The Rangers bench erupted, including an emphatic fist pump by head coach Peter Laviolette, on the momentum-shifting play that reverberated Monday night through Madison Square Garden.
Igor Shesterkin’s pad save on a penalty shot with less than five minutes remaining preserved the Rangers’ 2-1 win over the Coyotes in their home opener.
“That save pumps the building up,” Laviolette said after the Rangers won for their second time in three games to open the season. “If it goes the other way, you have to go back to work, the game is now back to even, and you have to find a way.
“It’s a good chance for a team to catch momentum off of that, one way or the other.”
The Rangers had the momentum after grabbing a one-goal lead on Vincent Trocheck’s power play score barely eight minutes into the third period.
With 4:48 to go, Shesterkin denied Jason Zucker with his right pad to improve to 4-for-4 in his NHL career on penalty shots.
“Obviously, as a team, you never want to give that up, but we know [Shesterkin] has that ability,” captain Jacob Trouba said. “He’s kind of a stone-cold killer, [it’s] kind of in his veins.
“When those kind of moments come around, he’s always been big for us. It’s obviously a huge momentum shift in the game. They score there, it’s a different game, a different feeling. We’re trying to get ourselves back up, the building probably gets quiet. But he comes up with a huge save and things go the opposite way, where things get rolling for us.”
Shesterkin — and Trouba with a couple of key blocked shots — also stood tall as the Rangers’ PK unit killed off two full minutes of five-on-three time bridging the final two periods.
“It wasn’t easy, but we played our game and we won,” said Shesterkin, who had 26 saves. “I feel [pressure]. But on the penalty shot, it’s more like mind games.”
It’s certainly possible that Laviolette could grant veteran backup Jonathan Quick his first start of the season in the coming games, possibly Thursday night against the Predators at the Garden.
But having Shesterkin, the 2021-22 Vezina Trophy winner, as their defensive backbone definitely seems to provide the Rangers a mental edge.
“If we’re playing as good defense as we are, and then you have Shesty back there on top of it, it makes it so much easier on the mind,” Trocheck said. “With our offensive skill in here, we’re gonna score a lot of goals, and that’s gonna lead to a lot of wins.”
According to Laviolette, the Rangers “don’t have to be perfect” as they continue to implement and fine-tune his system, but having a backstop as sturdy as Shesterkin — and effective special teams units — can cover up for any early mistakes.
The Blueshirts had netted five goals in a season-opening win Thursday in Buffalo — and they allowed five in losing two nights later in Columbus — but Trouba called the ability to pull out a low-scoring victory Monday night “another stepping stone.”
“We can win games 2-1. I think that’s a big confidence boost to have on a team,” Trouba said. “We know we have a goalie who comes up with a huge save when we need it. I think the ability and confidence to win a game, 2-1, to know you have that in you, I think that’s an important thing for a team.”