It isn't often that New York Rangers goaltender Igor Shesterkin gets lit up by the opposition, but that was the case on Thursday night against the in-state rival Buffalo Sabres at Madison Square Garden in Manhattan.
In a very un-Igor-like performance, Shesterkin allowed five goals on just 12 shots and was yanked from the net by head coach Peter Laviolette and replaced with veteran Jonathan Quick.
He was first victimized on the very first shot of the game from Sabres captain Rasmus Dahlin just 26 seconds after the opening faceoff. But what followed was a barrage of offense from Buffalo in the second period, who took a 2-0 lead thanks to a tally from Dylan Cozens just 2:45 into the middle frame.
Later in the period, Tage Thompson, Jordan Greenway, and Sam Lafferty scored in just 2:12 of game time, resulting in Shesterkin's exit from the game in favor of Quick; the Rangers eventually lost by a 6-1 final score.
And afterward, he was brutally honest about his performance in his postgame remarks, via X.
“It was a bad day,” he said via Rangers beat writer Vince Z. Mercogliano on X. We need to turn this page and be ready for the next game.
Before getting shellacked against the Sabres, Shesterkin owned a bright 6-2-1 record with a 2.22 goals-against average and a .933 save percentage. No doubt his GAA will go up and his save percentage will dip after Thursday's performance.
He and the rest of the Rangers will next hit the ice on Saturday against the Detroit Red Wings at Little Caesars Arena.
Rangers G Igor Shesterkin is up for a new contract after this season
Rangers fans are aware of Shesterkin's contract status, as the former Vezina Trophy winner reportedly rejected an $88 million contract offer prior to the season that would have made him the highest-paid goaltender in NHL history.
His status as one of the League's best players at his position made Thursday's result all the more surprising, but even more surprising would be if he didn't immediately bounce back with a vintage performance much more befitting of the contract that he'll be signing before long.
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