Rangers face grueling choice with developing young goalie
Whether Alex Georgiev’s development as a goalie this season is best suited as the backup to Henrik Lundqvist on the Rangers or as the possible starter for AHL Hartford is something the Blueshirts are going to have to decide by the end of training camp. But for now, the 22-year-old Bulgarian is just trying to get his feet under him again.
Georgiev got the start and stopped 16-of-18 shots over 36:48 of playing time in the preseason opener, a 4-3 overtime win against the Devils at Prudential Center on Monday night.
“I feel like it was a grind for the first game,” Georgiev said. “I caught a bit of confidence in the second period, found the right way to play. I got into the game a bit.”
It’s likely that Georgiev is battling for the backup spot with Dustin Tokarski and Marek Mazanec, the latter replacing him late in the second period and going on to stop 8-of-9 shots before Neal Pionk won it 1:20 into the three-on-three overtime period.
Georgiev played in 10 games with the Rangers last season — nine starts — and was rather impressive with a .918 save percentage while the decimated defense allowed a plethora of high-quality scoring chances. He spent most of the season with AHL Hartford, where he had a .909 save percentage and 2.98 goals-against average.
If it’s up to him, Georgiev would rather be with the big club.
“I always have been aiming for the highest thing, so obviously I want to be with the Rangers,” Georgiev said. “I want to play, help the team win. That’s what I want.”
First-year coach David Quinn said judging where Georgiev’s development is best suited comes on “a case-by-case basis,” but that it was fortunate their minor-league team was so close.
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“Maybe with guys we can put them in a situation where they’re up and down, particularly with a goalie,” Quinn said. “But I think those decisions will be made as we go along.”
Center Boo Nieves took a hard hit to the head from Devils defenseman Eric Gryba late in the third period, and he didn’t return. Quinn said after the game that it was “too early to get a read” on Nieves’ status, and he left any judgment of the unpenalized hit up to the league.
“It’s a physical game, things happen fast,” Quinn said. “So the league will take a look at it and make a decision.”
As for Quinn’s first foray as an NHL head coach, he shrugged it off as no big deal.
“Once the game got going, it just felt like another hockey game,” he said. “I know people might not believe that, but it’s the truth.”
The Rangers had to kill off seven penalties, and there was an unfamiliar face out there doing it — Chris Kreider. The veteran forward was on for 3:28 of shorthanded time, more than his total of 1:24 for all of last season and just short of his career total of 5:37 in 381 games.
The Devils scored two power-play goals, and Kreider wasn’t on for either.
Quinn said on Monday that the team was planning on cutting down the training camp roster from three groups to two sometime in the “next day or two.”