Rangers’ Igor Shesterkin chirped by rival after goalie goal: ‘Knew I’d do it before Igor’
Igor Shesterkin has long insisted he’s a better shooter than fellow Russian and longtime friend Ilya Sorokin of the New York Islanders, even telling NHL.com before the 2023 NHL All-Star Skills Competition that not only was Sorokin’s claim to be a better shooter incorrect, but that “unfortunately he is so bad … If we got a soccer net, maybe he could score.”
The New York Rangers goalie may be right, but Sorokin has bragging rights of a sort over his buddy after becoming the 17th goaltender in NHL history to be credited with a goal on Saturday.
Sorokin was the last member of the Islanders to touch the puck before Nashville Predators forward Steven Stamkos missed on a pass in the offensive zone, sending it back into his own net with 12 seconds left, sealing the Islanders’ 7-4 win at UBS Arena.
With Predators goalie Juuse Saros on the bench for an extra attacker, Sorokin made a blocker save on Stamkos and denied Jonathan Marchessault on the rebound. Stamkos controlled the puck along the left boards after it skittered away from the front of the net, but his pass back to the point missed its target and didn’t stop until it hit the back of the Nashville net.
“I knew I’d do it before Igor,” Sorokin joked after the game.
No Rangers goaltender has ever been credited with a goal, although Hall of Famer Ed Giacomin, arguably the best puck-handler of his era, did become the first goalie to have two assists in a game on March 19, 1972, more than seven years before Billy Smith of the Islanders became the first NHL goalie to be credited with a goal. On Nov. 28, 1979, Smith, like Sorokin, was the last Islanders player to touch the puck before Colorado Rockies defenseman Rob Ramage missed connections on a pass from behind the Isles’ goal line and the puck slid back into Colorado’s net.
Bob Froese of the Rangers nearly became the second goalie to score a goal. He was originally credited with a second-period tally against the Islanders on Nov. 29, 1987, when Brent Sutter’s back pass during a delayed penalty misfired and slid into his own empty net.
But after Ed Hertensten, the game’s official scorer, reviewed a videotape of the 3-1 victory, the goal was awarded to defenseman David Shaw, who was judged to be the last Rangers player to touch the puck before it went into the Islanders net.
“I wasn’t sure during the game,” Froese said the next day, “but when I watched the replay I knew it didn’t hit me, and I went in and told the coaches.”
Sorokin’s goal was the 20th (18 in the regular season, two in the Stanley Cup Playoffs) credited to a goaltender; he’s the 17th different goalie to score a goal and the third this season. Eleven goalies have shot the puck into the net, with Ron Hextall doing it twice. The other eight have come when the goalie was credited with the goal by being the last player on his team to touch the puck before a member of the opposing team accidentally put it into his own net.
Shesterkin, who scored a goal in 2013 when he played junior hockey in Russia, has come within inches of doing it several times in the NHL and is considered one of the League’s best stcik-handlers among goalies. He barely missed wide left against the Ottawa Senators on Feb. 21, 2022, and again against the Florida Panthers at Madison Square Garden on Jan. 23, 2023.
“I was mad at myself,” Shesterkin said of the miss against the Panthers. “I thought I would get a chance — and scoring in Madison Square Garden, I think it’s the dream for everybody, not only for goalies.”
Related: Rangers trade grades after acquiring Calvin de Haan, Juuso Parssinen from Avalanche
A look at 20 goalie goals in NHL history
Ilya Sorokin, New York Islanders vs. Nashville Predators, March 1, 2025
Sorokin made two big saves in the final half-minute against the Predators before Stamkos misfired on a pass and the puck slid back into Nashville’s net. The goal, listed as coming from 172 feet away, provided insurance in a 7-4 victory at UBS Arena.
Alex Nedeljkovic, Pittsburgh Penguins at Buffalo Sabres, Jan. 17, 2025
Nedeljkovic picked up a dump-in behind his net and quickly shot the puck, which landed beyond the red line, bounced three times and slid into the Sabres net with 2:42 remaining in the third period. Nedeljkovic, who also made 40 saves, became the first goalie in NHL history with a goal and an assist in the same game. He also became the first goalie to score in the NHL, the American Hockey League (twice) and the ECHL.
Filip Gustavsson, Minnesota Wild at St. Louis Blues, Oct. 15, 2024
Gustavsson gloved Pavel Buchnevich’s slap shot from the neutral zone, immediately put the puck down, dropped to a knee and airmailed a shot through that sailed into the offensive zone and rolled into the empty net with nine seconds remaining in the third period. He also made 27 saves in the 4-1 win.
Tristan Jarry, Pittsburgh Penguins at Tampa Bay Lightning, Nov. 30, 2023
Jarry made a save and lifted a shot from his crease into an empty net at 18:52 of the third period in a 4-2 win. NHL Edge stats showed the shot reached a top speed of 55.76 mph, covered 148.7 feet while airborne and maxed out at 16.4 feet above the ice. Oh, he also made 39 saves.
