WASHINGTON — It’s impossible to overstate the challenge that lies ahead for the Rangers should the apparent right leg injury Igor Shesterkin sustained during the second period of Friday night’s 3-1 loss to the Capitals sideline him for the foreseeable future.
The Blueshirts would lose more than just the best goaltender in the NHL, who was off to an electric start to the season. Removing Shesterkin from the equation would be the equivalent of taking the spark plug out of a car engine: no ignition; nothing can run smoothly.
He is, hands down, the most important part.
What makes the potential loss so devastating is how much of a turbocharged, well-oiled machine the Rangers looked to be in the previous four games.
“It’s awful,” captain J.T. Miller said. “He’s a pillar of this team.”
The injury occurred during a second-period Capitals power play, when Shesterkin ventured far out of the crease to challenge an unmarked Pierre-Luc Dubois.
The Capitals forward lost the puck while attempting to make a move around him, but Shesterkin scrambled to get back into the net and slid his right leg into the post hard. His leg appeared to awkwardly bend back during the sequence, prompting Shesterkin to immediately fall onto his back.
The 30-year-old slammed his glove on the ice in apparent pain as a Rangers trainer made his way onto the ice.
Without putting any weight on his right leg, Shesterkin had to be helped off the ice slowly.
“It’s concerning,” head coach Mike Sullivan said. “He’s a big part of this team, without a doubt. I’ve said it on so many different occasions: He is amongst the best goalies in the world, if not the best. He’s that good.”
Backstopping the Rangers in three of the first four games, Shesterkin looked automatic in net with 88 saves on 95 shots for a .926 save percentage. He’s made an impact on the scoresheet with the Rangers’ historic first goalie goal and added an assist, while also acting as an extra facilitator on the back end in all situations — a skill of his he’s used more than usual this season.
Shesterkin helped provide the kind of start to the season that makes a team believe.
In one swift motion, the 2026-27 campaign was clouded with uncertainty.
The Rangers already have one goalie on injured reserve: Joonas Korpisalo, who has yet to play a game after suffering a lower-body injury sometime during the start of the season. Slated to serve as backup to Shesterkin before the injury, Korpisalo was labeled as week to week and has yet to resume skating.
As a result, rookie Dylan Garand was summoned back to New York less than a week after he was among the last round of cuts in training camp.
Garand stopped 11 of the 12 shots he faced Friday night in relief. With just five games of NHL experience, the 24-year-old Garand would assume starting responsibilities after beginning the season as the Rangers’ third-stringer.
The Rangers also will need to make a call to Hartford should Shesterkin be out for any period of time. Spencer Martin is not an option due to a lower-body injury that has him classified as day to day.
Callum Tung, who at 22 has just 20 AHL games to his name, could be the Rangers’ backup goalie Sunday at Madison Square Garden.
“We’re not going to let [Igor’s injury] take the wind out of our sails,” Miller said. “We still competed our asses off today.”
The Rangers did not crater in the face of a potentially devastating injury to their star goalie.
With the game tied 1-1 and Garand in goal, the visitors bent but didn’t break for much of Washington’s push in the middle frame. It wasn’t until rookie Cole Beaudoin surrendered the puck up the middle of the Rangers zone that the Capitals broke through on a goal from Boone Jenner.
It was a particularly tough game for the 20-year-old Beaudoin, who was recalled and made his NHL debut Wednesday in the wake of Joe Veleno’s IR designation. In addition to his two giveaways, Beaudoin looked overwhelmed at times in the defensive zone.
“You see arguably your very best player [go down], that’s a tough loss for our team,” Sullivan said. “I thought we fought hard. We battled. Our third period was probably our best. I thought we had the right intentions out there, just trying to control play.”
