The New York Rangers lost their most important player on Friday in D.C.
Star netminder Igor Shesterkin needed to be helped off the ice in the second period of New York's game against the Washington Capitals after jamming his right leg on his post.
Shesterkin had come out of his crease to deter a chance by Capitals forward Pierre Luc-Dubois, but as he retreated to his net, he slid too far and hit the post before going down with the apparent injury.
The 30-year-old was in visible pain and hit the ice multiple times with his blocker hand after referees blew the play dead.
Shesterkin couldn't put any weight on his right leg as he was assisted off by teammates Sean Durzi and Marcus Pettersson.
New York later announced that Shesterkin would not return to the game with a lower-body injury. Head coach Mike Sullivan didn't have an update after the game.
"It's awful. He's a pillar of this team. It stinks," captain J.T. Miller said after the game, according to Mollie Walker of The New York Post. "Obviously, it's young. We don't even know what's going on, but to see him leave the game is a shock to all of us. At the same time, it means we got to step up to a man to try to get the job done, especially for (Dylan Garand)."
Already down injured backup Jonas Korpisalo, the Rangers had Dylan Garand take over in the crease against Washington.
Shesterkin had stopped 13 of the 14 shots he faced on Friday, building on what had been a strong start to his 2026-27 season.
Through his first four games, the 2022 Vezina winner posted a 3-1 record with a .926 save percentage and a 1.75 goals-against average. He had also chipped in offensively with a goal and assist.
