Shesterkin can get three MVP titles in a year
I’ve been asked who in this playoff can win the Conn Smythe Trophy as the most valuable player. I was thinking… If you imagine the Colorado Avalanche and New York Rangers going into the Stanley Cup Finals, who lead 2-0 in their series… So far, Colorado has the brightest – Cale Makar ( 4+13=17), the club’s top scorer in the playoffs. Surprisingly, it is a protector! At Rangers, by the way, the top scorer is also defender Adam Fox (5 + 17 = 22), striker Mika Zibanejad scored the same number of points (9 + 13 = 22).
But they mainly talk about New York goalkeeper Igor Shesterkin. He has 10 wins in 16 games and has a 92.9% save average. These are two record numbers in this qualifier, and there is also a third – Igor is the best in terms of saves (540). Imagine how many shots are thrown at his goal if the second goaltender – Mike Smith (436) – has more than 100 saves behind. Fiction!
And in general, Shesterkin could well beat the eternal record for the number of stops in the playoffs, which so far belongs to Tim Thomas (798). He won the Stanley Cup with Boston in 2011 and received the Conn Smythe Trophy.
If you look at history, this prestigious award has already been won by Andrey Vasilevsky (2021), Jonathan Quick (2012), Tim Thomas (2011), Cam Ward (2006), Jean-Sebastien Giguere (2003), Patrick Roy ( 2001), Mike Vernon (1997), Patrick Roy (1993, 1986), Bill Ranford (1990), Ron Hextall (1987), Billy Smith (1983), Bernie Parent (1974, 1975), Ken Dryden (1971), Glen Hall (1968), Roger Crozier (1966).
This story is therefore not unique. But Shesterkin can get two more MVP titles in a year – after all, he’s been nominated for the Hart Trophy (the most valuable of the regular season according to reporters) and the Vezina Trophy (the most valuable, that is. say the best goalkeeper).
Shesterkin: ‘Vasilevsky is the best goalkeeper in the world right now’
It is curious that in the last four matches, Shesterkin concedes strictly two goals. But this “Rangers” is enough to win. After all, the attack is strong. Two decisive games of the series were therefore won with Carolina, who led 3-2 in the series (5:2 and 6:2). And so the first two games were won against Tampa in the series (6:2 and 3:2).
Shesterkin made 148 saves in those four fights. After the match “New York Rangers” – “Tampa Bay” (3-2), he answered questions from journalists.
– What was the key moment of this match?
– When the score became 3:2, you just had to defend with confidence. Block somewhere, catch the puck somewhere, get it out of the zone. I believed in every guy that went to the site. I believed we could win.
Q: Defender Adam Fox is sitting next to you at the press conference. What do you think of Rangers’ defensive play in the playoffs?
– Watching Adam play is a pleasure. The way he sees the pitch – I don’t think many defenders can see it the way he does. I trust him when he goes out on the ice. You immediately feel more relaxed. But, in principle, I feel confident with every player in our team. I believe that each of them can sacrifice themselves, block the puck. Somewhere to play to the detriment of myself, but for the benefit of the team.
– Before the series, you said that Andrei Vasilevsky was the best goalkeeper in the world. But now you’ve beaten him twice…
– It does not matter. I remain in my opinion that he is the best goalkeeper in the world at the moment. The streak goes up to four wins, so you can’t relax. We have to move forward.
Battle for the Russian Crown
The Athletic obviously qualifies this episode as “Andrei Vasilevsky against Igor Shesterkin: it’s a battle for dominance”.
If you recall, goalkeeper Steve Valikett in Russia first played for Lokomotiv (2005-06) and then played for CSKA (2010-11). Between these two visits to our country, he was in New York in the Rangers system, he replaced Henrik Lundqvist. He now works as an analyst for the MSG television channel.
“It’s a huge story in Russia right now,” Valikett says. “It’s like a battle for dominance. And many people believe that Igor can take the crown.
The next generation of young Russian goalkeepers – who will they choose as their main idol? Will they be fans of Shesterkin or Vasilevsky? A lot depends on this series. I think Igor is well aware of the importance of this duel in Russia. The same with Vasya, which is titled, took Vezina and Conn Smythe. Shesterkin doesn’t have that. But it’s like in the game “King of the Hill” – he tries to push the big guy from the top.
