Rangers vs. Lightning: Igor Shesterkin Scores Into the Empty Net, a Rangers Goalie First, in 5-1 Win

Igor Shesterkin did not even get to see his own history. He flipped the puck high and long toward the empty Tampa Bay net with 2:34 left, someone on the blue line blocked his view, and he only realized he could celebrate when Madison Square Garden lost its mind around him.

That unassisted empty-netter at 17:26 of the third capped a 5-1 win for the New York Rangers over the Tampa Bay Lightning in their home opener on Thursday night. Shesterkin became the first goalie in Rangers history to score a goal, per NHL.com, and the Garden, which had serenaded him with "Igor's better!" chants earlier in the night, broke into another round of "Igor!" after the goal. A year ago, this building could not buy a goal.

The Ghost of Last October, Exorcised Early

Rangers fans walked in carrying some baggage. Last season, New York was shut out in its first three home games and five of its first seven, going 0-6-1, according to NHL.com. The Rangers did not score at home until 57 seconds into their fourth game. This team also arrived off a 3-0 loss at Boston on Tuesday, so nobody was taking a goal for granted.

It took 5:34 to put that anxiety to bed. With J.J. Moser in the box for holding, Pavel Dorofeyev rang one off the crossbar from the right circle, and the carom found Mika Zibanejad on the other side for a 1-0 power-play lead. Per NHL.com, it was the 60th time Zibanejad scored the first goal of a game as a Ranger, moving him past Chris Kreider into second in franchise history behind Rod Gilbert.

"When we can score the first goal in the home opener against a really good team, I just think it gives us a boost of confidence as a group," coach Mike Sullivan said.

Dorofeyev got his own at 10:51, hammering Oliver Bjorkstrand's feed on a one-timer from the left circle for his first goal as a Ranger. New York acquired him from Vegas for three draft picks on June 26 and signed him to a seven-year, $77 million contract on June 30. "It obviously feels great when you get it sooner than later," Dorofeyev said.

Turning Point: The Bounce That Made It 3-0

The Lightning needed a push in the second. Instead, they gave one up 1:40 in. Eeli Tolvanen threw the puck from the right wall into the slot, aiming for Will Cuylle. Cuylle never got a piece of it, but Charle-Edouard D'Astous did, and the puck deflected off the Tampa Bay defenseman's leg and in. That made it 3-0 on Tolvanen's first goal with his new team.

That bounce was the moment the night really turned. A 2-0 game against a team with Nikita Kucherov, Brayden Point and Andrei Vasilevskiy can flip in a hurry. A 3-0 game with Shesterkin in net is a different math problem.

Kucherov got Tampa Bay on the board at 7:59, banking a backhand in off Rangers center Noah Laba, but New York restored the three-goal cushion at 16:01. Adam Fox's shot went in off Gabe Perreault's stick and skate for a 4-1 lead. Zibanejad had the other assist.

The Third: No Pushback, One Historic Goal

The Lightning had plenty of chances to make it interesting. They were on the power play for nearly seven minutes in the third, per NHL.com, after J.T. Miller went off for holding at 0:25 and Fox for tripping at 9:04. Tampa Bay even pulled Vasilevskiy twice to create a 6-on-4. They managed six shots in the period. The Rangers' penalty kill finished 7-for-7.

"We did a great job," Shesterkin said. "PK was awesome."

Then came the punchline. With the Tampa Bay net empty late, Shesterkin got the puck and sent it from his own end all the way into the vacant cage. NHL.com noted he is the 18th goalie to score in NHL history and it is the 21st goalie goal overall, 19 in the regular season and two in the playoffs.

"That was a lot of fun, but to be honest, someone on the blue line, he screened me a little bit when I make the shot and I didn't see the puck land, so I didn't know can I celebrate or not," Shesterkin said. "I just started doing that when everyone was like fired up."

Stars of the Night

Igor Shesterkin made 23 saves on 24 shots, scored a goal, and picked up his 100th win at Madison Square Garden in his 177th game there. NHL.com noted he is the fourth-fastest goalie in Rangers history to reach 100 home wins, behind Mike Richter, Eddie Giacomin and Henrik Lundqvist. "The way he played today and obviously the amount of chances that he's had to do that and now finally get it, it was great," Zibanejad said.

Mika Zibanejad had a goal and an assist in 18:53 and won eight faceoffs. Pavel Dorofeyev and Adam Fox each had two points. Eeli Tolvanen and Gabe Perreault also scored.

For Tampa Bay, Nikita Kucherov scored in 24:07, and Andrei Vasilevskiy made 20 saves on 24 shots.

Stats That Matter

• 7-for-7: The Rangers' penalty kill.
• 1-for-2: The Rangers' power play.
• 35-22: New York on faceoffs, a 61.4 percent clip.
• 23-16: Rangers blocked shots versus Lightning blocked shots.
• 18th: Shesterkin's place on the list of NHL goalies to score a goal.

What It Means

New York evens its record at 1-1-0 and is 1-0-0 at home, which already beats last season's start at the Garden. The Rangers visit Detroit on Friday, and per the AP, Dylan Garand appears in line to start with backup Joonas Korpisalo injured.

Tampa Bay drops its opener to fall to 0-1-0, and coach Jon Cooper was not happy with the effort. "I just thought we had limited pushback, and that's just not a staple of what's gone on in this room," he said. "It was almost like the game was an inconvenience to play, got in the way of summer." The Lightning play their home opener Saturday against Washington.

Closing Take

Every few years, a goalie scores and the internet treats it like a solar eclipse. This one hit differently because of where it happened: in a building that spent last October staring at a scoreboard that would not move. Shesterkin did not see the puck go in. Nobody at the Garden will forget that it did.

Stats from the official box score via ESPN. Game details from the Associated Press; postgame quotes and team notes as reported by NHL.com.