Star Russian goalkeeper Igor Shesterkin duel Finn Raante in the NHL playoffs, video – May 19, 2022
“It was a glorious hunt,” said one of the heroes of this famous cartoon after watching the match. The New York Rangers started the second-round series of a very pretty game against the Carolinas, which turned everything upside down in an instant. The Blueshirts were leading most of the matches, but could not keep the advantage, and Carolina took their chance and snatched the victory in overtime. Now the Rangers can only lick their wounds, wondering how the winning game that they had in their hands slipped to the opponent.
early goal Philip Chytil was good: a young talent closed the pass of another “youngster” with a one-timer Alexis Lafreniergiving the Rangers that very lead in the score.
The Rangers realized too late that the speedy and prickly Carolinas weren’t the kind of team that could just be upbraided, allowed to be outweighed on the scoreboard: passive rafting is the Hurricanes’ best opportunity. This was especially evident in the goalkeeper duel, where the Hart Trophy nominee Igor Shesterkin was very good, but his counterpart Antti Raanta met just fine.
What is his amazing save in the first period, when he literally deprived the scoring double of the same Chitil, who threw a touch in a seemingly empty corner, with the feelings of his foot.
At the end of the third period, another Finn Sebastian Aho was able to break through Shesterkin, converting his moment in a fast counter. The Russian goalkeeper can hardly be blamed for this missed goal, but Igor could not save where it was vitally necessary. If Shesterkin had repulsed that repeated throw of Aho, he would have become a superman.
Well, in overtime, two and a half minutes before its end, the “Rangers” suffered a blunder. All five guests gathered surprisingly passively, huddled in front of their gates, and Jan Cole with a long-range throw, he discouraged Shesterkin, meeting a rebound from the stick of a teammate, American Ryan Lindgren, prevented.
“Shesterkin has not missed two periods and has saved 8 shots out of 9 in the last twenty minutes. But his partners did little to help, didn’t do enough to help him keep the win. Raanta, a former Rangers goaltender, made a save in the highlights of the game and made it so that Carolina remained natural throughout the game.– summarized the columnist for the New York Post Molly Walker.
One of those from whom much more is expected is Artemy Panarin. The Rangers scorer made only 2 shots on target in this match and earned a “-1” in the utility indicator column.
The second game of the series will also take place in Raleigh