Rangers beat Lightning 5-1 as Shesterkin has a great night

Dustin Judge
Rangers beat Lightning 5-1 behind goalie Igor Shesterkin, shown in a Rangers game

The Rangers beat Lightning 5-1 on Thursday, Oct. 1, at Madison Square Garden, and goalie Igor Shesterkin added a piece of NHL history with an empty-net goal late in the third period. Shesterkin finished with 24 saves on 25 shots in New York’s home opener.

How the Rangers beat Lightning

Mika Zibanejad opened the scoring on the power play at 5:34 of the first period, and Pavel Dorofeyev made it 2-0 at 10:51 for his first goal as a Ranger. Dorofeyev, acquired from Vegas on June 26, also assisted on Zibanejad’s goal in his Rangers debut, according to NHL.com’s game recap.

Eeli Tolvanen made it 3-0 at 1:40 of the second period on a shot that went in off Lightning defenseman Charle-Edouard D’Astous. Nikita Kucherov cut it to 3-1 at 7:59 on a goal that banked in off Noah Laba, but Gabe Perreault restored the three-goal lead at 16:01 by redirecting an Adam Fox shot.

Shesterkin’s goal, and a penalty kill that held

Shesterkin scored an unassisted empty-net goal at 17:26 of the third period, the 18th goalie in NHL history to score, per NHL.com. It was the first goal by a Rangers goalie. Tampa Bay’s Andrei Vasilevskiy stopped 20 shots in the loss.

Lightning goalie Andrei Vasilevskiy in a 2018 file photo; he made 20 saves as the Rangers beat Lightning
Photo: Michael Miller / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0), file photo from 2018

New York also went 7-for-7 on the penalty kill, shutting down a Lightning power play that finished 0-for-7. The Rangers’ power play went 1-for-2.

What it means for both teams

The win comes after a 3-0 loss at Boston in the season opener Sept. 29, and it eased memories of last October, when the Rangers were shut out in their first three home games. For the full pregame picture, see our Lightning vs. Rangers preview.

Tampa Bay, which opened its season with the loss, hosts Washington on Saturday in its home opener. The Rangers play Detroit on Friday, and with Joonas Korpisalo injured, backup Dylan Garand is expected to start, according to the AP. Read more on the Korpisalo injured reserve move and the Rangers vs. Red Wings preview.

Rangers beat Lightning sources: ESPN game recap and the AP.

Dustin Judge is the Founder and CEO of Total Apex Media, bringing more than 20 years of writing and editorial experience to the company's growing network of digital publications. He specializes in sports, sports betting, fantasy sports, and digital publishing, with a focus on producing accurate, timely, and engaging content for readers. Dustin oversees editorial strategy, content development, and publishing operations across Total Apex Media while remaining actively involved in sports, betting, and fantasy sports coverage.