It was buried. Hidden beneath the 10 points from the Rangers’ top six, the latest reminder Artemi Panarin’s 120 regular-season points weren’t a fluke and — most of all — the numbers 4 and 3 illuminated on the Garden jumbotron that symbolized a 1-0 series lead.
The Blueshirts prevented the Hurricanes from peppering Igor Shesterkin with shots Sunday afternoon. He faced just 12 through the first two periods. Twenty-five altogether. Shesterkin, the former Vezina Trophy winner tasked with guiding the Rangers to the 16 wins necessary to hoist the Stanley Cup, didn’t need to carry them in their Game 1 victory, but there were moments, especially in the closing minutes when the Hurricanes pulled their goaltender and trimmed a two-goal deficit to one, when he needed to flash his vintage form.
When the final horn sounded, Shesterkin had become the first Rangers goaltender to win his first five starts in a postseason since Mike Richter — in 1994, of course — and one of three in history including Dave Kerr in 1937. His playoff streak of allowing three goals or fewer extended to 28 straight games.
Sunday’s 60 minutes captured the latest glimpse of what will make the Rangers a difficult group to eliminate in a best-of-seven series. Mika Zibanejad scored twice, once on the power play and once at even-strength after experiencing a lengthy five-on-five goal drought during the regular season. The Blueshirts were a perfect 2-for-2 with the man-advantage after scoring at a blistering 37.5 percent clip in the opening round. And Panarin added to his magical season with a shot that trickled past Hurricanes goalie Frederik Andersen in the third period for the eventual game-winning tally.
The Rangers needed some pivotal stops from Shesterkin to make all of that matter, though.
He flashed his pad to make a save with 2:15 left. He snagged a shot from Andrei Svechnikov with 57 seconds remaining — after the Hurricanes had pulled within one.
Shesterkin wasn’t perfect. His Game 1 ledger wasn’t spotless. A weird bounce zipped past him early in the first period. Jake Guentzel shoved a rebound past him in the final minutes of the third. But he didn’t jeopardize the opener for the Blueshirts, either.
Still, this season wasn’t always perfect for Shesterkin. An All-Star nod was deceiving. He entered that weekend in Toronto with a .899 save percentage, and when backup goaltender Jonathan Quick kept thriving when given the chance to start, head coach Peter Laviolette started fielding questions about how he’d handle his goaltending situation. It wasn’t a controversy exactly. But there were concerns around the 28-year-old Shesterkin’s slump.
Laviolette, Quick and the rest of the Rangers were careful to never doubt Shesterkin publicly during that stretch. Of course they wouldn’t. Sure, Quick was established and would eventually pass Ryan Miller for most career wins by an American-born goaltender. Sure, Quick won the game leading into the All-Star break and the two after it. Sure, Shesterkin was navigating one of the worst — if not the worst — stretches of his career.
But he was still Shesterkin. It was far-fetched to think the rough patch would last over the course of an entire season, even if the numbers were alarming in the moment.
The Rangers trusted Shesterkin would eventually find his rhythm again. It took time, but once Shesterkin returned to the crease Feb. 9 and helped the Rangers defeat the Blackhawks, he embarked on a 17-5-1 stretch — with a .929 save percentage that more closely resembled his .935 from his Vezina campaign in 2021-22 — to close the regular season. If anything, Quick’s emergence during Shesterkin’s rocky start provided reassurance for the Blueshirts and demonstrated they had a reliable No. 2 option.
Goaltending tandems have been common in these NHL playoffs. Six teams — the Maple Leafs, Bruins, Islanders, Golden Knights, Canucks and Kings — started two different goalies during their opening series, with Vancouver’s due to a Thatcher Demko injury but the others stemming from the search for a spark. Two of those teams advanced. Boston head coach Jim Montgomery even asked reporters before Game 2 if they played Wordle, because, “The goalie tonight has two vowels in his first and last name.”
That didn’t help much for distinguishing between Jeremy Swayman and Linus Ullmark.
There was a point during the regular season — that week-long stretch after the All-Star break — when Laviolette also fielded loaded questions about how he would deploy his two goalies.
At this point, though, Shesterkin flipping his season around has prevented Laviolette from having to address those questions in the postseason, even if Quick tied for the 13th-best save percentage (.911) and goals against average (2.62) during the regular season. Other teams would have taken those numbers for the postseason.
The Rangers have the goaltending talent available if they ever needed to use a tandem. But the way Shesterkin keeps playing has helped them avoid testing that path.
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The Knicks’ change of pace
By the time OG Anunoby collected a missed layup from Tyrese Maxey, everything was already clicking for the Knicks. They had built a 12-point lead six minutes into Game 6. The scoring was balanced, too.
And then, in a span of just four seconds, the Knicks extended their lead to 15 points. It started with Anunoby snagging the ball, twisting to find an outlet and threading a short pass to Josh Hart, who sprinted until he neared midcourt and sent the ball to Donte DiVincenzo. In one fluid motion, the franchise leader for 3-pointers in a game and season connected on a 28-foot jumper.
This was what worked for the Knicks in the first round. They finished No. 2 among the NBA’s 16 postseason teams in fast-break points (15.7 per game) — up from 14th in the regular season — even while compiling the second-lowest pace in terms of possessions per game.
