Rangers goalie names 3 most difficult NHL players to stop in shootout

Igor Shesterkin is, arguably, the best goaltender in the NHL. However, if the Superman in the New York Rangers net has one area of his game that has a bit of kryptonite, that would be in the shootout.

Now, let’s clarify something here. Shesterkin is still pretty darn good in the shootout. Last season, he had a solid .727 save percentage in the shootout. And that number was .741 when he won the Vezina Trophy as the top NHL goalie in 2021-22.

And let’s not forget his performance in the 2024 NHL All-Star Game. He finished second to former Rangers teammate Alexandar Georgiev in the One-On-One Challenge during the skills competition. Shesterkin stopped seven of 11 breakaway attempts by Islanders star Mathew Barzal.

Then Shesterkin helped Team Matthews win the All-Star Game tournament the following day by stopping all four shooters in a shootout win. The group he shut out included Kyle Connor, Nikita Kucherov, Elias Pettersson and J.T. Miller. Not bad.

“Most important, I stopped Kucherov,” joked Shesterkin about his countryman. “After that, I just tried to stop the puck again.”

Shesterkin’s heroics that day didn’t surprise his Rangers teammate Vincent Trocheck, who also played for Team Matthews.

“I mean I get to see it all the time,” Trocheck said. “But it was cool to be on the bench with the guys and [hear] ‘Oh my God!’ over his saves. I mean, he made some insane saves today. As we all know, he does that day-in and day-out in New York. So, it was cool to see here.”

Related: Igor Shesterkin named best goalie by NHL Network

Rangers’ Igor Shesterkin lists 3 most difficult players to face in shootout

Among current goalies in the NHL, Shesterkin ranks 16th in shootout save percentage. Linus Ullmark of the Ottawa Senators, who won the Vezina Trophy in 2023 with the Boston Bruins, has a career mark of .818 in the shootout with 54 saves on 66 shots. Vancouver Canucks goalie Thatcher Demko is right behind at .816 (40 of 49 shots saved).

Two-time Stanley Cup champion Andrei Valsilevskiy of the Tampa Bay Lightning is third at .791. He’s won 22 of 29 shootouts in his career.

Among those goalies ahead of Shesterkin, they range from Jake Oettinger (Dallas Stars) and Juuse Saros (Nashville Predators) to Petr Mrazek (Chicago Blackhawks) and Elvis Merzlikins (Columbus Blue Jackets). Shesterkin has a 10-8 record all-time in shootouts, stopping 52 of 73 attempts.

Recently, the 28-year-old who can be an unrestricted free agent after the 2024-25 season, was asked which three players are the most difficult for him in the shootout. Shesterkin selected a future Hall of Famer as his first choice.

“Well, it comes to my mind, there are a lot of players that scored (against) me. So, it’s hard to choose only three,” Shesterkin said in a transcribed video from his native Russia. “I’m gonna start with [Sidney] Crosby because he can always make difficult moves that are very hard to anticipate.”

Shesterkin then named Jack Hughes of the New Jersey Devils and Nathan MacKinnon, the reigning Hart Trophy winner as NHL MVP from the Colorado Avalanche.

As for Kucherov, who he was so proud of stopping in the All-Star Game shootout, Shesterkin had higher accolades.

Asked to “not say a word until you hear the name of the best (Russia-born) hockey player,” Shesterkin was mute until the Lightning forward’s name was mentioned. The goalie remained quiet even when his Rangers teammate Artemi Panarin and future Hall of Famer Alex Ovechkin were mentioned. He said, “cut!” when Kucherov’s name was announced.

Shesterkin is readying himself for his sixth season with the Rangers. Reportedly, his camp is seeking a long-term contract that would make him the highest-paid goalie in NHL history, surpassing Carey Price’s $10.5 million annual salary. That ask might be as high as 14 percent of the salary cap to start, so roughly close to $13 million per season.

After his amazing playoff run this past spring, Shesterkin is in line to seek a massive payday. When a deal gets done is the biggest question, though the Rangers can sign Shesterkin immediately to an extension, if the sides work things out.

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