The hug team had two at the Garden on Friday and they might have been two of the most meaningful hugs – I mean hugs, no, I mean hugs – of the season.
For there was the embrace at center ice with the Blueshirts wrapping up Barclay Goodrow, who became a particular hero of the night by beating Sergei Bobrovsky from 30 feet at 14:01 of overtime to give his team a victory 2-1 in the second game against the Panthers. who tied the conference final at one apiece before the next two in Florida.
Then there was Igor Shesterkin’s late hug behind the net, about 100 feet from the first celebration. The goalie, you see, didn’t allow himself to celebrate until he saw an official report a good goal after checking with the Toronto situation room.
“I was so happy, but I’m waiting for the referee to show that (it counts),” Shesterkin said, making the “good goal” motion with his right hand. “Sometimes you can lose a lot of emotion afterwards (a goal is disallowed), so I wanted to wait.”
The Rangers were much better in this one after Wednesday’s 3-0 loss in Game 1 and not all the credit should go to Matt Rempe, who recorded nine hits in 10:06 of ice time, including five appearances in the third period. and one in overtime, right?
Well no. The Blueshirts were on their guard from the start. They attacked. They entered into a forecheck. Sometimes #73 can be contagious. Or maybe that wasn’t it. Maybe it was the Rangers just being the Rangers and reacting the way they have since day one.
On Wednesday, the Rangers were credited with 27 hits in a rather polished game. On Friday, they had 46 hits after regulation before finishing with 51 to the Panthers’ 42 in a much more contentious game. This will only intensify as the series continues.
“Physicality is going to play a big role in the series, especially in Florida,” said Jacob Trouba, whose exceptional pass at Goodrow under heavy pressure from Ryan Lomberg’s forecheck ignited the race for victory. “That’s what makes our game good.
“I think we’re a better team when we skate and get pucks to the net.”
Rempe was a breath of fresh air. It almost always is. He got extra time because Jimmy Vesey suffered an upper-body injury in the second period and Peter Laviolette didn’t cut down to 10 attackers. There was no reason to sit Rempe, whose shifts created a high level of noise in the arena, every single one of them.
“The fans are awesome,” Rempe said. “I didn’t want to disappoint anyone.”
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The Rangers took a 1-0 lead at 4:12 when Vincent Trocheck converted Adam Fox’s shot. But they failed to take the lead. They failed on four power plays. The Panthers caught up at 18:09 of the second when Carter Verhaeghe beat Shesterkin from the slot following a jerk move.
The Panthers didn’t beat Shesterkin again, even for large stretches of the third period and overtime, when the Puddy Tats managed to pin the Blueshirts in their own end for shifts at a time. Shesterkin was never under siege, the shots were 30-27 for New York, but there always seemed to be activity in his territory with the Panthers sending pucks and bodies to the net.
“I think every game is a little stressful. You have to be ready for anything,” said the goalkeeper. “Sometimes there are a lot of shots, sometimes not so much and you just have to play focused.”
This is Shesterkin’s third playoff series with the Blueshirts, not including the 2020 bubble series against Carolina in which he started the third and final game of the Canes’ sweep after Henrik Lundqvist started both first. Shesterkin has started 40 consecutive postseason contests.
“He relaxes, doesn’t say much, doesn’t say anything, really,” Trouba said when asked about Shesterkin’s behavior in the room. “Quickie is chatting in the corner and Igor is just getting in his zone and doing his thing.”
Do your thing by stopping the puck. Do your thing while giving confidence to your team.
“We trust each other,” Shesterkin. “We all have confidence. We’re on the same page.”
This is a heavyweight fight, a battle of best against best to play for the Stanley Cup. It’s not pretty. It’s a punch in the mouth. It’s Barclay Goodrow. It’s Matt Rempe. This is Igor Shesterkin.
The Rangers are seven wins away from facing each other at Canyon of Heroes.
New York Post
