Rangers Need to Stop Relying on Goaltending Too Much – The Hockey Writers Rangers Goaltending Latest News, Analysis & More

The New York Rangers are off to a 7-2-1 start and a large part of their success is the brilliance of Igor Shesterkin in goal and the strong play of backup goalie Jonathan Quick. They are generating a lot of offense and finding a way to win games but they need to find a way to defend better to reach their potential this season.

The Rangers’ Defensive Struggles

In two consecutive games, the Rangers have been dominated but they did manage to win one of those games. They were outshot 45-19, outworked, and outplayed by the Washington Capitals in a 5-3 loss on Oct. 29. In a 2-1 victory over the Ottawa Senators on Nov. 1, they were outshot 41-18 and allowed lots of chances from the slot. In both games, Shesterkin gave them a chance, when they could easily have been down three or more goals.

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One of the Rangers’ issues has been a lack of physicality. In their last two games, they have gotten outworked in one-on-one battles, stick-checked rather than taking the body, and struggled to get their forecheck going. Their first line of Chris Kreider, Mika Zibanejad, and Reilly Smith has not played with physicality and has struggled to sustain pressure in the offensive zone. K’Andre Miller has allowed opponents to get by him a few times because he was reaching and stick-checking instead of getting in front of them and using his strength.

In the Rangers’ first six games of the season, they scored 31 goals but they have scored just eight goals in their last four games. The lack of offense has magnified the defensive mistakes while in the first six games, they were often able to jump out to big leads and win games despite making some defensive miscues.

The Rangers also need to allow fewer high-danger scoring chances and take some pressure off of Shesterkin. There have been too many odd-man rushes and too many chances from the slot. Interestingly, the team has done a very good job while shorthanded as they have more structure and have made smart, simple plays with the puck. Their penalty kill percentage is 91.2 and they killed off all five penalties in their victory over the Senators. Now they need to start defending better at even strength.

The Rangers’ Goaltending

After struggling early in the 2023-24 regular season, Shesterkin finished strong and was excellent in the playoffs. He picked up where he left off and began this season with a 31-save shutout in a 6-0 win over the Pittsburgh Penguins on Oct. 9. He also made some clutch saves and stopped 34 of 35 shots in a 4-1 victory over the Toronto Maple Leafs on Oct. 19. The score was 2-1 until the Rangers scored two empty-net goals. He made multiple highlight reel saves during his 40-save performance in the 2-1 win over the Senators.

Shesterkin is reading plays well, fighting through screens, not allowing soft goals, and most importantly coming up with timely saves in close games, especially on the penalty kill. He is 5-2-1 with a 2.25 goals-against average (GAA) and a .931 save percentage (SV%). He has given the team a chance to win every one of his starts, including in games when they have not given him much help.

Additionally, Quick has played very well in both of his starts this season. He stopped 29 of 31 shots as the Rangers cruised to a 5-2 victory over the Detroit Red Wings on Oct. 17. He also made a couple of excellent saves in a tight 2-1 victory over the Anaheim Ducks on Oct 26. After finishing with an 18-6-2 record, a 2.62 GAA, and a .911 SV% for the Blueshirts in 2023-24, the 38-year-old is off to a strong start this season.

For the Rangers Moving Forward

The Rangers have been able to rely on excellent goaltending and special teams early this season and while they have an impressive record, they have to defend better. They have played poorly in two consecutive games and while Shesterkin was able to steal a win, they need to take some pressure off of their goaltender. They have enough talent to win games without playing their best, but to reach their full potential they need to focus on defending well and outworking their opponents.