‘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 tries to limit his No. 1 goaltender’s workload – and it 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. 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 started 20 of the Rangers’ 26 games this season, one thing he hasn’t done is play both ends of a back-to-back set. That could change Saturday, although Sullivan didn’t tip 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 League’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 was a spectator during Shesterkin’s three wins this week, and 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 untested rookie.
Sullivan’s been cagey about who would start in the back-to-back games ever since Quick landed on IR.
“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.
“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.”
The Golden Knights run into some bad luck against the Montreal Canadiens
The Montreal Canadiens looked like they were ready to play against the Vegas Golden Knights on Friday. While the Golden Knights peppered Sam Montembeault with shots all day, the Canadiens held the line. The result? A 4-1 loss to Montreal.
Montembeault stopped 30 of 31 shots, frustrating an aggressive Golden Knights team throughout the night. That included a stellar first period where he stopped all 11 shots. The win bumps Montreal to 13-7-3, giving them 29 points. The loss drops Vegas to 10-6-8, leaving them at 28 points.
Eventually, some things must change for the Vegas Golden Knights. Sure, getting the loser point numerous times is nice on the surface. It provides you with a nice cushion in case you break out. But that's the thing with Vegas. You can only do it so many times before games like Friday's contest happen.
When is that breakout going to happen? Who will step up and take the reins for the Golden Knights? Are we still waiting for Mitch Marner to break his goalless slump? Will it be someone other than a defenseman to make the magic happen?
Let's be honest. The Golden Knights are an enigmatic mess right now. That's been the story since "Opening Knight," where they blew a 5-3 lead to lose in the shootout. But let's dive into the postgame takeaways and see the good and the bad. What went down for the Golden Knights on Friday.
The Golden Knights get more aggressive offensively against the Montreal Canadiens
The Vegas Golden Knights started Friday's game on a more positive note, outshooting the Canadiens in the first period, 11-6. They've turned up the pressure despite Montreal holding a 1-0 lead from a 6-on-5 goal. The majority of that onslaught came from Jack Eichel (three shots in the first, seven overall) and Tomas Hertl (four shots in the first, seven overall).
The problem? They haven't buried many chances. You can attribute that to a strong showing from Sam Montembeault, who stopped 30 of 31 shots. Still, Mark Stone has shown that he's an absolute boon in the offense with a goal.
One can say that having the Captain return to the team has been an overall net positive for Vegas. Suddenly, the Golden Knights are crashing the net more and finding better looks. It's just that nothing was turning up for the Golden Knights all night. If they can start banking on solid opportunities, they'll offset numerous problems.
Montreal's weapons overwhelm the Golden Knights
It wasn't just the 6-on-5 goal from Zachary Bolduc that hurt the Golden Knights. It was also Cole Caufield turning a bad angle into a massive advantage, getting Montreal's second goal. It's been the story for the Canadiens throughout the season, getting help from their top scorers.
Entering Friday's game, the Canadiens had the third-best attack in the league (3.45 goals per game). When you have big names like Caufield burying opportunities, that's problematic.
It's especially rough when you're without your top goaltender. While Akira Schmid has had nice moments for Vegas, the netminder wasn't on his best game on Friday. If that's the case throughout the season, it'll be tough for Vegas to dig themselves out of deficits, especially when the goalie isn't clicking.
