NEW YORK _ It was, perhaps, not the debut Igor Shesterkin had dreamt. But it certainly showed what made him so impressive.
Sure, he heard the cheers when his name was announced, and Madison Square Garden is about as good a place as any to introduce yourself to the NHL. But the reality Tuesday was that this was the Avalanche, who came into the day leading the league at 3.6 goals per game, and this was the Rangers defense, which this season has proven itself to be inconveniently porous.
And there were glitches: turnovers, missed defensive assignments, and just the general jitters that come in a player's first NHL game. And through it all, Shesterkin kept his cool and came away with the win.
