Igor Shesterkin has finally done something no Rangers goaltender had ever done before.
On a night that gave New York a piece of franchise history worth celebrating, Shesterkin scored the first goalie goal in Rangers history, a moment he had been chasing for a long time. He has long been praised for his puck handling, a skill that has set him apart and changed the way opponents attack the Rangers. Instead of dumping the puck in and immediately forechecking with confidence, teams have had to account for Shesterkin as an active part of the breakout, almost like a third defender.
That part of his game has also made the goal feel earned. Shesterkin has come close before, hitting posts, watching pucks slide just wide for icing, and seeing attempts get knocked down. This one finally landed, and it came against the Tampa Bay Lightning with his fellow countryman Andrei Vasilevskiy on the bench watching.
The play came with Tampa Bay pressing and using an extra attacker. The Lightning dumped the puck deep into the Rangers’ zone, Shesterkin handled the dump-in behind his goal line, stepped out toward his trapezoid, and scanned the ice before sending the puck the full length of the rink.
A few minutes earlier, the puck had ended up behind the net on another sequence, but it was played too hard for Shesterkin to do anything with it, so he moved it to a teammate. When the next chance came, he was ready.
THE FIRST RANGERS GOALTENDER TO SCORE A GOAL:
IGOR SHESTERKIN pic.twitter.com/k7ITHnvtza
- New York Rangers (@NYRangers) October 2, 2026
Another part of the scene that stood out was Shesterkin skating up the bench to collect fistbumps from his teammates.
goalies rock pic.twitter.com/GCNIB2oo7J
- Shayna (@shaynagoldman_) October 2, 2026
Shesterkin is now the 18th different NHL goalie to score a goal. The last goaltender credited with one was his best friend Ilya Sorokin, though that goal was really an own goal off the stick of Steven Stamkos of the Nashville Predators on March 1, 2025.
Before that, Alex Nedeljkovic scored against the Buffalo Sabres on January 17, 2025, and Filip Gustavsson scored for the Minnesota Wild against the St. Louis Blues on October 15, 2024.
There had been no goalie goals during the 2025-26 season before Shesterkin broke that short drought. The longer gaps have been much bigger in the past, including Mike Smith of the then Phoenix Coyotes on October 19, 2013, and Pekka Rinne of the Nashville Predators against the Chicago Blackhawks on January 9, 2020. The source also notes droughts that ran from 1979 to 1987, 1989 to 1996, and 2006 to 2011.
Shesterkin said after the game that he had scored at the junior level before, and that the last time he scored a goal at any level was when he was 19-years-old in junior league.
Igor Shesterkin says the last time he scored a goal at any level was when he was 19-years-old in junior league pic.twitter.com/syLBu8k8Be
- SNY Rangers (@SNYRangers) October 2, 2026
Not every goalie goal looks the same, and not all of them are created equally. Some are credited after someone else makes a mistake, but Shesterkin’s belongs in the group of full-ice blasts, alongside names like Ron Hextall, Chris Osgood, Pekka Rinne, and Linus Ullmark.
It also gave Shesterkin a career Gordie Howe hat trick, a club that also includes Hextall, Osgood, Billy Smith, and Nedeljkovic. For the Rangers, it was a rare and memorable first. For Shesterkin, it was the finish to a chase he had kept alive for years.
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 🡒]