The New York Rangers have six players in the 4 Nations Face-Off, but the break comes at a good time for stars Igor Shesterkin and Artemi Panarin, who are not playing in the tournament. The team relies heavily on both of their Russian stars. They both need to step up down the stretch for the Blueshirts to have a shot at making the playoffs.
Igor Shesterkin’s Play
Shesterkin missed the Rangers’ final game before the break with an upper-body injury after he was shaken up in a 3-2 loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins on Feb. 7. He was expected to miss 1-2 weeks and the hope is that he will return for the team’s first game after the break on Feb. 22.
Last season, Shesterkin played well in the regular season and was excellent in the postseason. He picked up where he left off and got off to an 8-4-1 start this season, but the Rangers struggled defensively. He lost 11 of his next 14 starts as the team allowed far too many high danger scoring chances and the Blueshirts won just four of 19 games from Nov. 21 to Dec. 30.
Both Shesterkin and the Rangers played well after that extended slump, and he went 7-4-1 in his final 12 games before the break. He is 18-19-2, with a .906 save percentage (SV%) and a 2.87 goals-against average (GAA.) He has not played poorly, but he has not played to his full potential either. He has not allowed many soft goals but has not stopped as many high-danger chances as he did in past seasons.
In 2021-22, Shesterkin won the Vezina Trophy and finished with a 36-13-4 record, a .935 SV%, and a 2.07 GAA. He has won 23 of his 44 career playoff starts with a .928 SV% and a 2.41 GAA. He has elite quickness, reads plays well, and is rarely caught out of position. The Rangers need him at his best to help overcome some of their defensive issues and make a run this season. The break gives him a chance to get healthy and reset.
Artemi Panarin’s Play
While the Rangers’ defensive struggles have put pressure on Shesterkin, the lack of offensive production from some of their players has put a lot of pressure on Panarin. Mika Zibanejad, Chris Kreider, and Alexis Lafreniere are all having down years, which has hurt the team at even strength and on the power play. They have scored just 20.6 percent of the time on the man advantage this season, down from 26.4 percent last season.
Panarin has 23 goals and 34 assists in 53 games and has carried the team offensively for stretches this season. Adam Fox is second on the team in points with 44 and Trocheck is second in goals with 17. Panarin consistently drives the offense but opposing teams have been able to focus on defending him because his teammates are not producing enough offensively.
While Panarin is still playing at an elite level, he is 33 years old and averaging 19:48 in ice time per game. He has eight goals and 12 assists in his last 23 games, which is still impressive, but is down from the 15 goals and 22 assists he had in his first 30 games. The break gives him a chance to rest, and the Rangers should look for him to get off to a strong start when they return. He had 10 goals and 14 assists in his first 16 games of the season and helped them get off to a strong start.
For the Rangers Moving Forward
The Rangers are still in the mix for a playoff spot, but they are 10 points behind the third-place New Jersey Devils in the Metropolitan Division and there are a lot of teams battling for the two wild-card spots in the Eastern Conference. Shesterkin and Panarin both have time to rest and get healthy and the Blueshirts need them to lead the way to make a run this season.
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