With what we hope is the worst of the Coronavirus behind us, sports leagues such as UFC and KBO (Korean Baseball Organization) have returned with no fans. The Bundesliga (German soccer league) is also set to return on May 16th behind closed doors. It appears that the NHL is not ready to end the season like the Ligue 1 (French Soccer League) and that they are going to resume the season at some point in the summer. Many insiders have speculated that the season will skip the remainder of the regular season and start with 24 teams in the playoffs after a brief training camp. Popular scenarios include the playoffs beginning with a best-of-three series.
Prior to the season going on pause, the Rangers were in the midst of a playoff push and found themselves just two points out of the final wild-card spot. The Blueshirts were running the unprecedented three-man goalie rotation with Henrik Lundqvist, Alex Georgiev, and Igor Shesterkin. If the season does resume with a 24-team playoff, the Rangers will most likely be included and head coach David Quinn will have a real tough decision to make. If all three goalies are available with no complications, who to start in net for the opening game of the playoffs: Lundqvist, Georgiev, or Shesterkin?
Henrik Lundqvist
Henrik Lundqvist has been the starting goalie and the face of the franchise for more than a decade and he will go down as one of the best goalies in the history of the NHL. The Swedish goaltender is now 38-years-old and his career is coming closer to an end. Come next season, there is a small chance Lundqvist may no longer be a Ranger. Lundqvist’s last started a game on March 1st where he allowed five goals on 26 shots.
The case to Start Lundqvist
Out of the three goalies, Lundqvist is by far the most experienced goalie and the only goalie to start a playoff game in the NHL. “The King” has started 128 playoff games and has been remarkable in clutch situations. Lundqvist has a 2.28 goals against average and a .922 save percentage during his playoff career. With being an older netminder, we do not know when he will retire or if possibly the Rangers decide to go in another direction next season. With his last start coming at the beginning of March and having just one relief appearance on March 5th, that is not the way for the face of your franchise for over a decade to go out if this is his last season as a Ranger. Out of respect and for experience alone, Quinn could decide that Lundqvist knows what it takes to get the job done and he could rely on his veteran netminder to open the playoffs.
The case not to start Lundqvist
Simply put, out of the three goalies, Lundqvist was third-best this season. He has the highest goals-against average of his career at 3.16 and the lowest save percentage of his career at .905. He has only started 26 games this season and hasn’t been as sharp as he has in years past. Statistically, starting Lundqvist in a playoff game with two other goalies on the roster who have had better seasons would not make sense.
Alex Georgiev
Alex Georgiev is in a contract year and the 24-year-old is showing he can be a good goalie in this league. The undrafted goalie has earned more starts each season and had been relied upon to win games at crucial times this season. Georgiev has been very professional throughout the three-goalie rotation and he is someone you just can’t help but cheer for.
The case to start Georgiev
Alex Georgiev was 1B entering the season but he quickly became the preferred goalie for the majority of the season. Georgiev often went stretches where he would start multiple games in a row after being rewarded for some solid play in between the pipes. When Shesterkin was called up, Georgiev started 13 times; the most by any of the three goalies. When Georgiev has played after sitting for a stretch, he has proven he can be relied upon. Before the season paused, the Blueshirts had played nine games since the trade deadline and he had started six. If the Rangers do start Georgiev and they have a little bit of a run, they could raise his trade value if they do elect to move on from him before next season.
The case not to start Georgiev
Georgiev has been the preferred goalie between himself and Lundqvist. However, Georgiev’s numbers are very similar to Lundqvist’s. Georgiev has a 3.04 goals-against average and a .910 save percentage. While it is slightly better than Lundqvist, is the slightly better stats worth more than the experience Lundqvist has in the playoffs? Despite starting the most in the NHL this season out of the three goalies, is getting the biggest workload worth more than Shesterkin who outplayed him when he got called up? In addition, could Georgiev get distracted with potential trade rumors or contract negotiations?
Igor Shesterkin
Igor Shesterkin started the year in the AHL after coming over from Russia. Shesterkin had incredible career numbers in the KHL and many consider him Lundqvist’s successor. In the AHL, Shesterkin was showing he was too good for the league and was called up in early January. The 24-year-old won nine of his first ten starts before getting into a car accident in late February.
The case to start Shesterkin
Shesterkin played the best of the three goalies during his time in the NHL. The rookie netminder has a record of 10-2 with a 2.52 goals-against average and a .932 save percentage. He is considered by many to be the future and to give him some playoff experience in a season like this would be beneficial. Prior to the trade deadline, Shesterkin had started the most games since his call up with 10 while Georgiev had played in seven. Shesterkin became the 1A goalie in a short span prior to the season pause. Statistically, Shesterkin is a no-brainer to get the start for game one.
The case not to start Shesterkin
Out of the three goalies, Shesterkin has the least NHL experience among the three goalies. He only has 12 games under his belt and would be thrown into a playoff game. Another thing to consider despite just a one-game sample size is how he bounced back after being off for an extended period of time. After Shesterkin came back from a non-displaced rib fractured suffered in a car accident, he was very rusty in his first game back and was pulled after allowing five goals on just 23 shots. That extended time off was two weeks and by the time the season resumes, it will be three or four months. While this shouldn’t be taken into too much consideration, it is worth noting.
Other things to consider
While each goalie has their own resume, there are other factors to consider before choosing a goalie. First, for the safety of players, there will be a training camp so they can get in-game shape. If one goalie stands out amongst the three in training camp, will that be all it takes to earn the start? Training camp will be the most recent sample of play and could heavily influence Quinn’s decision.
Another thing to consider is the opposition. For example, in one scenario the Rangers would be matched up with the Toronto Maple Leafs. Georgiev has had two career making games against the Leafs and he has made over 40 saves in three of five meetings against Toronto. Another team Georgiev has played well against is the New York Islanders. The Bulgarian-born goalie won three of four meetings this season against the Islanders. If somehow the Rangers were to match up with their New York rival, would Georgiev be given the start given his success against them? Will Quinn consider the matchup and will that influence his decision?
No one is 100% if the season will resume and if it does, it is very unclear under what circumstances. Any player could feel unsafe or even come down with the virus and be forced to quarantine which would make them unavailable. If the Blueshirts lose game one and the starting goalie had a poor game, would you consider a goalie change for game two? There are many unknowns to what will happen, but if the Rangers are in the playoffs – who would you start for game one?
