Jonathan Quick gives the Rangers the best goalie tandem in the NHL

Igor Shesterkin’s windmill defenses have become the hallmark of the Russian goalkeeper, but on Saturday evening it was Jonathan Quick who grabbed the puck out of the air with a quick and fluid movement.

The Ducks had just earned their only power play in the second half of a scoreless game against the Rangers at Madison Square Garden when the 38-year-old Quick made a save.

With Quick hugging the right post and watching Troy Terry move towards him, the Ducks forward then hit Mason McTavish to a high spot in the middle of the zone for an immediate one-timer.

He quickly moved forward, stretched out his hand, and put on his glove. This was met with thunderous applause from the Garden crowd, who erupted in chants of “QUICK-IE” to show their appreciation.

McTavish drove through the blue crease, said something to the Rangers’ backup goaltender and shook his head in disbelief at the thought of one spectacular save on Quick’s 32nd goal with the Blueshirts. 2-1 win over Anaheim.

“He was great,” Ryan Lindgren said. “We missed too many chances, but that one in the slot – that glove save (on McTavish) – that was something. He was amazing all night.”

If there was any doubt that the Rangers had the best goalie tandem in the NHL, there should be no longer.

Sure, Islanders’ Semyon Varlamov and Ilya Sorokin are also dangerous.

Their cumulative goaltending stats last season were a .913 save percentage, an average of 2.60 goals against and five turnovers.

Shesterkin and Quick hovered around the exact same numbers last regular season, combining for a .912 save percentage, 2.60 GAA and six shutouts.

The NHL has come to expect a certain level of excellence from Shesterkin, who will become the highest-paid goaltender in league history between now and next summer.

However, the fact that Quick picked up right where he left off last season allowed the Rangers to be so strong in net.

“I thought he was solid – he has two points now,” head coach Peter Laviolette said of Quick Saturday night. “He has some really strong back-to-back games for us. It’s fantastic that I didn’t play for a few days and just practiced. This shouldn’t surprise anyone. He’s a world-class goalkeeper.”

Just look at Quick’s numbers from his final season in Los Angeles and his brief stint in Las Vegas in 2022-23, and you’d think the Connecticut native might be about to hang up his skates.

Completing a 16-15-6 overall record, an .882 save percentage and a 3.41 goals against average, Quick has never had worse full-season stats in his 18-year NHL career.

Instead, the future Hall of Famer came to New York and revitalized a storied career that he further cemented by becoming the top U.S.-born goaltender while wearing a Rangers jersey last season.

In 29 games for the Rangers since the 2023-24 season, including two starts this season, Quick has a .914 save percentage and a 2.54 goals against average with two shutouts.

He has allowed just three goals on 64 shots in his last two games, giving him a .953 save percentage and a 1.51 goals against average for the season.

Saturday night counted as win No. 395 for Quick, who is now just five away from becoming the first American goaltender to reach 400 wins in NHL history.