Rangers goalie Igor Shesterkin helped off the ice with a right-leg injury in loss to Capitals
The 2022 Vezina winner could not put weight on his right leg after catching his skate on the post. Coach Mike Sullivan called it "concerning" and had no update after the 3-1 loss.
Photo: David (bootbearwdc) / Wikimedia Commons · CC BY 2.0
- Igor Shesterkin left Friday's 3-1 loss in Washington midway through the second period after his right skate caught the post as he scrambled back to his net.
- He was helped off by defensemen Sean Durzi and Marcus Pettersson without putting weight on his right leg, NHL.com reported. Coach Mike Sullivan had no update after the game.
- Dylan Garand, 24, replaced him and made 11 saves. Backup Joonas Korpisalo is already out week to week with a lower-body injury.
- Boone Jenner's second-period goal was the winner for Washington. Alexis Lafreniere scored for the Rangers.
- The Rangers host the Vancouver Canucks on Sunday.
The Rangers lost more than a game in Washington on Friday night. Star goaltender Igor Shesterkin was helped off the ice with a lower-body injury in the second period of a 3-1 loss to the Capitals, and coach Mike Sullivan had no update on his condition afterward.
"Well, it's concerning, obviously," Sullivan said, according to NHL.com. "He's an elite goaltender."
How it happened
With Washington on a power play at 8:20 of the second period, Shesterkin came well out of his crease to challenge a shooter. As he scrambled back, his right skate jammed into the right post and his leg bent awkwardly as he fell into the net, NHL.com and ESPN reported. He lay on the ice for several minutes holding his right knee while head athletic trainer Andy Hosler attended to him.
Defensemen Sean Durzi and Marcus Pettersson then helped him off the ice. He did not put any weight on his right leg and needed help down the tunnel to the locker room, NHL.com reported. Captain J.T. Miller called Shesterkin a "pillar of this team" and said it was too early to know what was wrong.
The game
Shesterkin had stopped 13 of 14 shots, and the game was tied 1-1 when he left. Alexis Lafreniere scored for the Rangers. Boone Jenner put Washington ahead with a wrist shot with 2:22 left in the second, and Tom Wilson and Timothy Liljegren also scored for the Capitals. Logan Thompson made 21 saves, CBS New York reported.
Dylan Garand, 24, made 11 saves in relief. He was called up from AHL Hartford on Oct. 1 and earned his first NHL shutout, a 2-0 win in Detroit, the next night. He is 3-1-1 with a 1.31 goals-against average and a .954 save percentage in five career NHL games, according to NHL.com.
Thin in goal
The Rangers are already without backup Joonas Korpisalo, who is out week to week with a lower-body injury; Sullivan said there was no change in his status. Shesterkin, who won the Vezina Trophy in 2021-22, was 3-1-0 with a 1.75 goals-against average and a .926 save percentage in four starts this season, and he scored his first NHL goal in a 5-1 win over Tampa Bay on Oct. 1, NHL.com reported. He missed 13 games last season with a lower-body injury.
The Rangers are back at Madison Square Garden on Sunday against the Vancouver Canucks.
- NHL.comShesterkin helped off ice for Rangers with lower-body injury
- CBS New YorkCapitals beat Rangers 3-1 as New York goaltender Igor Shesterkin is helped off the ice
- ESPNIgor Shesterkin helped off ice after fall in Rangers' loss
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