Shesterkin outstanding in Game 3 victory for the Rangers

Just when we thought the Carolina Hurricanes had successfully lulled us all to sleep with their stellar defensive play early in Game 3, the New York Rangers broke through. On a fantastic pass from Artemi Panarin, Mika Zibanejad wired a one-timer past Hurricanes' netminder Antti Raanta on the power play.


This goal broke Raanta's 127:59-minute shutout streak in the series. The Rangers' last goal came in period 1 of Game 1. They scored again to take the lead early in Game 3 at Madison Square Garden on Sunday.

Igor Shesterkin made his presence felt early in the game, robbing Canes' forward Jesperi Kotkaniemi following a brilliant pass from teammate Andrei Svechnikov.



The Rangers kept the momentum going into the second period at home. Chris Kreider put the Blueshirts up 2-0 on a beautiful snipe shot over Raanta's left shoulder. The Canes were quite displeased with the goal because they believe Zibanejad interfered with Tony DeAngelo by knocking his stick out of his hands on the play. Right or wrong, there was no call on the play.


The Hurricanes started to turn the tide midway through the second period. It wasn't much of a goal, but Canes' forward Nino Niederreiter threw a backhand on net that managed to squeak by Shesterkin's low glove.


Heading into the third period, the Rangers knew they needed to lock it down defensively. They put their lines back together after mixing them up for more offensive pressure. The Rangers surrendered only 9 shots in the third period, and sealed the deal with an empty net tally from Tyler Motte.

After the final whistle, Max Domi cross checked Ryan Lindgren. Lindgren retaliated and they drew a crowd. Furthermore, DeAngelo and Rangers' coach Gerard Gallant were yelling at one another as the Canes skated off the ice.


Igor Shesterkin was outstanding once again for New York. He made 43 saves on 44 shots for a .977 save percentage. Raanta was no slouch for the Hurricanes, making 30 saves on 32 shots for a .938 save percentage.

The Hurricanes still hold a 2-1 series lead, but Game 4 is Tuesday in New York, and the Canes are winless on the road this postseason. The series is beginning to heat up with a little extra animosity. If Shesterkin can continue to be superhuman, it's likely we head back to Raleigh with a tied series.