WASHINGTON — New York Rangers goaltender Igor Shesterkin exited Friday night’s game against the Washington Capitals with a right leg injury after an awkward collision with his own net, leaving the team with fresh goaltending concerns early in the season.
The incident occurred midway through the second period with the score tied 1-1. Shesterkin moved out of his crease to challenge an attacking shooter during a Capitals power play, then scrambled backward toward the goal line as play continued. He appeared to strike his right skate against the right goalpost and collapsed into the netting in visible pain, ABC News reported.
Medical trainers quickly attended to the 30-year-old netminder, who remained on the ice clutching his right knee. Shesterkin was ultimately helped off the ice by teammates while keeping all weight off his right leg, according to accounts from FTW Outdoors and ABC News. The Rangers subsequently ruled him out for the remainder of the contest due to a lower-body injury.
Capitals capitalize following Shesterkin’s exit
With Shesterkin sidelined, 24-year-old Dylan Garand took over between the pipes. Washington went on to claim a 3-1 victory, snapping New York’s four-game winning streak. Alexis Lafreniere had opened the scoring for the Rangers with a power-play tally before the Capitals tied the score prior to the goaltender’s departure.
Washington took the lead late in the second period when Boone Jenner converted following a Rangers turnover, and Tom Wilson sealed the result with an empty-net goal in the third period, ClutchPoints reported. Garand finished the evening stopping 11 of 12 shots in relief.
Rangers head coach Mike Sullivan expressed immediate worry after the game. “It’s concerning, obviously,” Sullivan said, as reported by ABC News. “He’s an elite goaltender and you never want to see anyone get hurt. Obviously, he’s an important player for us.”
Team captain J.T. Miller described the scene as unsettling while emphasizing that the roster must maintain focus. “It’s awful, you know? He’s a pillar of this team. It stinks,” Miller told reporters via ABC News. “Obviously, it’s young. We don’t even know what’s going on. But to see him leave the game is a shock to all of us. But at the same time it means we’ve got to step up to a man to try to get the job done.”
Depth tested in New York crease
Shesterkin, the 2022 Vezina Trophy recipient, had been enjoying a sharp opening stretch to the season. He entered Friday with a 3-1 record and a 1.76 goals-against average, and made headlines the prior week by scoring an empty-net goal against the Tampa Bay Lightning — the first goal scored by a goalie in Rangers franchise history.
Any prolonged absence would place significant strain on New York’s depth. The club’s veteran backup, Joonas Korpisalo, was placed on injured reserve earlier this month and remains week to week with a lower-body injury, ABC News reported. Garand, a 2020 fourth-round draft choice recalled from the American Hockey League’s Hartford Wolf Pack, is currently the only healthy goaltender on the active roster.
The Rangers did not release a specific medical diagnosis Friday night. The club is expected to evaluate Shesterkin further upon returning home to assess the severity and timeline of the injury.
