After losing to Sergei Bobrovsky and the Florida Panthers in the Eastern Conference Final this past spring, New York Rangers goalie Igor Shesterkin recently named Bobrovsky as the NHL’s top netminder.
In a video shared on social media, Shesterkin was asked in Russian to compare NHL goalies. While he expressed high regard for Juuse Saros of the Nashville Predators, Ilya Sorokin of the New York Islanders, Andrei Vasilevskiy of the Tampa Bay Lightning, and even himself, he ultimately chose Bobrovsky, who led the Panthers to their first Stanley Cup championship.
Shesterkin, who smiled but didn’t hesitate in his choice, faced off against Bobrovsky in the conference final, which the Panthers won in six games. Despite Shesterkin’s strong performance throughout the series, Bobrovsky’s Panthers largely outplayed the Rangers.
Bobrovsky, despite some inconsistency since joining the Panthers in 2019, has had a distinguished career, including two Vezina Trophies and a Stanley Cup. Over 700 NHL games, he has a 2.59 goals-against average and a .915 save percentage with the Flyers, Blue Jackets, and Panthers.
Shesterkin, with less experience, has a 2.43 GAA and a .921 save percentage in 213 NHL games, having won the Vezina Trophy in the 2021-22 season. His playoff save percentage is even higher at .928 in 44 games.