Jonathan Quick’s first stretch as the Rangers starting goaltender — taking over for an injured Igor Shesterkin — had been filled with struggles. An 0-5-0 record entering Monday’s game against the Bruins. A .795 save percentage, too.
But Quick finally did enough to pick up his first win since Nov. 7 and his first since Shesterkin landed on injured reserve with a lower-body injury earlier this month, making 21 saves during their 4-3 overtime victory.
He also moved past Glenn Hall and into 12th place in NHL history with 408 career wins, which head coach Mike Sullivan called an “incredible achievement.”
“I just think that speaks volumes for his body [of] work in this league,” Sullivan said of Quick moving past Hall. “He means a lot to this team. He’s a great leader. He competes extremely hard. He’s one of the more popular guys in our dressing room for good reason. I just think all of us that are a part of this team have so much respect for what he’s accomplished in this game and his passion for the game as he continues to strive for excellence every single day.”
Quick had been pulled on two different occasions with Shesterkin out, but he bounced back after allowing two goals early in the second period Monday that gave the Bruins a 3-2 lead. And with Shesterkin still on injured reserve and just skating on his own, the Blueshirts will need to continue relying on Quick — who turned 40 on Jan. 21 — until their $92 million star returns.
“His work ethic is impressive to watch day in and day out, and I think that speaks to his ability to play at such a high level at the age that he’s at,” Sullivan said. “That’s not easy to do. Couldn’t be happier for him because he’s competing hard for us.”
The six-game absence was filled with frustration. At the time the Rangers decided to remove him from their lineup, Matt Rempe had trouble gripping his stick, passing and shooting pucks. He couldn’t deliver the physical presence the Rangers wanted because his left thumb was still recovering from the surgery after a fight with the Sharks’ Ryan Reaves in October that left it broken.
But that disappointment, for at least one night, faded as Rempe returned to his spot on the fourth line and finished with two shots and two hits across 8:43 of ice time.
Artemi Panarin extended his point streak to 13 games (five goals, 14 assists) with an assist on Will Borgen’s goal late in the third period.
The Rangers held their latest centennial theme night of the season, this time honoring legendary Blueshirts from 1991-2004, including members of their 1994 Stanley Cup-winning team. Darren Turcotte, Radek Dvorak, Neil Smith, Mike Keenan, Kevin Lowe, Sergei Nemchinov, Craig MacTavish, Brian Noonan, Mike Hartman, Jeff Beukeboom, Jay Wells, Joe Kocur, Stephane Matteau, Glenn Anderson, Mike Richter, Adam Graves, Brian Leetch and Mark Messier all were in attendance, while Wayne Gretzky appeared on a video on the scoreboard.