“I wish I could score more, I could have asked for more money, and the price is one and a half million for now,” Artemy Panarin said about Igor Shesterkin after defeating Pittsburgh in one of the regular season matches.

And now, after almost a month, the Rangers beat the Penguins again, but already in the playoffs and equalize the score in the series (3:3). Shesterkin, in the sixth match of the confrontation, not only showed a reliable game, reflecting 31 shots out of 34, but also gave out an amazing assist.

Photo: © REUTERS/Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports

This time even the unfriendly Pittsburgh fans could not interfere with Shesterkin. Don’t crush Igor!

Unfriendly Pittsburgh

Pittsburgh fans in the third and fourth matches of the series put strong psychological pressure on Shesterkin: after each puck of the Penguins, the fans chanted the name of the Russian. It was extremely difficult for Igor to abstract from the unfriendly audience at away games. In two matches, Shesterkin missed 10 goals – and was twice replaced by Alexander Georgiev.

However, the coaching staff showed confidence in the keeper and again released the Russian at the start for the fifth home match of the series. Shesterkin did not disappoint – he played a strong game and helped the Rangers win.

But before the sixth game, the Blue Jackets fans had doubts. After all, the meeting was again supposed to take place on the territory of Pittsburgh, and it was not clear whether Shesterkin would be able to cope with the pressure of the Penguins’ home podium.

And already in the first period, the fears were confirmed – the Penguins took the lead 2-0, and the Pittsburgh fans again began to chant the name of the Russian …

Fetisovsky pass from Shesterkin

The Penguins understood that Shesterkin would have a hard time in the sixth meeting. Firstly, he again ran into Pittsburgh fans, and secondly, the Rangers were already one step away from relegation. Therefore, “Pittsburgh” from the very first seconds of the match began to load Igor with work. And already in the middle of the first period, Jeff Carter opened the scoring in the match. And after a minute and a half, Brian Rust again struck the gates of Shesterkin.

Rangers fans definitely experienced deja vu: Pittsburgh got a comfortable advantage at the start, and Shesterkin, it seems, swam again. But in the second period, the fans were pleasantly surprised when they realized they were wrong. First, Mika Zibanejad converted the majority, and two minutes later he was already celebrating a double!

Igor Shesterkin / Photo: © Justin Tang / Keystone Press Agency / Global Look Press

The Rangers soon got a real opportunity to take the lead as Pittsburgh earned a suspension. This time the guests again managed to realize the majority, but they did it in an unusual way. Instead of the classic roll, the Rangers started the attack with a long-range and accurate pass from their zone to someone else’s blue line. And Fetisovsky’s pass gave out … Shesterkin!

The addressee of the transfer was the same Zibanejad, who ran one on one with the goalkeeper. The striker threw the goalkeeper into the shield, and Chris Kreider reacted to the rebound, equalizing the score. After the fans discussed not the important goal of Kreider, but the ideal transfer of the Russian.

– Why didn’t we hear the crowd chanting “Igor, Igor” after this goal? mikemag61171742 laughs at Penguin fans. Is this the goalkeeper who is being bullied? – writes Rangers fan AlexJCasares. – Pittsburgh fans really chanted his name the whole game and thought that they could beat him, – ftomain rejoices for Shesterkin.

In the second period, Pittsburgh still managed to win back – Evgeni Malkin scored in the end. Today, however, the Rangers were unstoppable. In the final twenty-minute period, two more goals appeared at the gates of the Penguins. First, the same Kreider scored, and then Andrew Kopp threw into an empty net.

As a result, the Rangers defeated Pittsburgh (5:3) and equalized the score in the series: 3:3. Shesterkin, on the other hand, repelled 31 shots out of 34 and silenced the Penguins fans. Now Penguins fans will think a hundred times whether to piss off the Russian again.