WASHINGTON — New York Rangers star goaltender Igor Shesterkin exited Friday's game against the Washington Capitals in the second period with a lower-body injury after jamming his right leg on his post and needing to be helped off the ice.
Shesterkin had come out of his crease to deter a chance by Capitals forward Pierre Luc-Dubois, but slid too far as he retreated and hit the post before going down. The 30-year-old was in visible pain and hit the ice multiple times with his blocker hand after referees blew the play dead, unable to put any weight on his right leg as teammates Sean Durzi and Marcus Pettersson assisted him off. New York later announced he would not return with a lower-body injury, and head coach Mike Sullivan didn't have an update after the game.
"It's awful. He's a pillar of this team. It stinks," captain J.T. Miller said after the game, according to Mollie Walker of The New York Post. "Obviously, it's young. We don't even know what's going on, but to see him leave the game is a shock to all of us. At the same time, it means we got to step up to a man to try to get the job done, especially for (Dylan Garand)." Already down injured backup Jonas Korpisalo, New York had Dylan Garand take over in the crease against Washington. Shesterkin had stopped 13 of 14 shots he faced Friday.
The 2022 Vezina winner had built a strong start to his 2026-27 season entering the night, posting a 3-1 record with a .926 save percentage and a 1.75 goals-against average through his first four games. He had also chipped in offensively with a goal and an assist.