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Goalie goal! Rangers' Igor Shesterkin scores against Lightning

New York Rangers netminder Igor Shesterkin achieved a rare feat on Thursday evening by hitting the back of the net from his own crease. During the final moments of the third period, his accurate heave into an unguarded cage secured a 5-1 victory against the visiting Tampa Bay Lightning to open the 2026-27 campaign.

The accomplishment marked the first time any netminder accomplished the feat across the previous entire season. Shesterkin also turned aside 24 of 25 shots to lock down the triumph in his crease.

Prior to this, the last goaltender to shoot the puck directly into an opponent's cage was Alex Nedeljkovic during a January encounter, while Ilya Sorokin was credited with one last spring.

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