With the New York Rangers skating all the way to a 30-13-4 record as well as a whopping 64 points, position players such as Chris Kreider, Mika Zibanejad and Adam Fox have gotten all of the love this season. However, the guys “in net” have definitely earned some respect for themselves. The dynamic duo of Igor Shesterkin and Alexandar Georgiev has been an absolute joy to watch this season. Each deserves to have their individual efforts congratulated when looking back on what has gone right for the Broadway Blueshirts this season. 

Early in the year, Georgiev was a prevalent topic of discussion for all of the wrong reasons. In  October and November, he posted save percentages of .873 and .849. Georgiev struggled to find consistency, and after his first six games, he held the NHL’s fifth-worst overall save percentage. When Shesterkin was forced to miss time due to a lower-body injury in early December, Georgiev had no choice but to step up in a big way. Luckily, he did just that. In December, Georgiev improved to a .935 save percentage and won three games for this club. His newfound stability helped the Rangers keep pace in a tough Metropolitan Division while Shesterkin recovered. Even when Shesterkin did return, Georgiev continued to be serviceable. The numbers will tell you that Georgiev has been solid during even-strength play all season long. In those situations, Georgiev holds a save percentage of .911, but when he faces opposing power-play units that number dips to .815. If he can improve against opposing power-play units, Georgiev will be a feared netminder.

When it comes to fear, there may not be a more feared goaltender at the moment than Shesterkin. The Rangers’ number-one man in the crease has had a fabulous season thus far. Even though he has missed some time due to both COVID-19 protocol and injury, Shesterkin’s year has been filled with great saves and impressive wins. Overall, he boasts an NHL best .937 save percentage and a sizzling 2.10 goals against average that is currently number two in the league. The advanced arithmetic will also tell the same story as presently; Shesterkin holds a .920 save percentage against the powerplay and has saved the most goals above average. Shesterkin is currently considered a rightful candidate to win this year’s Vezina Trophy. With all of this in mind, it’s easy to see why “Igor” chants have become a Garden staple.

At this point, it’s no secret that the Broadway Blueshirts could make an impactful playoff run, thanks in large part to the delightful duo of Georgiev and Shesterkin. As a team, New York has the best save percentage of the season and has faced the third most “high danger” scoring chances. This makes Shesterkin and Georgiev’s contributions even more remarkable. In this instance, the analytics don’t lie. Between the pipes, the New York Rangers are rock solid.  As NHL history will tell you, that could make all the difference come Stanley Cup playoff time.