By the Numbers: League’s best Hellebuyck, Shesterkin to face off in goalie battle
Published
With the Winnipeg Jets set to take on the New York Rangers Tuesday night in hopes of extending their winning streak to seven games, it will be a battle between two of the best goaltenders in the league.
Viewers in the Jets region can watch Winnipeg take on the Rangers LIVE at 7 p.m. ET/4 p.m. PT on TSN3 and streaming on TSN.ca and the TSN App.
After winning his second career Vezina Trophy last season, Jets goaltender Connor Hellebuyck is continuing to push his game to new heights so far this year. In 12 appearances, he is 11-1-0 and leads all goaltenders in save percentage (.935), goals-against average (1.83) and shutouts (three).
Hellebuyck has won his past five starts with his only loss of the season coming on Oct. 28, a 6-4 loss to the Toronto Maple Leafs. In past three games, he has allowed just one goal against, which included a 4-1 win over the Dallas Stars and back to back shutouts over the Colorado Avalanche and Utah Hockey Club.
On the other side, the Rangers will counter with Igor Shesterkin, who is fifth in the league in save percentage at .920.
Shesterkin is coming off his worst outing of the season last Thursday night. He allowed five goals against the Buffalo Sabres before being pulled in the second period in the 6-1 loss. Prior to that outing, he had a .933 save percentage and 2.22 GAA.
In six of his 10 starts this season, Shesterkin has faced at least 31 shots.
The 28-year-old won his lone Vezina Trophy in 2021-22 after a sublime season where he posted a .935 save percentage and 2.07 GAA.
Both teams have been strong at keeping the puck of their net this season. The Rangers have allowed the fewest goals against in the NHL this season with 30 with the Jets allowing the second fewest with 31.
On special teams, the Jets have the best power play in the league at 41.9 per cent while the Rangers own the best penalty kill at 91.1 per cent.
The Jets average 31.3 shots per game (sixth) while the Rangers are 12th at 30.3 per cent. Winnipeg also has the edge in shots against, allowing 29 per game compared to New York’s 32.5 per game.
Offensively, the Jets have given Hellebuyck and backup goaltender Eric Comrie more support this season with a league-leading 67 goals this season, compared to the Rangers’ total of 49.
Rangers forward Artemi Panarin is ninth in NHL scoring with 10 goals and 21 points in 13 games but no other Ranger is producing at a point-per-game this season.
In contrast, the Jets have four players at over a point per game pace this season with Kyle Connor and Mark Scheifele leading the team with 19 points each.