This didn’t quite work out the way Keith Kinkaid had hoped, but the goaltender played well enough in Tuesday’s empty net, leading to a 4-2 defeat in Pittsburgh on his first NHL start in 465 days, meaning he got another one pretty quickly. could earn new ones.
Assuming Igor Shesterkin hasn’t fully recovered from the groin strain he sustained in New Jersey last Thursday, it’s possible Kinkaid could call struggling Alex Georgiev for the second time in a row when the Blueshirts move to Boston for the first time. a set with two games on Thursday.
“I was hoping for a break,” said Kinkaid before his first start since November 30, 2019 as a member of the Canadiens. “You hate seeing how it happened, but I intend to absolutely control this opportunity and prove that I belong in this competition.”
The 31-year-old netminder from Farmingville, Suffolk County, was frugal, balanced and sharp throughout the game, especially early in the game when his team was under constant pressure. The game turned completely around in the third period, with the Rangers outwitting the Penguins 15-1 in the last 20 minutes as they stormed Tristan Jarry’s Bastille, with the only Pittsburgh clearing the game-closing net at 7:27 PM from Sidney Crosby’s stick.
“He played solid,” said David Quinn of Kinkaid. “I thought he’d made some saves early on that would help us weather the storm. I thought they blitzed us pretty early in the game and I thought we were lucky enough to get out of that first period 1-1 when they all knocked us over for an extended period of time. “
A year after dealing with the three-goalkeeper carousel in which a dude named Henrik Lundqvist eventually found himself as the odd man out of rotation, Quinn must at least make a short-term decision. If not Shesterkin, will the coach let Georgiev sit down again and do heavy training with goalkeeper coach Benoit Allaire?
Georgiev is 4-3-2 with a mark-up dropped from .900 to .897 and a GAA up to 3.03. According to Naturalstattrick.com, he is ranked 31st in GSAA (goals saved above average) out of 44 goalkeepers who played at least 500 minutes at -2.66 and last in high quality with a 0.707 serve rate. Shesterkin, meanwhile, ranks sixth in GSAA at 5.64 and 10th in high-quality save percentage at .838.
So no, there is no controversy about goalkeeping here, just whether Kinkaid gets another chance with Georgiev out of his game.
Kinkaid, who shares a birthday with George Steinbrenner and Uncle Sam, made 132 starts with the Devils over the five-year trajectory from 2014-15 to 2018-19, setting an overall record of 64-55-17 with a savings rate of. 906. and 2.90 GAA. He used an old-school approach, active, athletic, two-pad stacks and all.
But the netminder’s play then went sideways, becoming 15-18-6 / .891 / 3.36 the following year, while easing with the rise of Mackenzie Blackwood. Kinkaid spent much of the past season in the AHL after signing as a free agent with Montreal in the summer of 2019, starting five times in October and November. After signing a two-year contract with the Rangers in October, he went back to school with Allaire.
“It’s an incredible opportunity. I have been waiting for this opportunity and I feel really ready, ”said Kinkaid, who has been with the taxi crew most of the year. “I’ve learned a lot over the years and Benny has helped me a lot here.
“I don’t think I’ve had too many setbacks in my career [2019-20], we had made the playoffs with the Devils, and I think you’re really learning more and more about yourself and, you know, the ups and downs of the league at that highest level. I think Benny certainly helped me in terms of confidence and technique. “
Kinkaid was solid early on, allowing his team to win both balance and lead at 9:16 a.m. of the first period when Jack Johnson’s drive came in from left point on defender John Marino. But that was essentially the sum and substance of the attack for the first 40 minutes, Pittsburgh was able to control possession and neutral zone by taking a 3-1 lead in the third period on goals scored late in the first and second periods plus a short goal early. in the second.
The Blueshirts, who were in full control of the third period, reduced the margin to 3-2 on the powerplay at 3:18 when Ryan Strome’s feed attempt for Chris Kreider came in from – yes – Marino, but Jarry prevented the team from to score the equalizer, stoning Pavel Buchnevich on the right post with 2:35 left.
For the fifth time in six games against the Penguins (1-3-2), things went wrong for the Rangers. Now on the Bruins, against whom the Blueshirts have won one of the four (1-2-1) and with the coach for a goal decision.