NEW YORK — Rangers goaltender Igor Shesterkin left his team’s 3-2 overtime loss Monday night to the Utah Mammoth midway through the first period because of a left leg injury.
Shesterkin’s leg bent awkwardly with his skate on the ice as he attempted to avoid contact with Mammoth forward JJ Peterka, who was on the edge of the crease. Peterka did not appear to make much contact with Shesterkin, who was down in the net in pain while tended to by a trainer.
The 30-year-old face of the franchise was helped off the ice by the trainer and New York defenseman Vladislav Gavrikov, and did not put any weight on his left foot. Veteran backup Jonathan Quick replaced Shesterkin. At the end of the first period, the Rangers announced Shesterkin had a lower-body injury and would not return.
In his postgame media availability, New York coach Mike Sullivan said Shesterkin was still being evaluated for the injury.
“We don’t want him to get hurt. He’s an important part of this team,” Sullivan said. “And hopefully it’s not too serious. I don’t have an answer for you, because, obviously, they’re going to do more tests. But right now, he’s being evaluated.”
Quick, 39, a three-time Stanley Cup champion, is in his third season with the Rangers, and is now was 3-6-2 with a 2.11 goals-against average. Quick was sharp, at times, against Utah but ultimately gave up the final two goals in a losing effort. Sean Durzi ended it at the 1:06 mark of the overtime session with his second goal of the season. Michael Carcone tied the score at 2-2 for Utah in the third period with his eighth.
Shesterkin won the Vezina Trophy as the NHL’s top goaltender in 2022, and he is in the first season of an eight-year, $92 million contract that made him the highest-paid player at the position in league history.
The Russia native from Moscow is 17-12-4 with a 2.47 GAA and a .912 save percentage this season, his seventh with the Rangers.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
