At the top of his game since the start of the season, Igor Shesterkin had a rare evening to forget on Thursday in a 6-1 defeat of the New York Rangers at the hands of the Buffalo Sabres.
The halfway point had barely been reached at Madison Square Garden when the Blueshirts’ star goaltender was sent to the showers.
Shesterkin, who was second in the NHL in save percentage (93.3%) and sixth in goals against average (2.33) before tonight, failed five times on 12 shots.
The Sabres’ fifth goal at his expense, that of Sam Lafferty, chased him from the Rangers’ cage in favor of Jonathan Quick after only 33 minutes of play.
It was the third time in ten starts that “ Shesty » conceded more than three goals. He gave up six to Utah in an overtime loss on October 12, and four to the Washington Capitals on October 29.
Rasmus Dahlin and Dylan Cozens each scored their second goal of the campaign, while Tage Thompson (9th), Jordan Greenway and Zach Benson – the latter at the expense of Quick – also scored for Buffalo.
Will Cuylle deprived Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen of a possible shutout by hitting the target early in the final period. The Finn made 25 saves in the victory.
The Sabers (6-7-1) won for the second time in a row, giving themselves a three-point lead over the Montreal Canadiens, who are last in the Atlantic Division.
The Rangers (8-3-1) saw a series of two victories come to an end. For the moment, they remain fourth in a very fierce Metropolitan division.
Canada
