Rangers Goalie Igor Shesterkin Scores First Goal in Franchise History, Becomes 18th NHL Netminder to Do It

A Rare Feat at Madison Square Garden

Igor Shesterkin did something no Rangers goaltender had ever done. With the Tampa Bay Lightning net empty and 2:34 left in the third period Thursday, October 1, Shesterkin collected a loose puck near his own crease and fired it the length of the ice into Tampa Bay's net, according to the Associated Press, carried by CBS News and CBC Sports.

The goal sealed a 5-1 New York win in the Rangers' home opener at Madison Square Garden. It also made Shesterkin the 18th goaltender in NHL history to score a goal, and the 21st goalie goal overall counting the playoffs, per NHL.com.

"That was a lot of fun, but to be honest, someone on the blue line, he screened me a little bit when I make the shot and I didn't see the puck land, so I didn't know can I celebrate or not," Shesterkin said, according to NHL.com. "I just started doing that when everyone was like fired up."

How It Happened

According to ClutchPoints, syndicated by Yahoo Sports, a Tampa Bay defenseman attempted a stretch pass that missed its target and bounced off the end boards. Shesterkin scooped up the puck and sent it down the ice before he could even tell if it had crossed the line.

Teammates mobbed him immediately. "Everyone started jumping on me," Shesterkin told ClutchPoints. "Unbelievable feelings." CBC Sports reported he skated to the front of the bench line to fist-bump teammates as Madison Square Garden fans chanted "Igor! Igor!"

The moment carried extra history for Shesterkin specifically. ClutchPoints noted he had previously argued that New York Islanders goalie Ilya Sorokin's credited goal against Nashville on March 1, 2025, shouldn't have counted because the puck deflected in off a Predators player rather than being directly put in net by Sorokin. This time, there was no ambiguity about who scored.

A Full Team Effort, Not Just One Highlight

The goal capped a strong overall night for New York. Mika Zibanejad opened the scoring less than six minutes into the game on a power play, with Pavel Dorofeyev picking up the primary assist after his shot clanged off the crossbar, according to NHL.com. Dorofeyev and Eeli Tolvanen each scored their first goals with their new team, and Gabe Perreault deflected in a shot from defenseman Adam Fox, per CBS News.

That offensive showing came against two-time Vezina Trophy and Stanley Cup winner Andrei Vasilevskiy, who allowed four goals on 24 shots. The Lightning's lone goal came off the stick of reigning MVP Nikita Kucherov, which deflected off Rangers center Noah Laba's skate, CBS News reported.

Outlets differed slightly on Shesterkin's save total. Newsweek reported he stopped 23 of 24 shots, while CBS News, CBC Sports and ClutchPoints all put the number at 24 saves on 25 shots. CBC Sports additionally reported Shesterkin was named the game's first star.

Context: A Night and Day Difference From Last Season

The win mattered beyond the novelty of a goalie goal. CBS News and Blue Shirt Banter both noted the Rangers were shut out in their first three home games of the 2025-26 season, going scoreless at Madison Square Garden for nearly 181 minutes to open that campaign, part of a stretch that saw them start 0-6-1. Zibanejad's early power-play goal Thursday put an immediate end to any repeat of that slump.

"You want to get off to a good start at home," Zibanejad said after the game, according to NHL.com. "You want to feel good coming in and making sure that we find our game, we find our identity at home and that was a good first step."

Tampa Bay coach Jon Cooper was blunt about his team's effort in the loss. "It was almost like the game was an inconvenience to play, got in the way of summer," Cooper said, per NHL.com. "That's what was disappointing, just the lack of pushback."

What's Next

The win pushed the Rangers to 1-1-0. New York followed it up Friday, October 2, with a 2-0 shutout win at Detroit behind backup goaltender Dylan Garand, his first career NHL shutout, according to Blue Shirt Banter. Sean Durski's power-play goal stood as the difference.

Tampa Bay, now 0-1-0, is scheduled to host the Washington Capitals in its own home opener Saturday night, per CBS News. Shesterkin's history-making puck is expected to find its way into the Hockey Hall of Fame or the Rangers' own franchise archives, though no outlet has yet reported where the memento will end up.