Rangers’ Igor Shesterkin opens contract season in impressive fashion:

PITTSBURGH — Igor Shesterkin and the Rangers delivered a shutout performance against the Penguins, winning 6-0 in their season opener at PPG Paints Arena. Shesterkin, the star Russian goalie, made 29 saves in what is now a contract season for him.

Shesterkin, who declined an eight-year, $88 million deal before the season started, remained tight-lipped about his contract situation. Instead, he focused on the team’s strong performance in the game.

“I don’t want to talk about my contract,” he said. “If you want we can talk about our team. We played a really good game today. If you have other questions, we can talk about [rookie Victor] Mancini, [Alexis Lafreniere’s] goal, anything you want.”

Shesterkin’s strong performance was crucial in the opening period as he faced 10 shots from the Penguins but kept them off the scoreboard.

Head coach Peter Laviolette praised Shesterkin’s play in the first period, noting that there are areas for improvement but overall, he was in control of the game.

Victor Mancini received confirmation on Monday that he made the team, followed by praise from Laviolette for his preseason efforts.

Mancini was thrilled to make the team and expressed his excitement for the opportunity to play in the NHL.

“I couldn’t wipe the smile off my face,” Mancini said. “Obviously, this is something that you’ve been working for since you were a little kid. Super pumped to be here, but you know this is only the beginning. You want this just to be the beginning.”

Ryan Lindgren, who is on injured reserve, participated in the morning skate wearing a non-contact jersey and full face shield.

“It’s opening night, if somebody is able to practice with us then we want them practicing with us instead of staying behind,” Laviolette said. “It’s great to have him out there. It gets him back in the feel of practice. That’s the start of the process of the journey back.”

Despite being on long-term injured reserve, Jimmy Vesey traveled with the team to Pittsburgh.

The power-play units for Opening Night featured Adam Fox, Chris Kreider, Mika Zibanejad, Artemi Panarin, and Vincent Trocheck in the first group, and K’Andre Miller, Reilly Smith, Kaapo Kakko, Alexis Lafreniere, and Filip Chytil in the second group.

Although the power play didn’t convert on Wednesday night, the Rangers’ penalty kill successfully defended against all three of Pittsburgh’s power-play opportunities.