Rookie goaltender Alexandar Georgiev is quickly making an impressive start to life with the Rangers after taking an unconventional path to the NHL. In this earn-it league, it doesn’t matter whether a player is a lottery pick or goes undrafted. All that matters is how one responds once opportunity knocks.
Unlikely success stories are forged by determined players who seemingly come out of nowhere and prove their worth. Through his first six appearances, Georgiev is flashing the kind of competitiveness and confidence that could take him far in his career.
On the back of Monday’s 41-save winning performance against the Carolina Hurricanes, Georgiev did one better Wednesday by defeating the back-to-back Stanley Cup champion Pittsburgh Penguins in overtime, 4-3. Though Mika Zibanejad scored the deciding goal, it cannot be understated how well Georgiev fared against the star-studded Penguins.
In a game packed with dramatic momentum swings, Georgiev cut a resolute figure between the pipes. He saved 37 of 40 Pittsburgh shots to the tune of a .925 save percentage. None was more vital than a late third-period penalty shot denial of the league’s second-leading point-getter Evgeni Malkin.
MORE: Hartnett: Rangers Center Kevin Hayes Silencing His Critics
A penalty shot was called with 10.7 seconds remaining in the third period after Georgiev dislodged his own net. With Malkin bearing down on the penalty-shot attempt, Georgiev was cool as it gets, forcing him to the outside and kicking out his right pad to make the stop.
“There’s no doubt that he kept us in it early in the game,” coach Alain Vigneault said of Georgiev. “They had some real good looks. He was strong. I’m sure he would like to have that third goal back that he gave up, but he made the penalty-shot save there on one of the best, if not the best, player in the league at this time. He’s doing what you want a goaltender to do -- give yourself a chance to win -- and that’s what he’s doing for us.”
“Your heart kind of drops when you find out it’s a penalty shot, but Georgie did an unbelievable job,” left wing Chris Kreider added. “He’s been so good for us. He battles. It’s easy to play in front of a guy like that. We’ve been really lucky my entire time here regardless if it’s Hank (Lundqvist), his backup or even a third-string in this case. They come up, and they play so well. That’s a testament to our goalie coach.”
Goaltending coach Benoit Allaire certainly has a knack of identifying promising goaltenders and Georgiev has quickly endeared himself to the Garden faithful. Through six games played, the 22-year-old Moscow native is 3-2 with a 2.75 goals-against average and a robust .929 save percentage.
MORE: Hartnett: Neal Pionk Flashing Plenty Of Promise For Rangers
“He’s a great kid,” center Kevin Hayes said. “He works hard, and he’s won us some games. He’s making the stops that we need. I thought we had a big third period – and he was a big reason why.”
Rookie defenseman Neal Pionk studied Georgiev closely while the pair were playing for minor-league Hartford. Now with the Rangers, Pionk isn’t surprised by Georgiev’s steely play in net.
“Some of the saves that he made, he stood on his head,” Pionk said. “They had a lot of Grade-A chances, and he bailed us out when we needed him to. I could see the confidence building in Hartford. I think we all got off to a slow start in Hartford. Georgie really came on there and started playing well right before he got called up. Even here, I think every game he’s been in, even though he’s lost a couple, he’s played really well and his confidence is building, and you can tell.”
Although Georgiev went undrafted in 2017, his play for TPS of Finland’s top division was strong enough to earn him an invite to the Rangers’ summer development camp. He turned heads and was rewarded with a three-year, entry-level contract.
Allaire has groomed Cam Talbot, Antti Raanta and, most recently, Ondrej Pavelec into quality backups who have lessened the load on Lundqvist. Georgiev could be in line to be Allaire’s latest project since he’s demonstrating his NHL-level moxie.