Igor Shesterkin made 20 saves to shut out the Ottawa Senators on Tuesday. Even more noticeable, however, was the fact that he went after the fiery Brady Tkachuk in a fight that had fans buzzing.
New York RangersThe New York Rangers have regained confidence over the last couple of weeks and defeated the Ottawa Senators 5-0 on Tuesday. But the highlight of the game didn’t come from a goal or a save. Instead, it came from Rangers’ goalie Igor Shesterkin doing something unusual by his standards.
With frustration building for the Senators, and 12:51 remaining in the game, the Rangers were up 3-0 when a scrum broke out in front of Shesterkin’s goal. Shesterkin appeared to be in some pain as the scuffle moved from in front of the goal toward the boards. Suddenly, he skated with full force and went after Brady Tkachuk, who was quick to extend his left hand against Shesterkin.
Igor Shesterkin’s fight with Tkachuk
Fans were thrilled to see Shesterkin confront one of the most physical players in the league. After the game, he explained why he wanted to fight Tkachuk.
“I just got a couple punches from Tkachuk,” Shesterkin laughed, per ABC. “To be honest, I took a hit before the whistle, and I didn’t like it. … So, I just wanted to go over and hold him, and if he wanted to fight, it’s tough for me, because I cannot drop my gloves.”
Matt Rempe, enforcer for the Rangers and known for his fighting, admitted he was nervous to see his star goalie in such a situation.
“I was a little nervous because I don’t want anything to happen to him,” Rempe said. “But I love it because he’s a competitor, and I just wanted to make sure I got in there and nothing happened to him.”
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