At the time, it was termed a “reset’’ for Igor Shesterkin.
It was midseason and the Rangers’ top goalie was slumping, in the throes of a 4-5-1 stretch with a bloated 3.25 goals-against average and a pedestrian .863 save percentage — both substandard numbers for one of the top goaltenders in the league.
That’s when Rangers coach Peter Laviolette decided to sit Shesterkin with hopes that a few games away from competition might freshen and sharpen him.
Igor Shesterkin takes a break during a recent practice in preparation for the Rangers’ Game 1 match vs. the Capitals on Sunday. Charles Wenzelberg / New York Post Backup goalie Jonathan Quick played three games in a row, beginning Jan. 27, and the Rangers won all three.
Shesterkin didn’t play from Jan. 26 through the All-Star break, returning to the ice Feb. 9.
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He promptly rattled off seven consecutive wins and has never looked back.
He enters Sunday’s Game 1 playoff opener against the Capitals at the Garden rested, confident and on his game.
“That was the purpose coming out of that,’’ Laviolette recalled Saturday after the team’s final practice before the playoff opener. “We were up-front about it. For everybody — the top offensive players, the top defensive players, the top goaltenders — there’s always some ups and downs inside of a very successful season for players.
“This was an opportunity where we felt we had an opportunity to get him some work on the ice and see if he can’t take that game to a next level like he’s accustomed to. And I thought he did a great job of just coming in and working every day and from there, it did reflect in his game. He was able to take it another level.’’
Igor Shesterkin Charles Wenzelberg / New York Post Will Filip Chytil return to the ice Sunday or will he be a healthy scratch?
Laviolette has been coy about the status of his forward, who hasn’t played since November with an upper-body injury but has been practicing with the team this past week and is medically cleared to play.
Asked what goes into the decision-making process on when to bring an injured player back when he’s healthy and how to reintegrate him into the lines, Laviolette said, “For a player to come back and be effective, it has got to be a process they have to go through to get to that point.
“For somebody who’s been out for a while, at the end of the day, if we have healthy players that are available to play, we’re going to play them if we feel they can help the team. I’ll give you an instance: If somebody from our top line is out for a week and they come back and they’re available, then they’re going to go back and play.’’
The complication in the case of Chytil is that he’s been out for months and the Rangers have continued winning without him. So, perhaps Laviolette doesn’t want to shake up lines that have been working successfully.
In other injury news, Blake Wheeler, who’s been out with a right leg injury and has been skating on his own but not practicing with the team, remains out indefinitely, according to Laviolette. … The Rangers recalled Louis Domingue and Adam Edstrom from the Hartford Wolf Pack on Saturday.
Rangers forward Barclay Goodrow, for one, is fired up for the expected electric atmosphere of Madison Square Garden in the playoffs.
“MSG’s always a great spot to play in, but the atmosphere in the playoffs is like nothing else,’’ he said Saturday. “The fans are excited, we’re excited. It’s the best time of year. You feel the emotions and the electricity. The fans want it as badly as we do.’’
Laviolette on Saturday raved about how underrated defenseman Ryan Lindgren is with his modest stat sheet (three goals, 14 assists) not indicative of his value to the team.
“He’s been such a good player for us,’’ the Rangers’ coach said. “I think often times that happens when the player doesn’t score 75 points and they’re not mentioned for that Norris Trophy, it’s almost like they’re not as valuable, not as good.
“And yet, there are so many players in the league, like [Lindgren], who quietly goes about his business in a professional way, plays the game the right way and makes us a better hockey team and it doesn’t come with the fanfare of others.’’
