EDMONTON, Alberta — Don’t judge a goalie by his preseason.
Jonathan Quick could be the epitome of that rule after the Rangers backup netminder pitched a 29-save shutout, his first as a Ranger and the 59th of his career, in the club’s 3-0 win over the Oilers at Rogers Place on Thursday night.
“Jonathan played really well,” head coach Peter Laviolette said. “It was probably noise about our second period, but there was a lot of saves that he had to make in the second period that were really big. It was a really great performance by him. I think it was just good to come back and play a game that we were happier with the way we played.”
Through two games and 26:07 of a relief appearance, Quick has posted a staggering .982 save percentage.
He has stopped 56 of the 57 shots he’s seen so far this season after a concerning stretch in the preseason.
The Oilers were without Connor McDavid on Thursday night, but Edmonton challenged Quick all the same.
Though the Rangers played a pretty tight defensive game, Quick still had to make some difficult saves to keep the home team off the board.
“We got the win, right?” Quick said when asked about the shutout. “That’s first and foremost. We’re 3-0 on the trip and now we’re trying to build off that.”
Laviolette said Quick’s career numbers against Edmonton played a role in the decision to go with him instead of No. 1 goalie Igor Shesterkin, who presumably will play the remainder of the road trip in Vancouver and Winnipeg.
Entering Thursday’s contest, Quick owned a 24-11-6 record with a 2.18 goals-against average, a .920 save percentage and three career shutouts against the Oilers.
The 37-year-old goalie declined to comment on how he was feeling about his play, instead opting to make it about the team’s success as opposed to just his own.
“You know what, it’s a game, there’s going to be a lot of positives and negatives every game,” he said. “So no matter what the outcome is, you’re looking to get better at what you did wrong and build off what you did right. We’ll obviously watch video and continue to work.”
The Rangers dressed the same skaters for the fourth game in a row, meaning Tyler Pitlick and Zac Jones were the healthy scratches once again.
It’s the first time since the 2016-17 season that the Blueshirts have won five of their first seven games.
Heading to Vancouver next, the Rangers are expected to practice on Friday before facing the Canucks Saturday night.
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