Why Goaltending Should Give the Rangers the Edge Over the Hurricanes in Round 2

Igor Shesterkin Wendell Cruz-USA TODAY Sports

The second round of the NHL’s Stanley Cup playoffs is nearly here. What will likely be the best showdown of the second round is a matchup many of us have been waiting for all season long: the No. 1 New York Rangers versus the fast, deep Carolina Hurricanes.

There’s very little to separate these two teams, but what stands out for this writer is the goaltending.

We’re not suggesting Hurricanes veteran Frederik Andersen is far and away the lesser talent compared to Blueshirts starter Igor Shesterkin. But we do believe Shesterkin is the better of the two, and that’s likely to be the difference in the series.

Remember, Shesterkin is on somewhat of a revenge tour after last season’s playoff flameout in the first round.

This isn’t to say the Rangers fell in seven games in the first round against New Jersey because of Shesterkin. Indeed, his 1.96 goals-against average and .931 save percentage indicate how good Shesterkin was last year.

But ultimately, the Rangers lost that first-round series, and that’s likely been in the back of Shesterkin’s head since then. You could see in his demeanor this year against the Washington Capitals in Round 1 that things would be different this time.

And that was reflected in Shesterkin’s numbers against the Capitals: four wins, no losses, a 1.75 GAA and .931 SP. Just about perfection, really. The 28-year-old has done nothing but deliver as advertised in net.

While Andersen’s 2.25 GAA and .912 SP in five appearances against the New York Islanders weren’t bad at all, he’s not quite at the level Shesterkin is at. If you had to bet on either Shesterkin or Andersen in one winner-take-all game – and it might come down to a seventh and deciding game in this upcoming series – you’d be best advised to take Shesterkin.

There’s lots to compare between the Rangers and Hurricanes (and we’ll get to those things eventually in our series predictions on THN.com), but we should know by now that NHL teams desperately want the impact Shesterkin can bring regularly.

Who knows, Andersen might just surprise us all and keep the door shut on the multi-pronged Rangers offensive attack. Maybe the Hurricanes win four games by a 2-1 or 1-0 margin. Anything can happen.

But we suspect it’s much more likely that the Rangers will be on the winning end of those tight defensive battles. Shesterkin is in his prime and is set to carve out a new place for himself in hockey lore. We’re convinced he will get there and lead the Blueshirts to the conference final and beyond.