NEW YORK — It was a fitting end to a game of goalie domination. After 86 combined saves Alexandar GeorgievAnd Igor ShesterkinThe match was as dramatic as possible. A shootout — one final battle between two former teammates playing at their best.
Gimmicky? Perhaps. Perhaps not for a game as simple as this. Perfect.
“It’s a pretty memorable one,” Georgiev said.
Georgiev has spent five seasons with The RangersBefore the AvalancheHe was traded in July. He was stuck as the team’s No. He was the second goalie after Shesterkin, the reigning Vezina Trophy holder, and was both Disappointed and frustratedHis New York tenure was over. Though he said he tries to focus on the positives from his time with the organization, its ending undoubtedly added a pinch of spice to Tuesday’s matchup. He was facing not only one of best goaltenders, but also a Rangers starter.
He was determined to win. Badly.
“When you’re coming in against a former team that you spent a long time with and playing against your old teammates, I think it’s a little added incentive and motivation,” Avalanche coach Jared Bednar said.
Both goalies served through the first two rounds of the shootout and then lost the third. After using Nathan MacKinnon, Cale MakarAnd Mikko RantanenIn the first three rounds, Bednar changed to Evan Rodrigues — a newcomer, like Georgiev — for Round 4. Makar was almost able to pull off a backhand movement earlier in the shootout. The forward attempted something similar. He moved the puck to his forehand after he saw Shesterkin biting on the backhand. He lost his balance in the process, but balance isn’t always a necessity when it comes to finishing. Before his momentum got him to Shesterkin, he dropped the puck into the net.
“It worked out,” Rodrigues said.
That left New York’s hopes on the back of Alexis LafrenièreThe 2020 draft’s first pick was. Georgiev had already robbed him multiple times during the game, including in the first period when he used his pad to halt the forward’s tip of a K’Andre Miller shot.
It turned out that the Avalanche goaltender still had one more save. He waited until Lafrenière shifted the puck to his forehand, then slid to his right to stop the shot with his pad. Game over.
“Doesn’t get much better than a tight shootout win,” he said.
Alexandar Georgiev making one final save in order to win the game. pic.twitter.com/ep1RehrJV4
— Peter Baugh (@Peter_Baugh) October 26, 2022
Georgiev exhaled after the save. As his Avalanche teammates jumped over the bench wall, Georgiev raised his right knee and shouted. Was he celebrating?
“I have no idea,” he laughed. “Just enjoying the moment.”
Rodrigues was the first goalie to be crowned. The night’s final two heroes threw their arms around each other, victorious on a nationally televised game between two of the final four teams standing last season.
Shesterkin may have been on the losing side, but it was not easy for the Avalanche. Georgiev, who received a round of applause from the Madison Square Garden crowd when the video board welcomed him back, called it “a great game” for both goalies. Shesterkin had 42 saves, Georgiev had 44. Makar could see that his teammate was focused on his game when he stopped the blazing. Mika ZibanejadShot from the slot
“He’s a really good goalie, and we expect him to make big saves for us every night if we need that,” Makar said. “Hopefully we don’t have to put him in positions like we did tonight.”
MacKinnon was stopped at the other end by Shesterkin on a partial breakaway. The center was then stopped again on a one-on-one. When the Avalanche finally made it through, they used a power play. Valeri NichushkinShesterkin was stunned when a Makar shot passed her and went into the net.
The goal was Nichushkin’s seventh of the year, tying him for the NHL lead, but it was all Colorado could get on Shesterkin for a while. The Rangers, meanwhile, started to push during a second period in which Bednar said his team “massacred the puck” and turned it over too much.
Georgiev was the only one who got them through. He used his pad, glove, and stick to build a wall against Lafreniere. At one point, the forward darted across a net. After that, he removed the net from Artemi PanarinTo stop another goal. Midway through the second period, the Rangers were on the power play and forward Chris Kreider tipped a puck through Georgiev’s legs. However, it did get some of Georgiev’s pants. It was able to slow to a halt before crossing the goal line. Georgiev leaned forward and fell on top of the puck.
“I tried to just cover up the ice,” he said.
There were a few scuffles around the goalie but the puck was kept out of the net until officials declared the play over. The Avalanche avoided danger — at least for the moment.
This changed in the second half of the century. Samuel GirardA slapper that was too close to the net was caught and bounced off the boards. The result was a Rangers three against two rush. New York’s Sammy Blaisfed Jacob TroubaHeading towards the net. Georgiev tried to block a Trouba shot but Georgiev shifted and slid his puck to Barclay Goodrow who put it in the net to tie.
With the score at 1-1, the teams entered intermission. It could easily have been 5-5 if the goalies hadn’t been on their game.
“Kind of fell down a bit in the second and gave up a couple opportunities,” Makar said. “But we’ve got Georgie back there. He was on a mission tonight.”
Shesterkin was the goaltender who made the biggest mistake. While the Rangers were on power play, Shesterkin tried to settle a puck in a corner. Little did he know, Andrew CoglianoHe was running towards him. He grabbed the puck, and Shesterkin attempted to return it to his net. Logan O’Connor. The Colorado winger put in the puck and beat the Rangers goalie. It was the highlight of the night for the penalty-killing unit, which is off to an inconsistent start but didn’t allow a goal on four Rangers power plays.
New York tied the score with six minutes to go. Adam FoxMacKinnon was forced to make a turnover. After darting up the ice he was able to redirect a Jimmy Vesey pass into Colorado’s net. The Avalanche goaltender couldn’t have stopped it.
“They had to make a special play both times in order to beat Georgie,” Bednar said.
Fox’s equalizer sent the game to overtime, during which Colorado successfully killed off its fourth penalty of the game. That led to the shootout and Georgiev’s ensuing saves.
“I just tried to play the guys fair,” he said of facing his former teammates in the shootout. “They all are really skilled, and they’ve got more than one (move). I just tried to read.”
After the game, you can go back to the dressing room. Alex NewhookGeorgiev approached Georgiev who had placed money on the board before the game. The forward offered his congratulations and the team shook hands. Georgiev smiled again as he removed his gear, something he did many times since leaving the ice.
(Photo: Tom Horak / USA Today)
