Shesterkin Shines in Shutout, Sparks Fight in Rangers’ Dominant Win

NEW YORK — Igor Shesterkin made 20 saves for a shutout and even engaged in a rare goalie fight as the New York Rangers blanked the Ottawa Senators 5-0 on Tuesday night at Madison Square Garden. The Rangers extended their strong start to 2025, improving to 7-1-3 since Jan. 2.

With 12:51 remaining in the game and New York leading 3-0, a scrum erupted in front of Shesterkin’s net, centered around Ottawa captain Brady Tkachuk. Shesterkin appeared injured as he knelt in his crease, but moments later, he charged at Tkachuk, sparking a brief altercation. “I just got a couple punches from Tkachuk,” Shesterkin said with a laugh after the win. “I didn’t really enjoy the hit before the whistle, so I wanted to hold him. If he wanted to fight, it’s tough for me because I can’t drop my gloves.”

Rangers forward Matt Rempe, known for his physical play, joined the scrum to protect his goaltender. “I was a little nervous because I don’t want anything to happen to him,” Rempe said. “But I love it because he’s a competitor. I just wanted to make sure nothing happened to him.”

Artemi Panarin led the Rangers with a goal and an assist, while Alexis Lafreniere, Arthur Kaliyev, Rempe, and Will Cuylle also scored. The shutout was Shesterkin’s third this season and the 18th of his career. Lafreniere opened the scoring at 18:48 of the first period, beating Ottawa netminder Leevi Merilainen for his 13th goal of the season. Kaliyev made it 2-0 early in the second period with his second goal since joining the Rangers via waivers from Los Angeles on Jan. 6.

Ottawa replaced Merilainen with Anton Forsberg after a successful offside challenge negated a potential Rangers goal. Forsberg made 10 saves but couldn’t stop Rempe’s backhand goal at 3:34 of the third period. Panarin and Cuylle added power-play goals to seal the victory.

The Senators entered the game on a 5-0-1 streak but struggled against the Rangers’ dominant performance. “We’ve been playing some good hockey, but we weren’t good enough to win tonight,” Ottawa coach Travis Green said. “We fought the puck all night and weren’t good enough with it.”

The Rangers’ win marked their third straight home victory and continued their climb in the Eastern Conference standings. Shesterkin’s all-around performance, including his unexpected fight, highlighted a complete team effort that left coach Peter Laviolette smiling. “That’s hockey, man,” Laviolette said.