Igor Shesterkin will not dress for a second straight game Tuesday night as the Rangers took on the Red Wings at Madison Square Garden.
Sidelined with minor soreness that began after the Carolina game on Nov. 2, according to the Rangers, Shesterkin skated on his own Tuesday morning before the rest of the team took part in an optional skate in Tarrytown.
As a result, Jonathan Quick earned his second straight start and his first at the Garden.
Louis Domingue will dress as backup, while Shesterkin is a scratch.
Shesterkin participated in practice on Monday, but not for the whole time.
The fact that he’s practicing at all is a good sign for him nearing a return.
“He’s progressing,” head coach Peter Laviolette said of Shesterkin, who owns a 2.36 goals-against average and a .913 save percentage through eight games. “We’ll see how he is when he comes in [Wednesday].”
It is unclear how long Shesterkin will be unavailable, but it’s safe to assume the Rangers will ride Quick until his return.
Laviolette said he wouldn’t rule Shesterkin out for Thursday’s game against the Wild.
There doesn’t appear to be any major concern over Shesterkin missing significant time.
That being said, Quick will have to readjust to consistent playing time if Shesterkin’s absence continues.
“I think we’ll probably just go slow with it,” Laviolette said. “Day-to-day right now. We got a game [Tuesday night] and Jonathan’s in net. He’s played really well, certainly a lot of confidence in him with the way he’s played to start the season.”
Entering Tuesday’s game, Quick led the entire NHL in goals-against average at 1.42, while his .948 save percentage is tied with the Canucks’ Thatcher Demko for second.
Quick has not only played significantly better than he did in the preseason, but the 37-year-old netminder has kept the Rangers in games they had no business being in.
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