The New Jersey Devils fan in me cannot believe what we’re about to say. My inner Dave Puddy is already telling me that I don’t “support the team”. The Hart Trophy might go across the Hudson River to its most deserving candidate, New York Rangers goaltender Igor Shesterkin. He’s also a finalist for the Vezina Trophy, which he is the odds on favorite to win.
All those years of chanting “Marty’s Better” are a thing of the past. Shesterkin has put up nothing short of a historic season with a beyond elite 2.07 goals against average and 0.93 save percentage in his first “normal” full NHL season (he was the Rangers number one goaltender, but remember it was a shortened 56 game season). That save percentage is better than any franchise goaltender Henrik Lundqvist ever had in his 15 NHL career.
It was a season to remember for New York Rangers goaltender Igor Shesterkin. How does it match up against some of Henrik Lundqvist’s?
Lundqvist did have two seasons with a better goals against average. In 2011-2012, Lundqvist had a 1.97 goals against average. His 2.05 goals against average the next season (worth nothing that was the 2012-2013 lockout shortened season) was just a hair better.
Only in his rookie season did Lundqvist see less shots (1,485) than the 1,622 Shesterkin saw this season over the course of a full season. Lundqvist did see less shots in the 2012-2013 (1,190 in 43 games) and 2019-2020 (883 in 30 games) season which were both shortened, and the 2014-2015 season where he was limited to 46 games. Helping Shesterkin’s case is that in all the years Lundqvist saw fewer shots, he also had more experience.
Time will tell what type of playoff performer Shesterkin will be. His first “real” trip, not including the 2020 play in road, to the payoffs has seen him be pulled in two consecutive road game. His current playoff stat line is 3.84 goals-against average and a .905 save percentage. Then again, that’s all in the small sample size of six games. All these stats are after the Rangers game five victory, for reference.
Ready for a surprise? That’s better than King Henrik’s first trip to the playoffs. In the 2005-2006 playoffs, also his first season as an NHLer, Lundqvist had a 4.40 goals-against average and a .835save percentage in three playoff games of action.
All three of those games ended with a loss. By the next season in 2006-2007, Lundqvist’s playoff numbers would improve to a 2.07 goals-against average and a .924 save percentage. Don’t those numbers look pretty similar to Shesterkin’s regular-season numbers from this season?
There’s still a long way to go before Henrik to Igor becomes a closer comparison. The Rangers have big hopes for their goalie, even if their first trip with him to the playoffs might end in the first round to the Pittsburgh Penguins. Still a Hart Trophy and Vezina Trophy nomination is a good way to be welcomed to Broadway.