A Humble Anthony Stolarz Takes His Hat Off to Igor Shesterkin After Leafs' Loss to Rangers

Saturday's clash between the Leafs and the Rangers in Toronto was the Leafs' biggest test to date this season under new head coach Craig Berube. The Leafs brought a 3-1-0 record into Saturday's game, sporting wins over New Jersey, Pittsburgh and Los Angeles, looking dominant throughout the 3-game winning streak. Unfortunately, that streak of dominance would end there.

While the Leafs had their chances in last night's loss to New York, it was Igor Shesterkin who stood tall, emerging as the best player on either team. In the end, the Rangers left Toronto with another win in the books, moving to 4-0-1 on the season.

Shesterkin made 34 saves on 35 shots in the win, and following the game, he also received some respect and adoration from the goalie at the other end of the ice in Anthony Stolarz.

Stolarz played well in his own right, stopping 25 of 27 shots, posting a .926 SV% in the contest, but it simply wasn't enough to get the job done. There was no goal support by the Leafs, largely due to how well Shesterkin played.

The reports floating around out there suggest that Shesterkin is looking for a deal with a cap hit at or above $12M. There were even reports that he turned down a deal worth $11M per season. Judging by Stolarz's comments following the loss, he may tend to agree that Shesterkin deserves it.