Georgiev: ‘I just enjoyed the moment’
The mythical Madison Square Garden in New York has become the place of the coronation of the Russian goalkeepers. A few days ago, Daniil Tarasov of Columbus won his first league victory there. And now we have seen the performance of Alexander Georgiev.
Recall that Sasha played for Rangers, but he was kept in the second goalkeeper position for five years (2017-2022). Although Georgiev has talent, and everyone noted it. As a result, Alexander fell under Igor Shesterkin, moved to Colorado – and now he has returned to the city, where he was slightly underestimated. There was something to prove to Georgiev!
He made 44 saves in a stunning game in which the defending Stanley Cup winner beat the Rangers in a shootout. Georgiev arrested Kaapo Kakko, Mika Zibanezhad, Alexy Lafrenier. Only Artemy Panarin was able to score against him, but it wasn’t enough. Georgiev’s stats are great this season – four wins in five games, nine points for Colorado, 92.1% saves.
“A pretty unusual feeling,” Georgiev said. – There is nothing better than such a shootout victory in this arena… It’s unbelievable. It brought back a lot of good memories for me. But for me, it was just a game and I let myself enjoy the moment.
“I knew right away that Georgie was going to play today,” Colorado defenseman Cale Makar said. – It’s so obvious. He went against his old team. They traded it to us. I don’t know if Georgiev still has grudges, etc. But we know that he is a good goalkeeper. And I feel like today he was on a completely different planet. I hope he will keep the courage and continue to play in the same spirit.
But no one will say Rangers made the wrong call. Igor Shesterkin is the current owner of the Vezina Trophy. He is the best goalkeeper in the league. Georgiev outgrew the role of second goalkeeper and they decided to let him go.
“I absolutely wanted to help the team win and score two points. But it was clearly an unsuccessful shootout, and the second goal of the game was completely on my conscience,” Shesterkin said.
At the shootouts, he was marked by Mikko Rantanen and Evan Rodriguez. And the second goal… The score was 1:1 until the third period. But then, almost immediately, outnumbered Colorado forward Andrew Cogliano ran to pressure Shesterkin, who came wide out of the gate. I took the puck from him, made a pass to Logan O’Connor – and he scored a very important goal.
As a result, Shesterkin made 42 saves. But he made a mistake that cost his team the victory.
Nichushkin is the NHL’s leading scorer. Wow!
And the first goal of “Colorado” in the 12th minute was scored by Valery Nichushkin, when in the majority on the patch he corrected Makar’s shot. Overall, the Chelyabinsk Meteorite, as the Nichushkin Nugget is sometimes called, is earning points at the start of the season in seven games in a row.
And now Valera Nichushkin (7+5=12), followed by David Pastrnyak (5+7=12), Artemy Panarin (4+8=12), Jesper Bratt (3+9-12). Yes, it won’t always be like this. But we will remember this moment.
But again about George. After all, it was his day. He made 20 saves in the third period and overtime. It was he who was recognized as the first star of the match – and Shesterkin became the second.
“I have a lot of wonderful memories from New York,” Georgiev said. “A lot of great players and staff stayed friends. I tried to think of the positive moments, there were a lot of them. … I would say it’s a very memorable victory. I’ll try to enjoy it today , recharge my energy. But we have a lot of other very important games ahead of us.
And another big twist on the most Russian game of the day in the NHL. Center forward Mikhail Maltsev was brought up on the Colorado team, which got under six minutes on the ice (5:54) and made two power moves.
And Vitaliy Kravtsov still looks pale for Rangers, who in nearly 11 minutes (10:42) received +2 utility but failed to score a single point and never shot on goal.
Phil Kessel – Iron Man Chief of the NHL
About the other matches of the day. Minnesota beat Montreal (3:1), but Kirill Kaprizov didn’t score a single point. Well, it happens.
Nikita Kucherov scored his first goal of the season, but he could no longer help Tampa, who flew to Los Angeles with the score 2:4.
Evgeni Malkin excelled in Calgary when he converted the majority. But this puck for Pittsburgh was the only one against the Flames (1:4).
Goalkeeper Daniil Tarasov, after a spectacular game with Rangers (5:1), played unsuccessfully against Arizona (3:6), when he missed four goals after 12 shots and went to reserve .
And it was the day of the big record. “Vegas” forward Phil Kessel became the main Iron Man in NHL history. In the match with “San Jose” (4:2), he topped the list of players who had a lot of consecutive fights.
This is what the list looks like. Interestingly, Kessel repeated the record (989) when Vegas beat his former club Toronto Maple Leafs (3:1). But on Nov. 17, 2022, Phil can play his 1,000th game in a row – it will be against Arizona, another of his former clubs.
Among active players, the closest pursuer is Brent Burns (685), but he’s already on his way out. Presumably Phil Kessel’s record is set for the ages.
Remember this moment. Although if you watch Kessel during the interview, you’ll be amazed at how this balding, overweight man, more like a garage co-op mechanic, could become the most ferocious player in NHL history.
But that’s why we love hockey. It is full of wonders.
Source : MatchTV
I am Sandra Jackson, a journalist and content creator with extensive experience in the news industry. I have been working in the news media for over five years. During this time, I have worked as an author and editor at various outlets producing high-quality content that attracts readers from different demographics.