Hart, on that first-quarter sequence and on others throughout the thrilling six-game triumph over the 76ers, personified how the Knicks dictated the pace against Philadelphia. Defensive rebounds immediately became transition sprints, even if the Knicks didn’t necessarily have numbers and even if those quick bursts of speed didn’t translate into a quicker pace overall.
“It’s hard, you know, like how you would define pace,” head coach Tom Thibodeau told reporters Saturday, before referencing the Knicks’ high ranks in scoring and transition points and — most importantly, according to Thibodeau — net rating.
“… You can make the stats say whatever you want,” he added.
But when they open the Eastern Conference semifinals against the Pacers on Monday (7:30 p.m. ET, TNT) at the Garden, the Knicks might need to adjust their philosophy.
The Pacers finished the regular season No. 1 in the NBA in pace. The Knicks had the second-lowest mark. The Pacers possess plenty of speed. They’ll get plenty of shots up and score clusters of points, and the Knicks rushing possessions in transition might not benefit a seven-man rotation — eight, if Precious Achiuwa plays — over the course of a game and series.
It’s a delicate balance. There might not be a correct strategy for the Knicks to bank on entering Game 1. But it could affect their ability to reach the Eastern Conference finals and inch closer to winning the franchise’s first championship since 1973.
“They’re a very potent team,” Thibodeau said Saturday of the Pacers.
Hart’s role in those up-tempo moments is difficult to quantify. He sparked plenty of moments like that sequence in the first quarter of Game 6. He would grab rebounds and immediately sprint up the court, sometimes dishing the ball back to Jalen Brunson to reset the offense but other times choreographing everything himself — with his 4.2 transition points per game second on the Knicks in the postseason behind Anunoby.
So his role in the Knicks capitalizing on those transition opportunities is essential. Irreplaceable, even. But to what extent do the Knicks rely on that element of their game if they’re trying to limit the number of possessions the Pacers get? Would they settle for a high-scoring game — the Knicks averaged 108 points per game in the opening round, the Pacers 113 — if it meant their transition element could still serve as a strength?
The Pacers will present a different challenge than the 76ers. A blueprint that works — or doesn’t work — Monday won’t necessarily translate to other wins. But while the Knicks’ first-round challenge revolved around two stars in Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey, the overarching term of pace will pose their most prolific obstacle now.
It’s hard to define in the eyes of Thibodeau. It might be hard for the Knicks to match, too.
A glimmer of Mets hope
Kodai Senga’s recovery from a right shoulder strain complicated the Mets’ pitching plans. David Peterson’s rehab from an offseason hip procedure and Tylor Megill’s shoulder strain — forcing him to exit his first start early — and trip to the injured list added wrinkles, too.
Their rotation could look entirely different by July. The contract terms for some starters — Houser acquired via trade for his final season before free agency, Jose Quintana in the final year of a two-year deal, Luis Severino on a prove-it pact, even Sean Manaea having an opt-out clause — almost guarantee that, beyond Senga, the Mets’ rotation will look entirely different by next year.
But in the middle of a weekend where they were swept by the Rays at Tropicana Field, 24-year-old Christian Scott provided 6 ⅓ innings worth of evidence suggesting the Mets should keep his name in their future pitching plans.
After allowing three consecutive hits and a run to open his first MLB start Saturday, Scott retired the next 12 batters. He scattered five hits, walked one and struck out six. He generated 18 whiffs across 52 Rays swings.
While it’s just one strong start, and Scott will need others to follow to solidify a long-term spot in the rotation, the right-hander has the potential to provide a homegrown pitching jolt that David Stearns — and owner Steve Cohen, dating back to his emergency, state-of-the-franchise press conference last June — desired and the Mets have lacked.
In the aftermath of the outing, manager Carlos Mendoza said Scott earned another appearance in the majors. His debut coincided with Houser’s move to the bullpen, where he’ll be available to pitch as early as Monday. Houser’s ability to solve the issues that have plagued his pitching and Scott’s ability to become more than a one-start wonder will influence how Mendoza tweaks his pitching formula for the next stretch of games — including whether he sticks with a five-man rotation or expands to a six-man rotation.
But the Mets’ 2024 season was always about deciphering what the future would — or at least could — resemble.
At some point, they needed to give potential future pieces of the pitching staff an audition in the big leagues. Scott was one of those names. Dom Hamel and Mike Vasil could be others, too. Peterson and Megill are also still relatively young.
Scott started by making as strong of a first impression as the Mets could have imagined.
It could lead to some difficult decisions for Mendoza, but after years of relying on external help to cobble together a rotation, it also provided some hope the Mets have some internal solutions. They’re good problems to have.
What we’re reading 👀
⚾ Juan Soto’s clutch bases-clearing double propelled the Yankees (23-13) to a rain-shortened win and weekend sweep of the Tigers, and it could get even better: As The Post’s Joel Sherman writes, they’ve reached 10 games over .500 without getting much from Aaron Judge and Gerrit Cole.
🔥 Tom Brady kinda-sorting copping to his role in Deflategate was among the highlights of his Netflix roast.
⚾ Pete Alonso is not having a good time.
🏀 Sabrina Ionescu said it “sucks” that a viral cell phone stream was the only way to watch Angel Reese’s WNBA debut.
🏇 A Triple Crown run might be off after Mystik Dan’s thrilling photo-finish victory at the Kentucky Derby.
🏎 Lando Norris supplied the theater at Formula 1’s Miami Grand Prix.
