The Russian goalkeeper screamed in pain: he was injured in the match against Ovechkin

Washington beat the Rangers in the NHL championship game. Alexander Ovechkin was close to his first goal of the new season, but he was stopped by Igor Shesterkin. The Russian goalkeeper ended the game early due to injury.

Confident start for Ovechkin's club

From the moment Alexander Ovechkin announced his fateful decision to retire from the National Hockey League at the end of the 2026/27 season, the sports world paid even greater attention to the matches involving the famous Russian striker. Now that the leader of the Washington Capitals has started the countdown to his performances in North America, throughout the NHL the number of mentions of the Russian’s name and materials about him in the media and on the league’s official media resources has increased many times over, and the organization of games is being more scrupulous.

For example, in Washington’s recent match against the Pittsburgh Penguins, which ended in a victory for the Capitals (5:3) and which became the capital’s first home match of the new season, Ovechkin was given a very warm and touching welcome. When the Capital One Arena announcer announced the entry of the Caps players onto the court just before the start of the game, Alexander Mikhailovich’s exit was met with thunderous applause and slogans of “Ovi! Ovi! Ovi!” performed by more than 18 thousand spectators, his sons Sergei and Ilya announced.

The liner for Washington's next match also turned out to be unusual. Today the Capitals hosted their neighbors the New York Rangers, who started the season vigorously with four wins in five matches. For the Russian audience, this match was supposed to be another confrontation between Ovechkin and Igor Shesterkin.

© Photo: x.com/nhlIgor Shesterkin

© Photo: x.com/nhl

Igor Shesterkin

It is curious that the Rangers goalkeeper approached the new head-to-head meeting with the best performance statistics: if Ovechkin had one point scored in the first three games of the championship, then Shesterkin had two. Moreover, the Blueshirts' goalkeeper surpassed the best sniper in NHL history not just in points, but also in goals - in the match against the Tampa Bay Lightning, Shesterkin became only the third Russian goalkeeper in history who managed to score a goal in an NHL championship match.

Shesterkin's terrible injury

The first game between Washington and the Rangers in the new season turned out to be truly combative from the very opening face-off.

The same Ovechkin immediately declared his intentions to play actively and aggressively in a sportsmanlike manner. In the first shift, he powerfully flew into the Russian striker of the Blue Shirts, Pavel Dorofeev: the club's newcomer from New York could not stand on his feet after the forceful move of the 41-year-old giant and collapsed on the ice.

However, a little later Dorofeev answered “capital”.

After a shock start, Washington took two unnecessary penalties, and the home team was punished for the second penalty. Shesterkin quickly broke up the Rangers' attack with a pass to Dorofeev, who, upon entering the zone, passed the ball to JT Miller. He connected Alexis Lafreniere to the combination, who dribbled from the right flank to the center and famously shot from the slot area. Caps goalie Logan Thompson wasn't prepared for the shot.

After the missed goal, Washington increased the pressure on the Rangers goal. Ovechkin was one of those who created a threat in Shesterkin's domain. Before the first break, for example, he tested Shesterkin with his trademark powerful touch shot from the left throw-in circle - the Blueshirts goalkeeper coped with this flick. At the beginning of the second period, Ovechkin again forced Shesterkin to make spectacular saves - the Russian goalscorer made a great cross from Tom Wilson from the left flank to the goal, but in this episode Igor helped out his team.

However, a little later, Shesterkin’s gate was finally opened. The Capitals unleashed several waves of dangerous attacks, and finally Timothy Liljegren sent the puck into the net with a one-touch laser shot from the blue line. But this was not a failure for Igor compared to what happened two minutes later.

“Washington” was playing the majority when Ovechkin, having pulled two Rangers players on himself at the left side, passed Pierre-Luc Dubois into a shooting position in the area of ​​the right throw-in circle. Shesterkin was the only one to play on the Caps' open forward and rolled wide out of the net, preventing Dubois from making a shot. The capital's forward was forced to take the lead, but lost the puck after Shesterkin tripped the Canadian.

© AP Photo / Nick WassIgor Shesterkin

© AP Photo/Nick Wass

Igor Shesterkin

He lost his balance and momentarily lost control of the puck. Quickly rising to his feet, Dubois rolled out from behind the goal and continued his attack. Shesterkin, seeing this, immediately moved to the far post. But while moving, the Russian Rangers goalkeeper unsuccessfully twisted his right leg.

Igor immediately lay down on his back, signaling an injury, and the match was immediately stopped. When a representative of the club’s medical headquarters from New York came running to the Blueshirts’ goalkeeper, during the television broadcast one could clearly hear the Russian screaming in pain. Shesterkin was able to get to his feet and leave the court only with the help of a doctor and teammates, who grabbed Igor by the arms and took him to the bench, from where the goalkeeper, with great difficulty, went to the locker room. Leaving the ice, Shesterkin could not step on his right foot. The stands at Washington's home arena at that moment expressed support for the Russian, loudly charging "Igor! Igor! Igor!"

At this point the match was over for Shesterkin. It is interesting that when the meeting resumed, “Washington” had to play in the “5 on 3” format for about 30 seconds, because Shesterkin’s trip on Dubois a few moments before the sad episode did not go away. However, the referees canceled the foul without explanation, although one of the referees signaled it by raising his hand.

© AP Photo / Nick WassIgor Shesterkin

© AP Photo/Nick Wass

Igor Shesterkin

Due to the Russian's injury, the Rangers have a serious staffing problem with goalkeepers. The Blueshirts were missing the injured Joonas Korpisalo, and Spencer Martin, well known to CSKA Moscow fans, is also in the club's hospital.

Because of this, 33-year-old Canadian Dylan Garand entered the game, for whom today’s match was only the fifth of his career in the NHL championships. The Capitals hit him before the break: The Rangers were unable to get the puck out of their zone when Cole Beaudoin made an unsuccessful pass through the center, after which Boone Jenner, who played the interception, picked up the puck and sent it into the goal with a powerful wrist shot.

In the third period, Washington played for results, focusing on a successful fight in the central zone. The game became sticky, which prevented the Rangers from storming Thompson's goal - there were practically no acute situations in his possession, even when the guests vacated their goal for the sake of a sixth field player. And at the very last second, Tom Wilson completely ended the match, sending the puck into the net and setting the final score (3:1).

© AP Photo / Nick WassAlexander Ovechkin

© AP Photo/Nick Wass

Alexander Ovechkin

Alexander Ovechkin spent only four shifts during the final period. As in the previous match against Pittsburgh, the Russian veteran did not appear on the court when the Capitals played in a 5-on-6 format. In total, Alexander Mikhailovich's total playing time was less than three seconds and 14 minutes, during which he shot on target twice (two more of his shots were blocked and went wide of the goal) and used two power moves.

In the new season, the best sniper in the history of the NHL championships is still going goalless. In the last regular season, Ovechkin also played four games in a row without scoring goals from the start of the championship and scored for the first time only in the fifth match. The Caps have a home match with the Seattle Kraken ahead. Will it feature Ovi's first goal of the season?