NEW YORK — Igor Shesterkin became the first New York Rangers goaltender to score a goal, lofting the puck the length of the ice into an empty net with 2:34 remaining to cap a 5-1 victory over the Tampa Bay Lightning at Madison Square Garden on Thursday night.
Shesterkin's goal was the first of his career and made him the 18th goalie in NHL history to score, the 21st goal by the position counting the playoffs. New York wasted little time erasing last season's home-ice drought, with Mika Zibanejad scoring on the power play less than six minutes in after the Rangers drew a penalty. Pavel Dorofeyev and Eeli Tolvanen each scored his first goal with his new team, and Gabe Perreault deflected in a shot by No. 1 defenseman Adam Fox to build the lead.
In a matchup of two of the world's best at the position, Shesterkin stopped 24 of 25 shots and drew chants of "Igor's better!" from the Garden crowd, while two-time Vezina Trophy- and Stanley Cup-winning goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy allowed four goals on 24 shots. The only goal Shesterkin allowed came from reigning MVP Nikita Kucherov, who banked the puck in off the right skate of Rangers center Noah Laba. More "Igor!" chants followed Shesterkin's empty-netter.
The offensive outburst was a sharp reversal from both Tuesday night, when New York was blanked 3-0 on the road at Boston, and the nightmare start at MSG in October 2025. The Rangers went nearly 181 minutes before triggering the goal horn at home last season, becoming the first team in league history to be shut out in the first three home games of a season. This time the crowd barely had time to get nervous.