Rangers takeaways: Igor Shesterkin opens pay-me campaign with a shutout in Pittsburgh

PITTSBURGH - Eighty-one more games like this and the Rangers will be in pretty good shape.

New York opened the 2024-25 NHL season like a well-oiled machine, taking control early and never looking back on its way to a 6-0 rout of the Penguins on Wednesday at PPG Paints Arena.

"We need every single person in his locker room to play 100% every night," center Filip Chytil said. "We did it tonight. It was a great win."

There was a lot to like in this one, but the only place to start is with Igor Shesterkin.

The 28-year-old has garnered countless headlines the last two days following a leak that revealed he turned down an eight-year, $88 million extension − an offer that would have made him the NHL's highest-paid goalie. It was a calculated gamble, with Shesterkin betting on himself to play well enough that it will force the Rangers (or another team) to go even higher.

So far, so good.

Shesterkin opened his pay-me campaign with a 29-save shutout, the 16th blank sheet of his career. And while the Rangers played well in front of him, this night didn't amount to a walk in a Pittsburgh park.

"There are areas where we can improve on, but he was there," head coach Peter Laviolette said. "He looked like he was seeing it really well and in complete control of the game."

He had to be especially sharp early, when the Blueshirts were still finding their sea legs.

The first very shift saw Pens forward Anthony Beauvillier split the New York defense and unload a wrist shot from the slot, which Shesterkin calmly turned away with his blocker hand − although he said, "I was little bit lucky in that moment." He also denied a Cody Glass one-timer and a Michael Bunting rush chance in the first 10 minutes, with the Rangers steadying from there.

It served as a reminder of the difference a world-class goalie can make − and why you should do all you can to keep one when you've got him.

"He was unbelievable," said free-agent signing Sam Carrick, who was playing his first regular-season game in front of Shesterkin. "It gives us a lot of confidence, for sure, having a guy like that that's just so elite at what he does. It was nice to see that firsthand. Obviously, you hear about it when you're playing on other teams around the league, but to watch it − even in practice and just on a nightly basis − he's a special, special player."

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As for his contract status and whether he's willing to continue discussions with the Rangers now that the season has begun, Shesterkin politely declined comment.

"I don’t want to talk about my contract negotiations," said the pending unrestricted free agent. "Sorry."

Then Shesterkin cracked a well-deserved smile and made his best attempt to deflect attention.

"If you want, we can talk about our team," he said. "We played a really good game today. If you have other questions, we can talk about (Victor) Mancini, (Alexis Lafrenière's) goal, anything you want."

Humming at 5v5

While Shesterkin was the headliner for obvious reasons, Wednesday's most significant development centered around the depth of the Blueshirts’ offensive attack.

All four lines contributed at least one goal, silencing critics (including yours truly) who considered five-on-five play to be the weak point of this roster – at least for one night.

"It takes every single guy pulling the right direction to be successful as a team," said veteran Chris Kreider, who led the way with a pair of goals. "Some guys are going to have big nights occasionally, but it takes everyone playing the right way, pulling in the same direction, to ultimately accomplish our goals."

The Rangers ranked 22nd out of 32 teams in 5v5 xGF last season, then managed only seven 5v5 goals across six games while being eliminated by the Florida Panthers in the Eastern Conference Final. But they’ve pushed back on the narrative that they’re too reliant on goaltending and special teams, and with a few notable upgrades – specifically adding Reilly Smith to the top line and reintroducing a healthy Chytil on the third – believe they have plenty of 5v5 offense in the tank.

It sure looked that way, albeit against an aging Pittsburgh squad.

"It's only one game," Chytil said. "But it's good that we see that when we play hard like that − when we compete, winning battles against a team like Pittsburgh, who's hard to play against − it’s a good start."

Carrick got on the board first, reaching out his stick to redirect a Jacob Trouba wrister and make it 1-0 Rangers just 2:24 into the contest.

The 32-year-old centered the fourth line in between Adam Edström and Jonny Brodzinski, leaving rookie Matt Rempe as a healthy scratch.

"As long as I'm helping the team out in positive way, then that's what I'm looking to do," Carrick said. "We were doing good things and being a positive line. Obviously, scoring is part of that, so it feels good."

That was followed by the prettiest goal of the evening, courtesy of Lafrenière.

The 22-year-old picked up right where he left off last season, when he registered a career-high 57 points and was one of the team's only consistent scoring threats in the playoffs. Credit Artemi Panarin for a slick defensive-zone takeaway on Lars Eller and heads-up pass ahead to Lafrenière, who took care of the rest. He toe-dragged a sliding Marcus Pettersson and finished with near-post wrister that upped the lead to 2-0 with 2:37 remaining in the first period.

Next up was the new-look top line with Kreider, Smith and Mika Zibanejad, who ended a relentless shift with Kreider burying a Trouba rebound in the waning seconds of the period. (The second primary assist for the captain, by the way.)

Third line stands out

Last but not least was the third line, which may have been the most impressive trio of the night. Will Cuylle had a first-period goal called back after a Pittsburgh challenge revealed he was offside, but he made up for it with a drop pass to Chytil that upped the lead to 4-0 at the 9:39 mark of the second period.

It marked Chytil's first regular-season goal since Mar. 28, 2023.

The third member of that line, Kaapo Kakko, didn't register a point (he would have had the primary assist on Cuylle's overturned goal), but he was noticeable throughout while tying Chytil and Kreider for the team lead with five shots on goal.

The third line outshot the Pens by a 13-6 margin, with an even wider 16-6 gap in scoring chances, according to Natural Stat Trick. But Chytil wasn't quite satisfied, expressing his feeling that they left points on the table.

"We had a lot of chances – not just chances, but lot of big chances," he said. "Of course, that was a good start, but there's a lot of things we have to work on that I'm not happy about."

Kreider added a shorthanded goal in the third period, putting him on pace for 164 goals this season − think he has it in him? − followed by a late tally from Vincent Trocheck to put the Penguins out of their misery.

Victor Mancini makes his NHL debut

One of the few Rangers who didn't register a point was Mancini, but that didn't diminish how special this night was for the 22-year-old rookie.

The biggest surprise of training camp was told by team president Chris Drury that he made the team Monday afternoon − "I couldn't wipe the smile off my face," he said − then quickly called his parents, who rushed to grab tickets and made the drive from their hometown of Hancock, Michigan.

"They wouldn't miss it," he said.

Mancini finished his NHL debut with 17:27 time on ice to go along with one shot on goal, two giveaways and a block. There were some growing pains, with Pittsburgh out-attempted the Rangers, 25-10, while he was on the ice. But Laviolette was generally pleased with the young defenseman who's getting his feet wet while Ryan Lindgren nurses an upper-body injury.

"Really good," the coach said. "He did what we thought he would do. He's big, he's strong, he can handle bodies down low, he can skate, make a good first pass. It was a pretty good showing for his first game."

Vincent Z. Mercogliano is the New York Rangers beat reporter for the USA TODAY Network. Read more of his work at lohud.com/sports/rangers/ and follow him on Twitter @vzmercogliano .

This article originally appeared on Rockland/Westchester Journal News: Rangers takeaways: Igor Shesterkin opens pay-me campaign with a shutout in Pittsburgh