Igor Shesterkin is easily among the greatest active goaltenders, if not the greatest. The Russian superstar netminder has posted a .924 save percentage (SV%) in his four NHL seasons thus far. In 2022, he won the Vezina Trophy and finished third in MVP voting as he propelled the New York Rangers to the Eastern Conference Final.
Every superhero has their Achilles’ heel though, and it appears that Shesterkin’s is none other than Jack Hughes of the New Jersey Devils. If you aren’t convinced, take it from the man himself, who confirmed it in a recent interview with Russian media outlet Hockeyonkp:
Reporter: “Who is the toughest player to play against?”
Shesterkin: “That’s a hard question…in every team there’s 1-2 players who are really difficult. Right now, I’d probably say Hughes.”
via Hockeyonkp (Translated from Russian)
Hughes currently stands second among active players with eight career goals against Shesterkin. Jake Guentzel is first with 10. However, seven of Hughes’ goals were scored during this past season, as he continually found different ways to keep Shesterkin off-balance and guessing.
Sure, there may be some recency bias from Shesterkin after giving up three goals to Hughes in the playoffs and getting eliminated by the Devils in seven games. But you don’t beat a goalie like him seven times in a season by accident. Hughes has him entirely figured out.
Hughes Is Keeping Him Guessing
Hughes found a multitude of ways to score on Shesterkin this past season. Here they are:
Nov. 28, 2022: Hughes took an alley-oop pass from Dawson Mercer in perfect stride, blew past Adam Fox and Ryan Lindgren, and quickly beat Shesterkin five-hole on his forehand.
Dec. 12, 2022: Hughes sped through the neutral zone to create a 2-on-1 situation with Erik Haula. He showed off his elite hands, deking Shesterkin into thinking a pass was coming before opting to go with a perfect backhand over the glove.
Jan. 7, 2023: A blind pass from Barclay Goodrow landed right on the stick of Hughes, who split both defenders (Ben Harpur and Braden Schneider) before going forehand and top shelf over the glove.
Jan. 7, 2023: A rebound from a Ryan Graves slapshot bounced right out to Hughes, who wasted little time and immediately one-timed it past a sliding Shesterkin.
April 18, 2023: On a penalty shot, Hughes started wide and quickly came back in before unleashing a wrist shot at lightning speed, which beat Shesterkin between his pad and blocker.
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April 22, 2023: This time on the powerplay, Hughes circled around and received a pass from Dougie Hamilton before skating to just above the faceoff dot, beating Shesterkin top-shelf with a wicked wrist shot.
April 24, 2023: Hughes received another alley-oop pass in perfect stride, sending him in on a breakaway. He deked, then went to his forehand, then his backhand, then to his forehand once more – leaving Shesterkin completely unraveled and a wide-open net to bury it.
More Success for Hughes Coming
Hughes has established himself now as an elite playmaker as well as a goalscorer in the NHL. With silky smooth hands and a quick wrist shot, goalies never truly know what’s coming next from the 22-year-old phenom.
The fact that not one of these goals was scored in the same manner sets the stage for Hughes’ future success against Shesterkin. When Hughes is streaking down the ice, a goaltender whose been beaten by him as much as Shesterkin has to essentially play a guessing game rather than strategizing. No matter the angle or distance, Hughes has shown that he can score in any fashion from anywhere. And that is why Shesterkin has such a tough time with him.
The Devils and Rangers have now re-established their fierce rivalry, meaning the duo will continue to face each other with some big stakes. During the 2023-24 season, it will certainly be a storyline to watch: Will Shesterkin refocus and get the better of Hughes – or will more of the same occur?
Regardless, Hughes should take it as an immense compliment that one of the greatest netminders in the NHL considers him their toughest opponent. The Devils have a superstar on their hands.
