10/16/2026 12:01:00
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10/16 12:00 CDT Rangers believe they can sustain winning after losing Igor
Shesterkin to a season-ending injury
Rangers believe they can sustain winning after losing Igor Shesterkin to a
season-ending injury
By STEPHEN WHYNO
AP Hockey Writer
NEWARK, N.J. (AP) --- Following an opening night blip, the first week-plus for
the New York Rangers was a party at Madison Square Garden and beyond.
The home woes from a year ago felt like a distant memory, franchise goaltender
Igor Shesterkin scored into an empty net and it was a dream start. It became a
nightmare last Friday at Washington when Shesterkin went down with a
season-ending injury.
Losing that game and getting blown out 7-1 on the road by New Jersey on
Thursday night were speed bumps along the way for a team that has won six of
its first nine games. Life after Igor will not be easy, though coach Mike
Sullivan, captain J.T. Miller and the Rangers believe they have come up with a
recipe to succeed even after losing their most important player at hockey's
most important position.
"We're trying to build a certain identity in how we're going to play, a style
of play," Sullivan said. "And then, inside of that, every player has a role,
making a contribution to that identity to build what we would consider Rangers
hockey and what it looks like when we're at our best."
The Devils game certainly was not that. As good as Miller was for the first 19
minutes of the first period, his turnover just before intermission was the
start of a snowball effect that led to Shesterkin's unlikely successor, Dylan
Garand, getting pulled for allowing four goals on 13 shots.
Garand ended training camp third on the organizational depth chart, and the
24-year-old is only still around because none of the NHL's other 31 teams
claimed him off waivers prior to opening night. In his first three appearances
before facing New Jersey, Garand had a league-best 1.15 goals-against average
and .951 save percentage and is expected to remain the choice in net until he
shows he cannot handle it.
"G knows we're going to need him here a lot, and he's a pretty mentally tough
guy," No. 1 defenseman Adam Fox said. "I know he can bounce back. Just kind of
said to him forget about it. He knows how important he is to us as a team and
what we're trying to do."
What the Rangers are trying to do is get back to the playoffs after missing the
past two years following a trip to the 2024 Eastern Conference final.
Shesterkin's absence made that a much steeper hill to climb.
"That's a tough blow for our group," Sullivan said. "But it doesn't change what
the goal is every day, and I think our guys have done a real good job at just
keeping the focus where it needs to be and controlling what we can."
Sullivan credited the team's leadership group for not letting the morale dip
last too long. Even New York's youngest player didn't dwell too long over
Shesterkin getting sidelined.
"Injuries are going to happen," said Alberts Smits, the 18-year-old from Latvia
who was the fifth pick in the draft and made the team out of camp. "I wish all
the best for him and for him to recover as fast as he can. But that's just
sports. There's going to be injuries. We've just got to go through them, and we
can't stop right now when something like that happens."
Alexis Lafrenire has seven goals, Fox nine assists and Mika Zibanejad eight
points. But the biggest reason why players believe they can keep this going is
defending and keeping the puck out of their own net.
"It's winning hockey, so if you want to win games, you're going to give
yourself a better chance most nights if you don't give the other team easy
offense," Miller said. "We get better as the games go on. There's a commitment
200 feet. It's a contagious feeling around here coming together as a team, so
it's a nice feeling."
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