Igor Shesterkin has the Rangers looking like a Stanley Cup contender. He says he can be better

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.”

Minutes later, forward Vincent Trocheck, who was the best skater on the ice in the series, echoed a similar sentiment: "Whenever we do have a little bit of a letdown, he’s back there to save our butts.”

Even when Shesterkin himself had a letdown, giving up a weird goal in Game 3 on hockey's equivalent of a diving curve ball, he was perfect the rest of the way.

“Not surprised,” Trocheck said. “We need him to be the backbone of this team. He’s been doing it for years now.”

Coach Peter Laviolette sees a goalie who “seems to be tracking everything really well,” seeing the whole rink from side to side and having good awareness of what's going on around him beyond the puck. Backup Jonathan Quick, the 2012 Conn Smythe Trophy winner as playoff MVP in his first of two Cup runs with Los Angeles, appreciates the work Shesterkin has put in to be in the right position so frequently.

“Everyone sees the saves and how great he is athletically and stuff like that,” Quick said. “But I think the part that stands out to me always is his ability to read plays, read what’s going to happen.”

Trouba often finds himself looking up at arena video screens to watch replays of saves by Shesterkin that make him go, “Wow, he got over there.”

Fellow defenseman K'Andre Miller is still surprised by the 28-year-old Russian's spectacular stops and consistent play.

“He’s done a great job of just proving why he’s been the best at what he does,” Miller said. “He makes himself better every day, but he also pushes us to be the best we can.”

Asked how good the Rangers can be and how deep they could go, Shesterkin said only, “We will see.” The real answer is almost certainly how far he can carry them.

AP NHL playoffs: https://apnews.com/hub/stanley-cup and https://www.apnews.com/hub/NHL

New York Rangers goaltender Igor Shesterkin (31) makes a save during the first period against the Wahington Capitals in Game 3 of an NHL hockey Stanley Cup first-round playoff series, Friday, April 26, 2024, in Washington. (AP Photo/Tom Brenner)

New York Rangers goaltender Igor Shesterkin (31) reacts after Washington Capitals' Connor McMichael scored a goal during the first period in Game 2 of an NHL hockey Stanley Cup first-round playoff series, Tuesday, April 23, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)

New York Rangers goaltender Igor Shesterkin (31) is embraced by teammate Barclay Goodrow (21) after defeating the Washington Capitals in Game 3 of an NHL hockey Stanley Cup first-round playoff series, Friday, April 26, 2024, in Washington. (AP Photo/Tom Brenner)

New York Rangers goaltender Igor Shesterkin (31) makes a save during the third period in Game 4 of an NHL hockey Stanley Cup first-round playoff series against the Washington Capitals Sunday, April 28, 2024, in Washington. (AP Photo/Tom Brenner)

New York Rangers goaltender Igor Shesterkin (31) makes a save as Washington Capitals right wing Tom Wilson (43) shoots during the first period in Game 4 of an NHL hockey Stanley Cup first-round playoff series Sunday, April 28, 2024, in Washington. (AP Photo/Tom Brenner)

New York Rangers goaltender Igor Shesterkin makes a save during the second period in Game 1 of an NHL hockey Stanley Cup first-round playoff series against the Washington Capitals, Sunday, April 21, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — A massive Ukrainian drone attack on Crimea early Friday caused power cutoffs in the city of Sevastopol and set a refinery ablaze in southern Russia, Russian authorities said.

The drone raids marked Kyiv's attempt to strike back during Moscow's offensive in northeastern Ukraine, which has added to the pressure on outnumbered and outgunned Ukrainian forces who are waiting for delayed deliveries of crucial weapons and ammunition from Western partners.

The Russian Defense Ministry said air defenses downed 51 Ukrainian drones over Crimea, another 44 over the Krasnodar region and six over the Belgorod region. It said Russian warplanes and patrol boats also destroyed six sea drones in the Black Sea.

Mikhail Razvozhayev, the governor of Sevastopol, which is the main base for Russia's Black Sea Fleet, said the drone attack damaged the city’s power plant. He said it could take a day to fully restore energy supplies and warned residents that power would be cut to parts of the city.

“Communal services are doing their best to restore the power system as quickly as possible,” he said in a statement.

Razvozhayev also announced that schools in the city would be closed temporarily.

Earlier Ukrainian attacks damaged aircraft and a fuel storage facility at Belbek air base near Sevastopol, according to satellite images released by Maxar Technologies.

In the Krasnodar region, the authorities said a drone attack early Friday caused a fire at an oil refinery in Tuapse which was later contained. There were no casualties.

Ukraine has repeatedly targeted refineries and other energy facilities deep inside Russia, causing significant damage.

Ukrainian drones also attacked Novorossiysk, a major Black Sea port. The Krasnodar region’s governor, Veniamin Kondratyev, said fragments of downed drones caused several fires but there were no casualties.

Belgorov Gov. Vyacheslav Gladkov said a Ukrainian drone struck a vehicle, killing a woman and her 4-year-old child. Another attack set a fuel tank ablaze at a gas station in the region, he said.

Meanwhile, Ukrainian troops were fighting to halt Russian advances in the northeastern Kharkiv region that began late last week.

The town of Vovchansk, located just 5 kilometers (3 miles) from the Russian border, has been a hot spot in the fighting in recent days. Ukrainian authorities have evacuated some 8,000 civilians from the town. The Russian army’s usual tactic is to reduce towns and villages to ruins with aerial strikes before its units move in.

Russia has also been testing defenses at other points along the roughly 1,000-kilometer (620-mile) front line snaking from north to south through eastern Ukraine. That line has barely changed over the past 18 months in what became a war of attrition. Recent Russian attacks have come in the eastern Donetsk region, as well as the Chernihiv and Sumy regions in the north and in the southern Zaporizhzhia region. The apparent aim is to stretch depleted Ukrainian resources and exploit weaknesses.

Follow AP's coverage at https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine

This image released by Maxar Technologies shows a closer view of a destroyed MiG 31 fighter aircraft at Belbek air base, near Sevastopol, in Crimea, Thursday, May 16, 2024. (Satellite image ©2024 Maxar Technologies via AP)

This image released by Maxar Technologies shows an overview of Belbek air base, near Sevastopol, in Crimea, Thursday, May 16, 2024. (Satellite image ©2024 Maxar Technologies via AP)

This image released by Maxar Technologies shows an overview of destroyed MiG 31 fighter aircraft and fuel storage facility at Belbek air base, near Sevastopol, in Crimea, Thursday, May 16, 2024. (Satellite image ©2024 Maxar Technologies via AP)

This image released by Maxar Technologies shows an overview of a destroyed SU 27 fighter aircraft in revetment at Belbek air base, near Sevastopol, in Crimea, Thursday, May 16, 2024. (Satellite image ©2024 Maxar Technologies via AP)

This image released by Maxar Technologies shows a damaged plane, likely a MiG 31 fighter aircraft, at Belbek air base, near Sevastopol, in Crimea, Thursday, May 16, 2024. (Satellite image ©2024 Maxar Technologies via AP)