When the New York Rangers signed Jonathan Quick to be the new backup goalie to Igor Shesterkin, most fans were concerned because Quick’s best days were behind him and his recent play the past few seasons have proven that. The Vegas Golden Knights even decided to play Adin Hill over him in the playoffs and it led them to a Stanley Cup victory.
After a tough showing in the preseason, fans had little faith in Quick going into the regular season. After looking good during his first start with the team against the Seattle Kraken, he has been able to keep up his performances and so far this season, he has proven to be one of, if not the best backup goaltender currently in the NHL.
No Regulation Losses
As of this writing, Quick has not lost a game for the Rangers in regulation. He has a record of 5-0-1 and also has recorded two shutouts so far this season. He currently has the best goals-against average and save percentage of any goalie in the league who has played in six or more games. This start for Quick was not expected at all after seeing his play for the past few seasons and seeing him struggle in the preseason. His last season where he had a save percentage above .920 was the 2017-18 season and the last season he got to at least a .910 was 2021-22. Disregarding his stats from his short stint in Vegas, Quick’s final few seasons with the Los Angeles Kings were not good. In three of his last five seasons with the team, he had a save percentage below .900 with the lowest being .876 last season.
After having so many struggles the last few seasons, this turnaround for Quick has been amazing to watch. He looks like the player he was when he helped the Kings win two Stanley Cups and so far this season, he is outperforming the Rangers’ number-one goalie. While this pace of play might not last the entire season, right now, the Rangers are getting the most out of their backup. In the NHL, you need your backup to win games and Quick has been doing that all season long.
Stepped Up With Shesterkin Hurt
When Shesterkin went down with an injury, Quick stepped in as the starter and still played at a high level. He played in three games during that span and won two of them and lost the other in a shootout. Even during the shootout loss, he still made 35 saves, kept the Rangers in the game, and allowed them to at least get a point. He also made key saves when the team rallied back to tie the game late against the Columbus Blue Jackets and Quick went on to make the saves in the shootout to secure the win. The Rangers got crucial points during Shesterkin’s absence and Quick playing as good as he did was one of the reasons why they won those games.
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It wasn’t just Shesterkin who was out when Quick needed to step up. He had to play games without one of the best defensemen in the league playing in front of him. Adam Fox was injured in the same game as Shesterkin and is not eligible to return until Nov. 29. Without Fox, the Rangers have managed to still play at a high level and Quick has been able to steal wins without him defending up front. There’s no question that Fox is one of the most important pieces to the Rangers’ core, and for Quick to be able to still play well without him shows how good the team in front of him is at defending.
Earned His 60th Career Shutout
During his last game, Quick earned his second shutout of the season when the Rangers beat the Pittsburgh Penguins by a 1-0 score. He was once again incredible in that game and managed to fight off the Penguins’ chances as the third period was coming to a close. He made a big save against Sidney Crosby with 11 seconds left to play. With that win, Quick earned his 60th career shutout, which ties him with Pekka Rinne for the 19th most in NHL history. He is also the fastest American-born goalie to reach this achievement. He is also now 20 wins away from reaching 400 career wins.
Quick has been everything and more for the Rangers this season. He has turned back the clock and maybe playing for his childhood team has sparked new life into the 37-year-old. The Rangers are reaping the benefits from his stellar play and they hope he can continue to play this way as the season goes along.
