Rangers goaltender Igor Shesterkin trades punches with the Senators star as the game descends into chaos
Arguments after the whistle are common to the NHL. What isn’t common is when you see a superstar goaltender join the fray after the whistle.
During New York Rangers 5-0 win over the Ottawa Senators on Tuesday in New York, star goaltender Igor Shesterkin came in right in the middle of the fight and was ready to swing.
The Rangers were leading 3-0 with 12:51 left in the third period over the Senators when Madison Square Garden got crazy.
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New York Rangers’ Igor Shesterkin (31) leaves the court to tackle Ottawa Senators’ Brady Tkachuk (7) during the third period at Madison Square Garden on January 21, 2025 in New York. (Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)
Senatorial Captain Brady Tkachuk went after a loose puck around the goal and ran into Rangers star goalie Igor Shesterkin, sending the goalie back into his own net.
The five Rangers players on the ice immediately stood up for their goaltender as they charged at Tkachuk.
Then the rest of the Senators players on the ice came to the defense of their captain, and at the end each Rangers and Senators skater paired up with each other in a shoving match.
As all the chaos unfolded, Shesterkin hunched over in a crease, gathering himself.
Then suddenly, as the chaos began to die down, Shesterkin rose and charged straight into the commotion and went after Tkachuk.
Tkachuk saw Shesterkin coming and hit the goalie’s helmet, knocking Shesterkin down as Shesterkin threw a blocker at Tkachuk.
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Then Tkachuk, whose right arm was being held by Rangers forward Matt Rempe, grappled with Shesterkin before the referees intervened and removed Shesterkin from the melee.
As Shesterkin was being dragged away, Rempe, who is known for his struggles in his short time in the NHL, went after Tkachuk.
But the referee got in between the two, not allowing them to fight, despite Rempe and Tkachuk punching each other around the referee.
After order was restored on the ice, the referees gathered and awarded many penalties.
Shesterkin was penalized with two minutes for leaving the goal line. Rempe received a double minor penalty for roughing.
Tkachuk also received a double minor penalty for rudeness, and he was also fined for interfering with the goalkeeper.
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Igor Shesterkin (31) of the New York Rangers challenges Brady Tkachuk (7) of the Ottawa Senators after a collision near the net. (Jared Silber/NHLI via Getty Images)
Senators center Shane Pinto also received a minor penalty for roughing Rangers defenseman Ryan Lindgren.
The Rangers ended up on the power play after all the penalties, and Artemi Panarin cashed in to make it 4-0.
Alexis Lafrenière, Arthur Kaliyev, Rempe, Panarin and Will Cuylle scored in the Rangers win.
The Rangers are 7-1-3 in their last 11 games and are back in the wild-card race after a terrible run in which they won just four of 19 games in December.
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Igor Shesterkin goes head-to-head with Brady Tkachuk. (Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)
It was Shesterkin’s second straight game with a shutout, saving all 20 of the Senators’ shots on net.
Rangers will look to continue their winning ways when they take over Philadelphia Flyers on Thursday at 7:00 PM ET.
The Senators next face the Boston Bruins on Thursday at 7:00 PM ET.
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