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NHL Rink Wrap: Shesterkin steals another for Rangers; Hurricanes win again

NHL Scores

SEATTLE, WASHINGTON - OCTOBER 31: Igor Shesterkin #31 of the New York Rangers looks on against the Seattle Kraken during the first period at Climate Pledge Arena on October 31, 2021 in Seattle, Washington. (Photo by Christopher Mast/NHLI via Getty Images)

NHLI via Getty Images

Top player from Sunday in the NHL

Igor Shesterkin, New York Rangers

How good the New York Rangers actually are right now is certainly up for some debate. Their record? Strong. The process behind that record? A little flawed. What they have going for them, though, is the fact they have All-Star level, impact players at every spot of the roster. The most impactful of those is in goal where Igor Shesterkin is playing like the franchise goalie the Rangers want him -- and need him -- to be. He was sensational again on Sunday night in a 3-1 win over the Seattle Kraken, taking over a game in which the Rangers managed just 18 shots on goals. He has only appeared in 54 regular season games in his NHL career but he is already one of the league’s best goalies. Going from Henrik Lundqvist to him is a pretty nice transition.

Highlights from Sunday in the NHL

This Patrik Laine shot is exactly what the Columbus Blue Jackets hoped they would be getting when they traded for him a year ago (more on that in a minute).

Brett Pesce’s late power play goal helped the Carolina Hurricanes improve to 8-0-0 on the season. They are getting great goaltending and dominating during 5-on-5 play this season. They look like a legitimate Stanley Cup contender.

This sequence here is the Rangers’ best players taking over a game at the biggest moment. Shesterkin shuts down at scoring chance, Artemi Panarin shows off his patience and playmaking, and Adam Fox joins the rush and scores the game-winning goal.

Three Takeaways from Sunday in the NHL

Laine stays hot as part of Blue Jackets’ surprising start

The Columbus Blue Jackets needed two things to happen to stay competitive this season. Goaltending and Patrik Laine. They are still getting both as part of a 5-3-0 start. They rallied for a 4-3 shootout win on Sunday where Joonas Korpisalo stopped 36 out of 39 shots and Laine added two more points (a goal and an assist) to give him eight points in the Blue Jackets’ first eight games. Laine was a pretty significant disappointment in his first year with the Blue Jackets, but a fresh start and a new season seems to have helped him get back to the impact player he has been.

Ryan Getzlaf makes history for Ducks at just the right time

Ryan Getzlaf is now the Anaheim Ducks’ all-time leading scorer, recording his 989th career point with the team in their 4-2 win over the Montreal Canadiens on Sunday. It came at a pretty important moment as well as it was an assist on Troy Terry’s game-winning goal. That point moves him ahead of Hall of Famer Teemu Selanne on the team’s all-time list. Getzlaf has yet to score a goal this season but already has seven assists on the season and is closing in on the 1,000 point mark for his career.

Anze Kopitar’s big season continues

Things have been a bit of a struggle for the Los Angeles Kings so far this season, but Anze Kopitar is showing that he still has what it takes to play at a superstar level. He scored a goal and added an assist in the Kings’ 3-2 win over the Buffalo Sabres on Sunday, giving him 13 points (seven goals, six assists) in the Kings’ first nine games of the season. Simply one of the best players of his era and still going strong.

Monday’s big story

Couple of big stories to watch on Monday. Let us start with the Chicago Blackhawks still looking for their first win of the season. They have a chance to get it against the Ottawa Senators. If they do not beat Ottawa, their next four games are against Carolina, Winnipeg, Nashville, and Pittsburgh. Not exactly an easy stretch.

Also, Alex Ovechkin looks to continue his great start when the Capitals, still unbeaten in regulation, visit the back-to-back Stanley Cup champion Tampa Bay Lightning.

In Seattle, Connor McDavid makes his first visit to town to play the Kraken as the Oilers look to continue their strong start.

Sunday’s NHL scores

Carolina Hurricanes 2, Arizona Coyotes 1
Anaheim Ducks 4, Montreal Canadiens 2
Los Angeles Kings 3, Buffalo Sabres 2
Columbus Blue Jackets, New Jersey Devils 3 (SO)
New York Rangers 3, Seattle Kraken 1