Vasilevsky is 27, but it looks like he’s been running the NHL for ages. Andrei has led the league in wins in each of the last five regular seasons (44-39-35-31-39). And he dominated when the Tampa Bay won back-to-back Stanley Cups.
Sherkin is 26 years old. And he’s practically new to the NHL, it wasn’t until 2020 that he began to come into orbit, replacing Lundqvist at the gates of New York. Now, for sure, Igor will receive the crown when he is presented with the Vézina trophy. And who else?
And many people think that Shesterkin and Vasilevsky are two copies of the same type of Russian goalkeeper.
But the same Valikett argues: “I don’t see much similarity between them. They are not similar neither in technology nor in essence. Shesterkin plays more in a standing position, Vasilevsky sits in the splits. And I’m amazed at how Igor follows the puck. That’s also Vasilevsky’s strength, but Henrik Lundqvist and I, when we watch the game from an expert perspective, admire the way Shesterkin reads the game. He understands what each player is going to do in the next moment. . He has an excellent hockey IQ. But Vasilevsky stands out for his elite athleticism. He recovers quickly, holds a punch, and generally looks like an octopus.
In terms of movement, Shesterkin is smooth, like a magic carpet, hovering in the sky. Vasilevsky, meanwhile, looks like a cambric going down and up. Top Bottom Left Right. They are equally effective, but there is no similarity between them.
Shesterkin never lost to Vasilevsky
How did they fight? It is curious that Vasilevsky never played against Shesterkin either in the MHL or in the KHL. At the World Championships in 2017, they were in the Russian team, but Igor did not go on the ice at all, and Vasilevsky played nine games (93.6%) and helped win bronze.
They only started playing against each other this year.
That is, imagine the feelings of Vasilevsky, who is not only called the best goalkeeper in the world. He is brilliant as a goalkeeper. And then this Shesterkin shows up, he plays with him four times in five months, and his team loses every time. Plus, Tampa’s chances of winning a hat-trick — the third straight Stanley Cup — are melting like ice in the June sun.
Personally, I would burst out in frustration.
Nabokov: ‘Shesterkin is close to the status of the best in the world’
“Shesterkin called Vasilevsky the best goalkeeper in the world right now. But Igor himself is close to this status, – says Evgeny Nabokov, goalkeeper coach of the Sharks and former partner of Vasya in Tampa. – These two Goalkeepers stand out because they have plenty of ammunition. When they play, it’s not difficult for them. Everything comes naturally to them: the way they read the game, the way they move around. “side to side, the way they play with the puck and fight traffic on the field. They never feel uncomfortable. But behind that, there’s a lot of work on technology. They have almost no flaws and their response is excellent.
And how did Russia’s dominance in the art of goalkeeping begin? Nabokov says this is the merit of young Russian KHL coaches. Valikett suggests it all started around 2010, when the Swedish Ice Hockey Federation sold its goalkeeping training program to the Russians.
“I went to Russia because at that time their goalkeeper was very weak,” Valikett recalled. – I tell you, when I was there, we worked on skating, how to make saves with a stick, all kinds of crazy things from the school of Vladislav Tretyak and Anatoly Tarasov. And now it’s goal control, playing up front, skating. When I played in Russia, I spent four hours a day on the ice. But in 30 minutes in New York with Rangers goalkeeping coach Benoît Allard, I did more. And that was a waste of time.
Now the Russian goaltenders are still spending four hours on the ice, but they have a better schedule. Another thing they do in Russia is they choose very carefully where to send young goalkeepers. They always send young goalkeepers to the worst teams… put them in a bad spot to give them a chance to improve. If America wants to improve in terms of goaltending, then our goaltenders need to spend more time on the ice, undergo specialized training with a tough schedule, and then play on weaker teams. »
Here is the opinion of goalkeeper Valiketta. And he adds:
“By the way, Ilya Sorokin of the New York Islanders is very close to Shesterkin. It’s an elite. I’ve seen him a lot this year and he could be a winner or finalist for the Vézina Trophy next season. »
Remember this prediction.
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.
