Igor Shesterkin’s opening week included a goal, an assist and a place in the NHL record book, earning the New York Rangers goaltender First Star honors for the week ending Oct. 4. Edmonton Oilers defenseman Evan Bouchard and new Vancouver Canucks winger Paul Cotter rounded out the League’s three-star selection.
Igor Shesterkin takes First Star
Shesterkin went 2-1-0 in three starts for the Rangers, posting a 1.67 goals-against average and a .934 save percentage. His 71 saves ranked second across the NHL, while his 76 shots faced were third-most during the week.
New York opened 2026-27 at 3-1-0 for six points, leaving the opening week atop the overall standings. Shesterkin began by turning aside the first 19 shots he saw and finished with 20 saves in a 3-0 loss to the Boston Bruins on Sept. 29.
He answered with a 23-save performance in a 5-1 win over the Tampa Bay Lightning on Oct. 1, then sent the puck into the empty net for the first goaltender goal in Rangers history. It also made him the 18th NHL goalie to score in a regular-season game.
On Oct. 4, Shesterkin made 28 stops and collected the fourth assist of his career as New York beat the Utah Mammoth 4-2.
The 30-year-old, winner of the 2021-22 Vezina Trophy, owns a 189-108-28 career record in 328 NHL games, all with the Rangers. He carries a 2.51 goals-against average, a .917 save percentage and 22 shutouts since New York selected him 118th overall in the 2014 NHL Draft.
Evan Bouchard’s offense drives Edmonton
Bouchard was named Second Star after piling up four goals and four assists in Edmonton’s first three games. His eight points led all NHL defensemen and trailed only one player League-wide.
The Oilers went 2-0-1 and collected five of a possible six standings points. Bouchard opened the season with a three-goal, two-assist night in a 6-5 overtime loss to Vancouver on Sept. 29.
That five-point game was the first by an NHL defenseman in a season opener. His hat trick made him the third blueliner to score three times in a first game of the season, joining Mark Howe with Hartford in 1980-81 and Bert Corbeau with Montreal in 1919-20.
Bouchard followed with one goal and two assists in Edmonton’s 9-7 victory over Vancouver on Oct. 1. With eight points through two games, he became the first defenseman in League history to reach that total so quickly to begin a season.
He closed the week skating 27:01 with a plus-1 rating in a 3-1 win against the Seattle Kraken on Oct. 3.
The 26-year-old has 80 goals and 261 assists for 341 points in 432 NHL games. Last season, he set personal bests with 21 goals, 74 assists and 95 points in 82 appearances.
Paul Cotter makes quick Vancouver impact
Cotter took Third Star after scoring four times in four games for Vancouver. The offseason free-agent addition finished the week with six points, adding two assists as the Canucks went 2-2-0.
His Vancouver debut against Edmonton on Sept. 29 was a loud one: two goals in a 6-5 overtime win, including his first NHL shorthanded marker and his second career overtime winner.
Cotter became the sixth player in Canucks history to score multiple times in his club debut. Elias Lindholm was the previous Vancouver player to do it, in 2023-24. Cotter was also the first Canuck ever to record either a shorthanded goal or an overtime goal in his first game with the team.
He recorded a goal and an assist in the 9-7 loss to the Oilers on Oct. 1, added an assist during a 4-1 win over the Calgary Flames on Oct. 3, and scored in a 3-2 loss to the Vegas Golden Knights on Oct. 4.
After the horn
Cotter, 26, has played 300 NHL games with Vancouver, the New Jersey Devils and Vegas, producing 51 goals and 37 assists for 88 points.
