Rangers vs. Mammoth: Igor Shesterkin's 28 Saves and an Assist Power New York's Third Straight Win

Fans at Madison Square Garden were yelling at Igor Shesterkin to shoot as early as the first period on Sunday night. Three nights after the Rangers goalie scored his first NHL goal, the crowd clearly wanted a sequel. When the moment finally came late in the third, Shesterkin did something even more useful: he passed.

His long feed sprung Will Cuylle, who set up Eeli Tolvanen for an empty-net goal with 1:15 to go, and the New York Rangers beat the Utah Mammoth 4-2 for their third straight win. Shesterkin made 28 saves to go with the assist, Gabe Perreault and J.T. Miller scored in a decisive third period, and Vladislav Gavrikov had a goal and an assist.

Even Through Two, Then a Third-Period Takeover

Gavrikov opened the scoring at 17:18 of the first, firing from the blue line on a setup from Adam Fox. That lead lasted until the middle of the second, when Cuylle's night took a turn. At 14:01 he was called for roughing MacKenzie Weegar and boarding Dylan Guenther, while Mikhail Sergachev went off for cross-checking him on the same sequence. The math left Utah on the power play, and 28 seconds later Nick Schmaltz backhanded a rebound of a Clayton Keller shot past Shesterkin to tie it 1-1.

By then, Utah was getting the better of the run of play. Mammoth coach Andre Tourigny said afterward that his team was probably doubling New York in scoring chances through two periods, and Utah did finish with a 30-22 edge in shots. But the third belonged to New York.

Just 3:15 in, Mika Zibanejad and Alexis Lafreniere broke in on a 2-on-1. Karel Vejmelka stopped Lafreniere, the rebound sat up above the left hash marks, and Perreault buried it into a wide-open net. "I had the whole net," Perreault said, which is about as honest a description of a goal as you will ever hear.

At 12:47, Miller did the dirty work. He planted himself in front, and Gavrikov's point shot glanced off his skates and in for a 3-1 lead. Andrew Peeke pulled Utah within one at 14:57 with a quick shot over Shesterkin's glove, and the Mammoth pulled Vejmelka for an extra skater. That set the stage for Shesterkin's pass, and Tolvanen finished it at 18:45.

Shesterkin Keeps Collecting Points

Shesterkin now has points in back-to-back starts. NHL.com noted he is the first goalie to record points in consecutive appearances since Connor Ingram did it with the Mammoth on Feb. 6-9, 2025, and that only three goalies in NHL history have had points in three consecutive appearances: Henrik Lundqvist, Ed Belfour and Tom Barrasso. The Islanders are next. No pressure, Igor.

He also showed some restraint. According to NHL.com, he had already tried to score once earlier in the game, only to watch Sergachev hustle back and keep the puck out. So when the next chance came, he played it straight. "It was a great play by him on the empty-net goal to not go for the goal and pass it up to me and we get the empty-net goal," Cuylle said. "He's obviously a smart guy; he can make saves and play a little offense too."

Cuylle, by the way, had one of the more eventful stat lines you will see: 11 penalty minutes, including a fight with Jack McBain at 1:03 of the third, plus the primary assist on the clinching goal. That is a full season of a prestige drama crammed into 14:06 of ice time.

Gavrikov was quietly excellent, adding four blocked shots to his goal and assist. Miller, meanwhile, explained the method behind his goal. "I figure if you do it 10 times a game something will go off your foot," he said.

The Third Period Switch

Utah's best hockey came in the first 40 minutes, and New York's came in the final 20. Tourigny was blunt about the difference. "I just think mentally we did not sustain in the third. We didn't stay patient. We forced it," he said. The Perreault goal was the hinge. One loose rebound turned a tied game the Mammoth felt they were controlling into a chase, and chasing against Shesterkin is a bad business plan.

The Rangers did it shorthanded on the bench, too. Joe Veleno left with a lower-body injury midway through the first period and did not return, per NHL.com, and the AP noted New York played most of the game with 11 forwards.

Stats That Matter

• 30-22: Utah's edge in shots on goal, which made Shesterkin's 28 saves essential.
• 3: Rangers goals in the third period, including the empty-netter.
• 0-for-4: New York's power play. Utah went 1-for-2.
• 11: Cuylle's penalty minutes, on a night he also set up the clinching goal.
• 3: Straight games with a goal for both Schmaltz (four goals) and Tolvanen (three goals), per NHL.com.

What It Means

The Rangers are 3-1-0 after opening with a 3-0 loss at Boston, and they have won their first two home games this season. NHL.com noted that is a sharp turnaround from last season, when they lost their first seven at home. "It feels so good right now to play well in front of the fans," Miller said. Coach Mike Sullivan pointed to the process. "We're trying to build a team game," he said. New York hosts the Islanders on Tuesday.

Utah falls to 2-1-0 after wins over Chicago and at Columbus, the latter on Saturday as the first half of this back-to-back. Vincent Trocheck, back at the Garden after the Rangers traded him to Utah on July 1, received a video tribute and summed it up neatly. "I loved our effort; execution just wasn't there tonight," he said. The Mammoth visit New Jersey on Tuesday.

Closing Take

A goalie goal is hockey's ultimate party trick, and it buys you a week of highlight packages. A goalie who passes up the shot so his team gets the sure thing is how you buy wins. Shesterkin did both inside of a week, and the Rangers look like a team riding his wave. If he picks up a point against the Islanders, he joins a three-goalie club that has not added a member since Lundqvist in 2010-11. If not, he will settle for another win, which seems to be the whole point.

Stats from the official box score via ESPN. Postgame quotes and game notes from NHL.com; additional details as reported by the Associated Press.