Igor Shesterkin makes his feelings known about conceding five goals in Rangers' 6-1 loss

By Abhilasha Aditi

Modified Nov 08, 2024 12:27 GMT

Igor Shesterkin had a tough game against the Buffalo Sabres on Thursday. The Rangers’ goalie was pulled in the second period after allowing five goals on 12 shots. Shesterkin started with a solid 6-2-1 record and a 2.22 goals-against average, but Sabres captain Rasmus Dahlin scored against him just 26 seconds in. After that, Shesterkin faced more challenges.

In the second period, things went downhill for both Shesterkin and the Rangers. Buffalo’s Dylan Cozens, Tage Thompson, Jordan Greenway and Sam Lafferty all scored, with three of those goals coming in just over two minutes. With the Sabres leading 5-0, Rangers coach Peter Laviolette decided to replace Shesterkin with Jonathan Quick with 6:09 remaining in the period. The Rangers eventually lost 6-1, marking one of their toughest losses this season.

After the game, Shesterkin acknowledged it had been "a bad day" but stressed the importance of focusing on the future.

"It was a bad day. We need to turn this page and be ready for the next game," he said.

After the forgettable game, he said he would rather focus on what's next for him and the team.

"I already forgot about [the] first goal, so it's nothing for me right now. I just want to keep focus on the next day."

Shesterkin’s contract ends after this season, and he hopes to become the highest-paid goalie in NHL history.

Jacob Trouba and Adam Fox acknowledge Igor Shesterkin's role in Rangers' early season success

Rangers captain Jacob Trouba acknowledged Igor Shesterkin’s key role in the team’s early success this season. Trouba stressed that the team needs to step up defensively, saying,

"It really unraveled in the second,″ Trouba said (visa ESPN). "Our goalie has kind of kept us in this thing for the first 12 games. We've got to be better and give up less quality chances."

Defenseman Adam Fox agreed, saying the team had “left him out to dry.”

"This certainly was not our best,″ Fox said. "We left him out to dry. It's not good enough."

Both players acknowledged the team’s lack of defensive support. For Igor Shesterkin, this game was an uncommon slip in an otherwise great career. The 28-year-old Russian won the Vezina Trophy as the league’s top goalie in 2021-22, with a 36-13-4 record and a 2.07 goals-against average. He’s been a key part of the Rangers' success over the last two seasons, winning 37 games in 2022-23 and 36 last year.