Rangers’ Igor Shesterkin Continues Improbable Streak

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NEW YORK, NEW YORK - OCTOBER 04: Igor Shesterkin #31 of the New York Rangers looks on during the first period against the Utah Mammoth at Madison Square Garden on October 04, 2026 in New York City. (Photo by Sarah Stier/Getty Images)

Igor Shesterkin is a really high-level goalie in the NHL for the New York Rangers.

He apparently has decided to take a different path to the 2026-27 campaign, though. Shesterkin is getting on the score sheet.

He made the start Sunday for the Rangers, his first appearance since notching a rare goalie goal.

Shesterkin didn’t score another goal, no. But he did get another point.

How Igor Shesterkin Got Assist vs. Mammoth

Shesterkin was involved in the Rangers’ final goal on Sunday night in a 4-2 win.

He had the puck and dished it up the ice, and after one more pass, it was in the back of an empty net.

It was a secondary assist for Shesterkin:

IGOR SHESTERKIN GETS THE ASSIST AND IS NOW ROCKING A 2-GAME POINT STREAK AS A GOALIE 😱🔥 https://t.co/CBFKf261Ga

— Gino Hard (@GinoHard_) October 5, 2026

Shesterkin didn’t have to do anything astounding here. He simply needed to have some solid puck handling.

The Rangers’ skaters did the rest, and of course, the empty net meant there might’ve been one or two fewer passes needed. That left Shesterkin active as the secondary assist when this went into the goal.

Shesterkin is in fascinating company to begin the year:

Players with a goal and an assist this season:

71 forwards
22 defensemen
1 goalie

That goalie is Igor Shesterkin. https://t.co/4484L5ifKw

— StatMuse (@statmuse) October 5, 2026

Igor Shesterkin Goalie Stats

In the 4-2 win on Sunday, Shesterkin was also quite sharp in net. He didn’t allow a goal in the first period, then gave up just one apiece in each of the second and third periods.

Shesterkin ended up facing 30 shots, and he saved 28 of them.

That works out to a 93.3 save percentage for the night.

Shesterkin is now 2-1 on the year with a 1.51 goals against average and 93.4 save percentage.

At 30 years old, the Russian goalie remains in his prime and has been great so far to start the year for the Rangers.

Shesterkin is coming off a 2025-26 season when he had a 2.50 goals against average and 91.2 save percentage. The Rangers would take another year like that, or even better.

And if Shesterkin wants to somehow keep contributing to goals, no one involved with the Rangers is going to complain about that, either.

The Rangers have aspirations of bringing some extra hype to Madison Square Garden this season, and if their goalie is an increased part of scoring goals, that’s something to get pumped about.

Shesterkin probably won’t continue this streak, but it’s fun while it lasts.