Who will guard the goal for the New York Rangers? The issue has been topical throughout the season when Henrik Lundqvist and Alexandar Georgiev rotated and came to a head when Igor Sjestiorkin was called up from the farm team Hartford in January. But coach David Quinn has hovered over the answer about who is really one, and about Sweden's time as number one is over.

Until tonight's game against Minnesota.

At a press conference he got the question of Sjestiorkin's place in the team, and stopped humming.

"As the situation is now and as he has played, he is number one, absolutely," said Quinn, according to the New York Post.

- You want to give everyone a chance and see how it goes. I think all three have had enough chances to show up. I simply think Igor made the biggest impression.

Lundqvist has been one in the Rangers since the 2005–06 season and has so far been in goal 30 games so far this season. With a total of 885 NHL matches, the Swede has only eight goalkeepers ahead of him on the list of the players who have made the most matches in the league, and he is just one match behind eight Tony Esposito. But since Sjestiorkin's entrance, he has only started two games.

For Quinn and the others in the team, the question remains who will be number two, and who may need to leave the team. Club icon Lundqvist, 38 years in March, has one year left on the contract and according to it can not be reached. But 24-year-old Georgiev, who was bought in to replace the Swede, is still a future name and has occasionally shown class during the season.

"We have confidence in all three of our goalkeepers," Quinn said shortly before the Minnesota match.

In that match it was Georgiev who guarded the cage, with Lundqvist in the booth. Sjestiorkin got a lap on Winnipeg on Tuesday and was forced to rest.

Bulgarian Georgiev allowed three pucks, but never surrendered responsibility to Lundqvist in the match, which Rangers won by 4-3 after penalties. Mika Zibanejad had saved the team with their receipt minutes before the final signal. It was Sweden's 24th goal for the season, and he is therefore second in the team's internal shooting.

Zibanejad and the team's goal king Artemi Panarin were then the two who netted for Rangers in the penalty shootout.

Emotional when Joel Lundqvist gets to see the pictures of himself and his brother (February 3, 2020)

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