Igor Shesterkin gave Madison Square Garden a moment the Rangers had never seen from their crease, firing the first goalie goal in franchise history during Thursday’s 5-1 win over the Tampa Bay Lightning.
The netminder’s score put an exclamation point on a convincing New York victory and immediately took over the hockey conversation online. Shesterkin had threatened to do it before, but this time he finally found the empty cage.
Quick facts
- Shesterkin scored the first goal by a goaltender in Rangers history.
- The goal came Thursday at Madison Square Garden against Tampa Bay.
- New York beat the Lightning 5-1.
- The 2026-27 NHL season is only three days old.
- The Rangers are back on the ice Friday in Detroit against the Red Wings.
New York’s social channels quickly saluted their goaltender after the horn. The play also produced a flood of replay angles and reactions around the league.
Henrik Lundqvist, the former Rangers goalie now working as an MSG analyst, had some fun with it on the broadcast. Lundqvist cracked that the club could use the extra offense before offering his congratulations.
Shesterkin said his last game goal came during his junior days. It took only three days of the new NHL campaign for him to add a rare piece of history to the Rangers’ record book.
There will be plenty more looks at the puck leaving Shesterkin’s stick before New York heads west to Detroit. The Rangers face the Red Wings on Friday.
