Rangers’ Igor Shesterkin helped off ice with lower-body injury

New York Rangers goaltender Igor Shesterkin needed help off the ice after he suffered an injury during Friday’s game against the Washington Capitals.

Shesterkin, 30, appeared to fall awkwardly in the crease during a scramble midway through the second period. He laid on the ice while trainers tended to him, then was carried off by teammates without putting weight on his right leg.

Backup netminder Dylan Garand took over in net. Shesterkin finished the night with 13 saves on 14 shots in 28:20 of action.

Last week, Shesterkin became the first goalie in Rangers history to score a goal in a 5-1 win over the Tampa Bay Lightning.

Going into Friday’s game, Shesterkin was 3-1-0 with a .926 save percentage (SV%), 1.75 goals against average (GAA) and 4.1 goals saved above expected (GSAx) in four appearances this season.

Now in his eighth NHL campaign, the Moscow native is 190-108-28 with a .917 SV% and 2.51 GAA in 329 career appearances. He won the Vezina Trophy in 2021-22 after he posted a 36-13-4 record with a .935 SV% and 2.07 GAA in 53 appearances.

Shesterkin is 23-20 with a .928 SV% and 2.41 GAA in 44 career Stanley Cup Playoff games. He also has the highest save percentage in the postseason among active NHL netminders.

Shesterkin was taken by the Rangers in the fourth round of the 2014 NHL Entry Draft. He spent five more seasons in Russia before he made his North American debut in 2019-20.

In seven KHL seasons, he posted an 89-19-15 record with a .935 SV% and 1.68 GAA in 117 career games.