuild, the Rangers have gone 2-0.  With Ryan McDonagh, Kevin Shattenkirk, and Marc Staal all out it appeared as if it was going to be a long day for the Rangers.

1st Period

Early in the 1st period the Rangers appeared as if they were taking the “tank” to heart.  Within 24 seconds the Jets appeared to open the scoring with a slap shot that got past Henrik Lundqvist.  However, after a review, it was determined that the Jets were offside.  The tie score was short lived as less than a minute later, Nikolaj Ehlers blasted a goal past Lundqvist from the high circle.

Now the Jets actually score. Nikolaj Ehlers puts the Jets up 1-0 #NYR pic.twitter.com/dJINyJKlKH

— Fitz (@FitzyGSN) February 11, 2018

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The rest of the period was a dominant effort by the Jets as they relentlessly pounded the Rangers with chance after chance and shot after shot.  Henrik Lundqvist with a little help from Steven Kampfer, managed to keep the score tied until the Rangers were able to strike back.  With just over a minute remaining Mats Zuccarello squeaked a shot past Connor Hellebucyk to tie the game.  The goal was Zucc’s first goal in almost 3 decades.

#ZUUUUUUUUUUUC squeaks it in to tie the game at 1! #NYR #LGR pic.twitter.com/usuKrNTV3X

— Forever Blueshirts Gameday (@4BNYRGameday) February 11, 2018

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The reactions to the 1st period were quite accurate.

They may have had us for the first 19 minutes, but don’t panic NYR fans. We OWNED them the last 60 seconds! Great save on DD or laughably we would’ve been up 2-1 end on 1.

— NYSports4Life (@BleedNYCBlue) February 11, 2018

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2nd Period

In what was a tale of two periods, the Rangers came out swinging in the second.  Although the Rangers did not score in the second, they did put 18 shots on net to the Jets 10.  The biggest events of the period were 6, yes 6 penalties split 4-2, between the Jets and Rangers.  After crushing Nikolaj Ehlers in the corner, Cody McLeod served a 2 minute minor and then immediately fought Matt Hendricks after returning to the ice.

Cody McLeod and Matt Hendricks go at it. Could see this coming. McLeod cuts Hendricks, Hendricks gets the knockdown #NYR pic.twitter.com/UA1pbuPAFW

— Fitz (@FitzyGSN) February 11, 2018

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3rd Period

After dominating the 2nd period the Rangers came out and immediately took two penalties courtesy of JT Miller.  However, the Rangers weathered the storm and held the Jets onslaught off until the Rangers scored the go ahead goal off a Brady Skjei shot that deflected off of Jimmy Vesey for a 2-1 lead.

Easy Peasy Jimmy Vesey! 2-1 RANGERS!! #NYR #LGR #VeseyDoesIt pic.twitter.com/vZGzcz2Xzh

— Forever Blueshirts Gameday (@4BNYRGameday) February 11, 2018

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The Rangers continued to survive as the Jets put 17 shots on net in the 3rd and with 43 seconds left in the game Michael Grabner iced the game with his 23rd goal of the season.

EMPTY NETTER MICHAEL GRABNER!! RANGERS WIN 3-1!!!! #NYR #LGR pic.twitter.com/69er5Ddudj

— Forever Blueshirts Gameday (@4BNYRGameday) February 11, 2018

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The game ended 3-1 in favor of the Rangers and was the Rangers second straight victory.  The Rangers are now 2-0 in the “rebuild era”.

Up Next

Next up for the Rangers are the Minnesota Wild (30-19-6) on Tuesday Night at 8PM EST in Minnesota.

(Featured Photo courtesy of NY Daily News)