Igor Shesterkin has stopped 94 of the 101 shots he has faced so far this postseason and his play in net is a big reason the New York Rangers rolled through the first round and look like a Stanley Cup contender.

Says Shesterkin: “I could play better.”

“I can do less rebounds, play more confident with the puck and in the net, too,” Shesterkin added.

Up next for the Rangers are the Carolina Hurricanes in the secound round.

The humbling assessment from the 2022 Vezina Trophy winner as the league’s top goaltender was no surprise to teammates who have seen him make one improbable save after another. Just from the opening series against Washington there was a post-to-post robbery of Max Pacioretty, a lunging stop to prevent Alex Ovechkin from scoring and countless others that allowed the Rangers to sweep.

“He can steal any game, really, (that) he wants to,” captain Jacob Trouba said. “We know what we have back there. We don’t want to rely on him. But when we do have breakdowns and mistakes, I think we have complete trust that he’s there to have our backs.”