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BUFFALO — Goalie Igor Shesterkin has been spectacular through the Rangers’ first two games of the season, combining for 65 saves on the 66 shots he’s seen.
After years of playing against him as head coach of the Penguins in the Metropolitan Division, new Rangers head coach Mike Sullivan was asked about having Shesterkin on his side of the ice now.
“It sure is nice,” Sullivan said with a smile after the Rangers took a 4-0 victory over the Sabres on Thursday night at KeyBank Center. “I mean, he’s a world-class goalie. He’s one of the best. You get timely saves like he gives you, he makes it really hard on other teams sometimes. We certainly don’t take that for granted. He was terrific tonight, he was terrific the other night also.”
Shesterkin stayed in front of all 37 shots the Sabres sent his way Thursday, including 12 in the third period alone.
Even when the Sabres rattled off three power plays in the middle frame, Shesterkin tracked everything, including Tage Thompson’s dangerous shot.
“It’s always nice having a goalie that you have confidence in,” said Carson Soucy, who scored his second goal as a Ranger in the third period for a 2-0 lead. “We just try to do our best of giving him clean looks at the pucks. He’s going to make those saves a lot of the time.”
Conor Sheary quickly separated himself from the rest of the fringe players who came into Rangers training camp three weeks ago.
Despite having spent the previous season in the AHL with similar players he was competing with for a spot on the Blueshirts roster, Sheary’s veteran presence and relentless hustle easily stood out among the youngsters who were still in middle school when he hoisted his first Stanley Cup in 2016.
As a result, the Rangers rewarded Sheary with a one-year, two-way deal for the league minimum of $775,000.
“I was thrilled,” Sheary told The Post of his reaction to receiving a contract. “I’ve talked about coming in on a PTO [professional tryout contract] and how different that was for me. Coming into a new locker room and trying to prove yourself to teammates and coaches and management. To eventually end up with a deal and be on the Opening Night roster was pretty special for me.
“My goal was to get back to the NHL and stick here and prove that I can still play. So hopefully throughout this year I can continue to do that.”
There was little doubt Sheary was going to make the Rangers roster out of training camp, especially with spots on the third line almost wide open.
Not only is Sheary a Sullivan kind of player, after the two won two Stanley Cups together in Pittsburgh, but the undersized wing was fueled by the prospect of proving people wrong throughout the preseason.
Will Borgen skated in his 300th NHL contest Thursday.
The Rangers will practice in Pittsburgh on Friday before they face the Penguins on Saturday night.
Sullivan will return to Pittsburgh for the first time since parting ways with the team he led for the past 10 years.
