Mark Madden: Goaltending, Crosby combine to put Penguins on cusp of series win

You can flip Igor Shesterkin over. He’s done on this side.

It seemed likely that goaltending would decide the first-round playoff series between the Pittsburgh Penguins and New York Rangers. But not like this.

Third-stringer Louis Domingue has played passably for the Penguins.

Shesterkin, the likely Vezina Trophy winner as the NHL’s best goalie, has been awful for the Rangers. He conceded 10 goals in three periods over two games at PPG Paints Arena. He leaked in two bad goals Saturday, two more Monday, and several others that weren’t great.

Shesterkin has trouble finding the puck in his skates. He gets twitchy when the Penguins jam the puck under his feet. Bad becomes worse.

Kenny Pickett has small hands. Maybe Shesterkin has small feet.

Shesterkin couldn’t possibly play worse. Unless he does. Rangers coach Gerard Gallant says he will stick with Shesterkin in Game 5 on Wednesday at New York.

The Penguins have a reputation for breaking star goalies in the playoffs, like the Rangers’ Henrik Lundqvist in 2016 or Nashville’s Pekka Rinne in ’17.

But this is different. This is worse.

One legit comparison is what the Penguins did to Washington’s Jim Carey. Carey made the NHL’s all-rookie team in 1995 and won the Vezina Trophy in 1996.

But Carey had the misfortune of playing the Penguins in the playoffs both years. The Penguins noticed a flaw in Carey’s game, reportedly a hitch in his movement side to side. His save percentage in 10 postseason games against Pittsburgh was .816, his goals-against average 4.61.

That merciless dissection ruined Carey’s career. He became a net defective.

Carey only started one more season. He was out of the NHL by 1999.

What’s happening to Shesterkin evokes that. The damage being done seems long-term.

The Penguins did their part by getting 30 shots on Shesterkin during his two periods Monday. The Penguins got a lot of good looks. The Rangers were “soft,” as Gallant said, which is a less wordy way of saying they rolled over and played dead. But maybe that was the manifestation of a collapsing goaltender losing the faith of his teammates.

The PPG Paints Arena crowd was brilliant. The cliched rhythmic chant of Shesterkin’s first name gave way to “We want Igor!” after the goalie change. Not bad.

Domingue was lionized by the citizens after even the most routine of saves Monday. Domingue stabbed at the puck a bit, but Shesterkin made Domingue look like Jacques Plante dipped in Ken Dryden. (Or Martin Brodeur mixed with Patrick Roy. Pick your era.)

In keeping with the seasonlong trend of going relatively unnoticed regardless of his level of excellence, the goaltending drama obscured Sidney Crosby taking over Monday’s game, the latest chapter in him taking over the series.

Crosby has had multiple points in each of the series’ games, two goals and seven assists total.

Nine points puts Crosby tied for second in the playoff scoring race but doesn’t begin to reflect Crosby’s overall nightly impact: his superb 200-foot game, he won 65% of his draws Monday night, he has assisted on all of Jake Guentzel’s playoff-leading five goals, etc.

Crosby’s precision and drive are ruthless.

The best player in these playoffs has been Crosby. He also is a lot further up the totem pole for this season as a whole than many would admit. ESPN.com ranked Crosby the playoffs’ 19th-best player heading into the postseason. That’s absurd.

Crosby stopped getting his legit due a few years back. It’s inexplicable and indefensible.

What happens Wednesday is anybody’s guess. It’s been that kind of series.

But there’s only one way for Shesterkin to dig out: Win the series.

If the Rangers lose, Shesterkin gets blamed, and rightly so. His poor play got the Rangers in this mess. Only Shesterkin’s return to his prior brilliance can get them out.