So, we returned with Igor Shesterkin for the Saturday afternoon game in Philadelphia, which represents the best possible indication of the goalkeeper’s health after his 41 rescue night on Thursday, in an 8-3 victory over the Flyers who followed by a three-week absence due to a groin strain.
“I thought he looked incredible,” said acting coach Kris Knoblauch. “I thought he made great saves in the first period. I’m not sure what the score was at the time, it was definitely tight, the defense he made in [Claude] Giroux. “
The one, in which the goalkeeper exploded in the fold to prevent Giroux from close range, came with 5:18 remaining in the period and Rangers won, 3-0. Compared to 6-0, that the score was 2:42 of the second period, or 9-0, which was the final score among the fighters in the Garden on March 17, 3-0 can be considered “tight”.
But Shesterkin was tested, especially in the last two periods, when the Blueshirts, in varying degrees, started hunting for easy points as soon as they reached 6-0. Shesterkin faced 33 kicks in the last 40 minutes and 44 in total, the highest number allowed by Rangers this season.
“He played very well,” said Knoblauch. “I thought we had given up on some good scoring chances. At the end of the day, the chances of goal were equal. So that says a lot about how well Igor played. “
The Blueshirts are returning with a game in Washington on Sunday afternoon, so presumably Keith Kinkaid or Alexandar Georgiev will have the mission against the Capitals.
With Phillip Di Giuseppe out of the COVID-19 protocol list, the Rangers are carrying an extra step forward on the list. The schedule had not yet been set when Knoblauch conducted his press conference early Friday afternoon.
“We haven’t decided yet,” said Knoblauch. “I talked to [heac coach David Quinn]obviously, and we’re still sitting on some things. Everyone is healthy, but we don’t want to commit to the lineup yet. “
It is unclear whether the Rangers feel they may need some sort of additional line-up response if the Flyers completely ignore coach Alain Vigneault’s “whistle to whistle” order, as they did freely during Thursday’s game.
Sam Morin, who was apparently fined for pulling Brendan Lemieux’s hair during a fight that Flyer instigated at 18:34 in the third period, tried to start a fight during almost every shift he was on the ice.
Of course, Rangers’ best response to foolishness is to score in power play, which the Blueshirts did in each of the first three chances throughout the first 21:15 of the game, the last one came with Morin in the box for some time from the foolishness that came after the whistle.
The lineup is not defined, but it does not look like Vitali Kravtsov will be called up from the taxi squad to make his NHL debut this year.
“I’m not sure what the plan is for Kravvy, when he comes [up]”Said Knoblauch. “I don’t think he will come immediately, but things can change.”