Shesterkin injury fallout among key Rangers takeaways after loss to rivals

October 10, 2026 · Yahoo Sports

IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The New York Rangers saw their four-game winning streak end with a 3-1 road loss to the Washington Capitals on Friday night. They hope they haven’t lost more than just a game.

Losing to a division opponent on the road in early October certainly isn’t a disaster for any team. But losing star goaltender Igor Shesterkin, who had to be helped off the ice at 8:20 of the second period after his right leg crashed into the right post as he scrambled back into position, could be one for the Blueshirts.

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The Rangers (4-2-0) aren’t saying exactly what the injury is or how much time Shesterkin might miss. But watching No. 31 slamming his glove on the ice was eerily reminiscent of watching him do the exact same thing when he was injured against the Utah Mammoth on Jan. 5. Shesterkin missed the last month before the Winter Olympic break; without him, the Rangers lost 11 of 13 games to fall out of the playoff race.

This angle is the scariest. That right foot getting caught on the post and the stress it puts on the knee is concerning. #NYR pic.twitter.com/Qk2W6ROwcr
— Vince Z. Mercogliano (@vzmercogliano) October 10, 2026

“It’s awful. He’s a pillar of this team. It stinks,” said captain J.T. Miller, who assisted on Alexis Lafreniere’s first-period power-play goal. “We don’t even know what’s going on, but to see him leave the game is a shock to all of us. At the same time, it means we got to step up to a man to try to get to try to get the job done, especially for (Garand).”

Coach Mike Sullivan said after the game that there was no update on Shesterkin’s condition. But after watching him unable to put weight on his right leg as two teammates slowly helped him off the ice, Sullivan has to know there’s the possibility that Shesterkin could miss a substantial chunk of time.

“He’s a big part of this team, without a doubt,” Sullivan said. “I’ve said it on so many different occasions, he’s one of amongst the best goalies in the world, if not the best. He’s that good.”

The Rangers practice Saturday afternoon and should know more about Shesterkin’s condition by then. They host the Vancouver Canucks on Sunday evening — their second of six games in an 11-day stretch.

Geoff Burke-Imagn ImagesCredit: IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Dylan Garand relieved Shesterkin and played well, allowing one goal on 12 shots before Washington’s Tom Wilson iced the game with an empty-net goal. The Rangers went toe-to-toe with the big, talented Capitals (3-1-0) and came up a goal short.

Sullivan was happy with the effort, if not the result.

“I loved our competitive spirit,” he said postgame. “Our guys played hard. (The loss) wasn’t due to lack of effort. It was a tough loss; we battled, and I thought the third period was our best.”

Key takeaways from Rangers 3-1 loss to Capitals

It’s Garand’s net now

The Rangers had to know they’d gotten lucky when they put Garand on waivers before the season and he wasn’t claimed. They’re about to find out how much of a break they got.

With Shesterkin likely out for at least the immediate future and veteran backup Joonas Korpisalo sidelined week-to-week with a lower-body injury, Garand is now the starter — at least for a little while.

When asked about when Korpisalo might return, Sullivan said only “status quo.”

RECAP: Callum Tung records first AHL shutout as Wolf Pack blank Bruins 2-0.

Details ⤵️https://t.co/J0JjArZ3BO

— Hartford Wolf Pack (@HWPHockey) October 10, 2026

NHL journeyman Spencer Martin, who spent time with the Rangers last season while Shesterkin was out, is day-to-day with a lower-body injury of his own. That means Garand’s backup on Sunday could be Callum Tung, the No. 5 goaltender on the organization’s depth chart. He and Martin share the net at AHL Hartford.

Tung is coming off a 2-0 road win against the Providence Bruins on Friday night that saw stop all 28 shots he faced. He’s 2-0-0 with a 1.00 goals-against average and .971 save percentage this season.

Lafreniere keeps rolling

Alexis Lafreniere stays hot 🥵 pic.twitter.com/KwANczaRkr
— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) October 9, 2026

The first player taken in the 2020 NHL Draft is on a roll. After scoring three times in the Rangers’ 5-2 win over the New York Islanders on Tuesday, he fired home a first-period power-play goal against the Caps. It extended his point streak to three games; he leads New York in goals (4) and points (6).

The goal came when he beat goalie Logan Thompson with a head fake and a deceptive wrist-shot release at 10:17 of the opening period.

“We got a good entry and J.T. (Miller) made a good play to get me a little room,” Lafreniere told MSG Networks after the first period. “I got to the middle of the ice and got a screen.”

Lafreniere closed last season with 12 goals and 28 points in his final 28 games, and he’s averaging a point a game so far in 2026-27. No. 13 is playing with the kind of confidence he’s rarely shown in his first six NHL season. The Rangers need him to keep playing with that confidence.

Another flawless first period

For the sixth time in as many games, the Rangers sent the opposition to the locker room after the first period with a “0” next to their name on the scoreboard.

The Blueshirts are the only team in the NHL that has not allowed a goal in the opening 20 minutes of any game this season. Shesterkin stopped all 10 shots he faced, and Lafreniere’s goal increased the Rangers’ first-period goals-for/against margin to 7-0.

It’s the longest stretch the Rangers have gone without allowing a goal in the first period from the start of the season since 1939-40, when they didn’t allow a first-period goal in any of their first nine games. If you’re hoping that history could be a good omen, don’t forget that New York won the Stanley Cup that season.

Beaudoin’s growing pains

The Rangers have high hopes for 20-year-old rookie center Cole Beaudoin, who was playing his second NHL game after being recalled from AHL Hartford on Tuesday when fourth-line center Joe Veleno went on IR with a lower-body injury.

Beaudoin was OK in his debut, the win over the Islanders. But he made the kind of rookie mistake that the Rangers hope he’ll learn from late in the second period. With the game tied 1-1, Beaudoin had the puck along the left boards in his own zone and threw a blind pass up the middle. But the only player there was Washington’s Boone Jenner, who took one stride and beat Garand for what proved to be the game-winning goal.

We weren't the first to say this, but we would be remiss to not mention here that No. 22 Boone Jenner's game-winning goal was scored at 2:22 of the 2nd period – also 17:38, hey what's up hello – for the 2nd goal of the game for the Caps#ALLCAPS | @Verizon pic.twitter.com/Uoyecx30bP
— Washington Capitals (@Capitals) October 10, 2026

Sullivan said he’s confident Beaudoin will learn from the mistake.

“He’s a young player. Those things are going to happen, that’s what I said to him. You got to be able to move by it, and you got to keep playing,” the coach said. “Cole’s a good player. It’s a game of mistakes out there.

“He’s a young player, he’s trying to adjust to the league, and that’s one of the challenges. Things happen fast.”

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