After a tough 3-0 loss to the Boston Bruins in their season opener on Tuesday, the New York Rangers responded nicely by defeating the Tampa Bay Lightning 5-1 on Thursday. The Rangers put together a strong all-around team performance against the Lightning. Star goaltender Igor Shesterkin was particularly impressive between the pipes, as he stopped 23 out of 24 shots.
However, Shesterkin most notably scored an awesome goalie goal at the 17:26 mark of the third period to give New York their 5-1 lead. With the Lightning's net empty, Shesterkin took advantage of a turnover and shot the puck from the Rangers' crease into Tampa Bay's net. This is the first time in Shesterkin's NHL career that he has scored a goalie goal.
He is also now the first goalie in Rangers history to score a goal, so this was a historic moment for the Original Six club. Shesterkin is now the 18th goalie in NHL history to score a goal. New York Islanders goalie Ilya Sorokin was the last goalie to score before Shesterkin, as he did back on March 1, 2025, against the Nashville Predators.
It will now be interesting to see how Shesterkin performs this season after scoring this goalie goal. He has been off to a strong start this campaign, as he has a .935 save percentage and a 1.51 goals-against average in two appearances.
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