This is not Igor Shesterkin. It is about the desire of Alexandar Georgiev and Rangers coach David Quinn to put together a warm hand.
Georgiev has helped Rangers to win at least one point in each of their last four matches (they are 2-0-2 in those competitions) and comes from a strong performance in Friday night’s 6-2 win over Bruins in the Garden. Therefore, he will be back on the net in Sunday’s rematch against Boston.
“It is always a competition. The plan is to play against the guy who gives you the best chance of winning, ”said Quinn during Zoom on Saturday. “Georgiev played well. I think he has six of his last eight points and he had a good night [Friday] night, so give him a chance [on Sunday]. “
Shesterkin started 11 of Rangers’ 18 games and has better overall numbers than Georgiev – a lower average goal conceded (2.40 compared to 2.81) and a higher percentage of saves (91.9 to 90.1) – but Quinn likes what she saw recently from Georgiev.
“He hasn’t played two in a row for a while, I don’t think,” said the coach. “I just wanted to give him an opportunity to follow what he did [Friday] night.”
The status of Artemi Panarin and Kaapo Kakko remains the same, according to Quinn.
Kakko, on the team’s COVID-19 protocol list, lost the last three games, while Panarin was out for the last two when he took a leave due to an allegation by one of his former KHL coaches, Andrei Nazarov, who in Panarin 2011 got into a fight with an 18-year-old woman. Panarin denied the charges and there is no evidence or police records to support Nazarov’s claims.
As there was training on Saturday, Quinn said that Filip Chytil (hand) is unlikely to play on Sunday. The 21-year-old center returned to training on Thursday after being absent since 24 January.
Credit for Rangers’ first goal on Friday was changed from Julien Gauthier to Phil Di Giuseppe. It was Di Giuseppe’s first goal of the season. Gauthier, therefore, remains attached to an objective.