With Washington on the power play, the 30-year-old goalie appeared to injure his right leg at 8:20, when it looked like he jammed his right skate into the right post after scrambling to get back into his net. Shesterkin’s right leg then appeared to bend awkwardly under him as he fell in the crease.

After remaining down on the ice and being attended to by the Rangers head athletic trainer Andy Hosler, Shesterkin was helped off the ice by defensemen Sean Durzi and Marcus Pettersson without putting any weight on his right leg. Shesterkin also had to be helped down the tunnel to the locker room.

“Definitely not a good feeling for anyone seeing anyone on your team go down, especially a guy like that who’s kind of the pillar on the back end there,” New York defenseman Adam Fox said.” “You know, it (stinks). Obviously, we’re hoping for the best for him.”

Shesterkin stopped 13 of the 14 shots he faced before exiting the game and being replaced by Dylan Garand, who made 11 saves. 

“It’s awful,” Rangers captain J.T. Miller said of Shesterkin’s injury. “He’s a pillar of this team. It stinks. Obviously, it’s (early). We don’t even know what’s going on, but to see him leave the game is a shot to all of us, a shock to all of us. But at the same time, it means we got to step up to a man to try to get the job done, especially (Garand).”

In four previous starts this season, Shesterkin was 3-1-0 with a 1.75 goals-against average and a .926 save percentage. He also scored his first NHL goal in a 5-1 victory against the Tampa Bay Lightning on Oct. 1.

“He’s been a huge part of our team for a very long time,” Rangers center Mika Zibanejad said. “He’s been giving us a chance to win every night, and tough to see him go down. Just hoping for the best, obviously.”

The Rangers are already missing backup goalie Joonas Korpisalo, who is week to week with a lower-body injury. Sullivan said there was no change to Korpisalo’s status.

Garand was called up from Hartford of the American Hockey League on Oct. 1 after clearing waivers and being sent down on Sept 28. Garand made 22 saves for his first NHL shutout in a 2-0 victory at the Detroit Red Wings on Oct.2. The 24-year-old is 3-1-1 with a 1.31 GAA, .954 save percentage and one shutout in five career NHL games (four starts).

Shesterkin, who won the Vezina Trophy as the NHL’s top goalie in 2021-22, missed 13 games last season after sustaining a lower-body injury in the first period of a 3-2 overtime loss to the Utah Mammoth at Madison Square Garden on Jan. 5. He went 25-19-6 with a 2.50 GAA, .912 save percentage and one shutout in 51 games (all starts) last season.

“He’s a big part of this team, without a doubt,” Sullivan said. “I’ve said it on so many different occasions, he’s one of amongst the best goalies in the world, if not the best. He’s that good.”