Rangers Triumph Over Lightning with Shesterkin’s Historic Goalie Goal

The New York Rangers rebounded effectively from a 3-0 defeat to the Boston Bruins by securing a decisive 5-1 victory over the Tampa Bay Lightning on Thursday.

The team showcased a comprehensive performance with outstanding contribution from their star goaltender, Igor Shesterkin. He managed to stop 23 out of 24 shots, delivering a key performance between the pipes.

Remarkably, Shesterkin also scored a memorable goalie goal at 17:26 in the third period, bringing the score to 5-1. The Lightning had pulled their goalie, offering Shesterkin an opportunity. He converted a turnover into a long-distance goal from the Rangers’ crease.

This marked Shesterkin’s first career goalie goal, etching his name into Rangers’ history as the first goalie for the team to achieve such a feat. He becomes the 18th goalie in the NHL to score a goal. The last goaltender to accomplish this was New York Islanders’ Ilya Sorokin on March 1, 2025, against the Nashville Predators.

Following this landmark event, the focus remains on Shesterkin’s performance this season. He has shown a promising start with a .935 save percentage and a 1.51 goals-against average across two appearances.