Igor Shesterkin gave the Rangers a home opener they’ll be talking about for a long time.
He did it the hard way, too. New York rolled past the Tampa Bay Lightning 5-1 on Thursday night, but the loudest moment came with 2:34 left when Shesterkin stepped into a loose puck near the crease and scored his first NHL goal. The sellout crowd at Madison Square Garden erupted as the puck slid down the ice and into the net just inside the left post.
It was a career first, a franchise first and a rare NHL moment all at once. Shesterkin became the first goaltender in Rangers history to score, and just the 21st goalie overall to do it in the NHL, including the playoffs.
He’s also the first netminder to score since March 1, 2025, when his friend and rival Ilya Sorokin of the New York Islanders scored against the Nashville Predators. Of the 18 goaltenders who have scored, Martin Brodeur did it three times and Ron Hextall twice.
Earlier in the third period, fans were already chanting “Igor’s better” as Shesterkin outplayed longtime Russian rival Andrei Vasilevskiy. After the goal, the Garden turned into a celebration. Shesterkin punched the air, teammates swarmed him, and he later joined the handshake line with everyone else on the ice.
“I will keep trying to score,” he said in a boisterous Rangers locker room.
Coach Mike Sullivan kept his response simple: “Well, he made history,” he said, adding that “obviously one of his strengths is his ability to handle the puck, and when those moments occur for a team, they’re great moments.”
Shesterkin’s night was about more than the goal. He stopped 24 shots and improved to 9-4-1 in his career against the Lightning. Vasilevskiy finished with 20 saves and dropped to 7-10-2 lifetime against New York.
The Rangers also got major production from their newcomers in their 100th home opener. Pavel Dorofeyev had a goal and an assist, and Eeli Tolvanen scored his first goal with the team. Mika Zibanejad and Gabe Perreault added goals, and Adam Fox had two assists.
New York looked far sharper than it did two nights earlier, when Boston shut it out 3-0 in the season opener. The Rangers came out flying, putting three shots on goal in the first 90 seconds and grabbing the lead 5:34 into the game.
The opening goal came on a power play after Lightning defenseman J.J. Moser was called for holding.
Fox found Dorofeyev, whose shot hit the crossbar and bounced into the left circle. Zibanejad was waiting there and snapped it into a mostly open net before Vasilevskiy could recover.
That made it 1-0 and gave Zibanejad his 11th goal in 17 career games against Vasilevskiy.
Dorofeyev made it 2-0 at 10:51. Oliver Bjorkstrand stripped the puck from John Carlson near the red line, raced in and fed Dorofeyev, who beat a helpless Vasilevskiy.
Tampa Bay pushed back after that and spent long stretches in the Rangers’ end. Shesterkin came up with a big stop on Jake Guentzel late in the period, while his teammates blocked nine shots and forced eight more misses. The Lightning had 26 attempts to 13 for New York and held a 6-2 edge in high-danger chances, according to Natural Stat Trick, but the Rangers still carried a 2-0 lead into the intermission.
The second period brought a pair of odd goals.
Tolvanen’s pass from the right side along the goal line struck Lightning defenseman Charle-Edouard D’Astous as he tried to deal with Will Cuylle, and the puck slipped past Vasilevskiy at 1:40 to make it 3-0.
Tampa Bay answered at 7:59 when Nikita Kucherov picked up a carom off Ilya Mikheyev’s miss and tried to send the puck through the crease. It hit Rangers center Noah Laba and deflected into the net.
The Lightning kept pressing, but New York steadied itself. Vasilevskiy turned aside a breakaway backhand from Alexis Lafreniere, and the Rangers killed off a hooking penalty to J.T. Miller without trouble.
Then Fox set up the next dagger. At 16:01, he held the puck at the right point, spotted Perreault alone in the slot and delivered a perfect shot-pass. Perreault redirected it past Vasilevskiy for a 4-1 lead.
From there, the third period belonged to Shesterkin and the penalty kill. The Rangers went 4-for-4 in the final 20 minutes against one of the league’s top power plays and held Tampa Bay scoreless on seven power plays overall, killing 12:54 while the Lightning had the extra skater.
Lightning coach Jon Cooper pulled Vasilevskiy during portions of the third-period power plays and then for good with 4:50 left. By then, the result was settled and the home opener had already become one of the most memorable nights in Rangers history.
New York now heads to Detroit to face the Red Wings on Friday night. Shesterkin is likely to sit out the second half of the back-to-back, with rookie Dylan Garand recalled from AHL Hartford on Thursday after Joonas Korpisalo was placed on injured reserve with a lower-body injury.
In Other News...
Rangers Got A Feel-Good Night But One Goalie Concern Just Grew
Igor Shesterkin turned a routine win into a memorable one Tuesday night, becoming the first Rangers goalie to score a goal by sending the puck into an empty net in a 5-1 victory over Tampa Bay. New York also got an early lift from Mika Zibanejad and saw first goals with the club from Pavel Dorofeyev and Eeli Tolvanen, a collection of contributions that made it one of those nights when the goals kept coming from everywhere.
Shesterkin was sharp in his own end too, stopping 24 of 25 shots, but the bigger-picture note for the Rangers came on the backup side of the ledger. With Joonas Korpisalo injured, the teams goalie depth is being tested at a time when the schedule keeps moving, and Dylan Garand is now positioned to take the next start Friday night in Detroit. [Read more 🡒]
Cooper Sends Lightning An Early Warning They Can't Ignore
Jon Cooper did not wait long to send a message after Tampa Bays season opener against the Rangers, sounding far more concerned with the way his team played than with the final score alone. The Lightning opened at 0-1-0 after a 5-1 loss, and while there were some underlying numbers that could be viewed more favorably, Coopers tone suggested the issues ran deeper than a bad night in October.
For the Rangers, it was an opening win that looked increasingly convincing as Tampa Bays frustration grew. Cooper tied his critique to the kind of playoff shortcomings the Lightning have been trying to move past, and the next chance to reset comes quickly against the Washington Capitals. The early warning is clear enough, but whether Tampa Bay treats it that way is the real question now. [Read more 🡒]
Rangers Home Opener Delivered The Reset Fans Needed
The home opener gave the Rangers a needed jolt after the frustration of their previous game, and the return to Madison Square Garden brought a more settled look right away. New York handled Tampa Bay with early offense and a cleaner overall start, getting goals from Mika Zibanejad and Pavel Dorofeyev before Eeli Tolvanen added another in the second period to help set the tone.
There was also movement in the roster before puck drop, with Dylan Garand rejoining the team as Joonas Korpisalo went on injured reserve. Jaroslav Chmelar made his season debut as part of the lineup shuffle, a reminder that the opening weeks can still be about sorting out roles as much as banking points. For a Rangers group looking to steady itself, the night offered a more encouraging reset, even if the deeper question is how long this version can hold. [Read more 🡒]