GREENBURGH, N.Y. — Igor Shesterkin has given Rangers fans a new reason to roar whenever he leaves his crease. After scoring the first goal by a goaltender in franchise history against the Utah Mammoth, the New York netminder heard “shoot” chants at Madison Square Garden every time the puck found his stick.
He nearly delivered again. With Utah goaltender Karel Vejmelka on the bench and 58 seconds left, Shesterkin fired the puck from behind his own net toward the vacant cage. Mammoth defenseman Mikhail Sergachev got back in time to stop it above the circles, officially drawing a blocked-shot credit.
Quick facts
- Shesterkin was selected as the NHL First Star of the Week on Monday.
- He opened the season 2-1-0 with a 1.67 goals-against average and a .934 save percentage.
- His goal was the 21st by a goalie in NHL history and the first for the Rangers.
- He also recorded an assist on Eeli Tolvanen’s empty-net goal against Utah.
- New York hosts the New York Islanders on Tuesday at 7:30 p.m. ET on ESPN.
“It’s pretty fun when I hear that,” Shesterkin said after Monday’s practice. “It’s part of the game, part of the show.” He said the Rangers were laughing about the chants in the room afterward.
Utah appeared ready for the possibility of another long-distance bid. All six Mammoth skaters drifted toward the middle as Shesterkin collected the puck on his late-game attempt.
“Probably they watched highlights before the game and told everyone to be careful when we pull the goalie,” Shesterkin said with a laugh.
The Rangers goalie brings a two-game winning streak and a two-game scoring streak into Tuesday’s meeting with the Islanders. One more point would tie the NHL mark for the longest point run by a goalie: three games, achieved by Henrik Lundqvist in 2010-11, Ed Belfour in 2001-02, and Tom Barrasso twice, in 1984-85 and 1988-89.
“We joked afterward that he’s still in the race for the league scoring lead,” defenseman Sean Durzi said. “He’s great.”
Shesterkin’s confidence with the puck did not begin in the NHL. He said he switched to goalie at age 6 because other kids were already better skaters, but he kept looking for opportunities to handle a stick and shoot during drills.
His only previous goal came at 19 while playing for Spartak in Russia’s top junior circuit. He recalled making a glove save from a red-line attempt, dropping the puck and sending it back the other way for the score.
Now, the value is as much about escaping pressure as producing points. Shesterkin’s ability to leave the net and move the puck can spare a defenseman from a heavy forecheck and turn a soft dump-in into a clean exit.
“I try to help my defensemen so maybe they don’t take an extra hit in the corner,” Shesterkin said. “If I can go behind the net and make life easier for them, of course I will.”
Durzi said that support lets New York’s blue line play with more bite. Rangers defensemen can challenge entries knowing a poor dump-in may be collected and moved quickly by their goalie.
“It’s awesome,” Durzi said. “My job is to hold our blue line and make it tough for their best players to get in. If they make a bad dump-in, or I make it difficult and the puck gets to him, we’re probably getting out. That’s a strength.”
Braden Schneider sees the same effect. A Shesterkin touch gives the defense more time to recover, and his range of passing options can find a middle skater or winger before opponents can reload.
That was the sequence behind the assist against Utah. While the Rangers were short-handed, they forced Nick Schmaltz into a soft rim around the boards. Shesterkin took the puck behind the net, saw Utah’s skaters packed into the middle, and sent it up the wall to Will Cuylle to start the play that ended with Tolvanen scoring into the empty net.
“They’re all in the middle of the ice and he puts it up the wall,” Schneider said. “Now he has a goal and an assist in two starts.”
The Garden crowd is clearly hoping the next Shesterkin touch turns into another shot. “We play for the fans,” he said. “I’ll keep trying.”