Linus Ullmark, Boston Bruins at Vancouver Canucks, Feb. 25, 2023
Ullmark knocked down a dump-in near his left post, then launched the puck up and over everyone; it landed flat just above the hash marks and slid into the net with 48 seconds remaining to secure a 3-1 win. Ullmark also made 26 saves to reach 30 wins for the first time in his eight NHL seasons.
Pekka Rinne, Nashville Predators at Chicago Blackhawks, Jan. 9, 2020
Rinne’s 29-save effort against the Blackhawks helped new coach John Hynes get his first win with Nashville, but he made history by controlling the puck behind the goal line and shooting it into an empty net with 22 seconds left to play.
Mike Smith, Phoenix Coyotes vs. Detroit Red Wings, Oct. 19, 2013
Smith barely beat the clock, scoring with 0.1 seconds left to cap a 5-2 win at Jobing.com Arena. After making 31 saves against the visiting Red Wings, he controlled the puck and shot for the empty net after Detroit had pulled Jimmy Howard for an extra skater. It barely beat the green light.
Martin Brodeur, New Jersey Devils at Carolina Hurricanes, March 21, 2013
Brodeur, the gold standard for puck-handling goalies, was credited with his third career goal and second in the regular season — ironically without using his stick. The goal came 3:54 into the game at PNC Arena during a New Jersey power play and technically is the only time in NHL history that one goalie scored against another. Carolina’s Dan Ellis was leaving the ice during a delayed penalty but hadn’t gotten to the bench when Jordan Staal’s back pass headed for the empty net. Ellis raced back toward his crease but got there too late to prevent the goal; he’s listed among the players on the ice. The Devils won the game 4-1, with Brodeur making 17 saves.
Cam Ward, Carolina Hurricanes vs. New Jersey Devils, Dec. 26, 2011
Ward got a slightly delayed Christmas present when New Jersey pulled Johan Hedberg for an extra attacker in the final minute at RBC Center, only to have Adam Henrique fall down while trying to reach Ilya Kovalchuk’s pass to the left point. The puck slid down the ice and into the empty Devils net to complete Carolina’s 4-2 win.
Chris Mason, Nashville Predators vs. Phoenix Coyotes, April 15, 2006
Mason, who had been credited with a goal while playing in the AHL, got credit for one in the NHL at 10:47 of the third period when Geoff Sanderson of the Coyotes accidentally put the puck into his own net after Phoenix had pulled goalie David LeNeveu during a delayed penalty. It completed the scoring in Nashville’s 5-1 win.
Mika Noronen, Buffalo Sabres at Toronto Maple Leafs, Feb. 14, 2004
Noronen helped the Sabres survive a late-game barrage of shots by the Maple Leafs, then got his reward when a pass from behind the Buffalo net by Toronto’s Robert Reichel missed connections and slid down the ice and into an empty net, capping Buffalo’s 6-4 win at Air Canada Centre.
Evgeni Nabokov, San Jose Sharks at Vancouver Canucks, March 10, 2002
Nabokov became the first (and still only) goalie to score a power-play goal when shot the puck from his own crease into an empty net against the Canucks, who had pulled Peter Skudra. Nabby’s shot into the vacated net capped San Jose’s 7-4 win at General Motors Place.
Jose Theodore, Montreal Canadiens at New York Islanders, Jan. 2, 2001
Theodore made 32 saves at Nassau Coliseum before shooting the puck into an empty net to cap Montreal’s 3-0 victory. It came exactly two years after Ottawa’s Rhodes scored a goal and had a shutout; that combination has not been repeated in the next 24 years (and counting).
Martin Brodeur, New Jersey Devils vs. Philadelphia Flyers, Feb. 15, 2000
Among his other accomplishments, Brodeur is the only goalie to receive credit for a game-winning goal. He got it when Philadelphia’s Daymond Langkow accidentally put the puck into his own net 9:43 into the third period, giving the Devils a 3-1 lead. It became the game-winner when Philadelphia’s Mark Recchi scored at 11:59. Scott Niedermayer’s insurance goal gave New Jersey a 4-2 win at Continental Airlines Arena.
Damian Rhodes, Ottawa Senators vs. New Jersey Devils, Jan. 2, 1999
Rhodes was the first goalie to cap a shutout by scoring a goal. He was credited with one at 8:14 of the opening period during a delayed penalty when Devils defenseman Lyle Odelein put the puck in his own net after Brodeur had been pulled during a delayed penalty. That made it 2-0; Rhodes finished with 30 saves in a 6-0 victory at Corel Centre.
Martin Brodeur, New Jersey Devils vs. Montreal Canadiens, April 17, 1997
This one had to be sweet for Brodeur, a Montreal native. He scored the first of his three goals in Game 1 of the 1997 Eastern Conference Quarterfinals by shooting the puck into an empty net after the Canadiens had pulled goalie Jocelyn Thibault. It capped a 5-2 win at Continental Airlines Arena.
Chris Osgood, Detroit Red Wings at Hartford Whalers, March 6, 1996
Osgood was on his way to finishing 39-6 with five ties when he shot the puck the length of the ice into an empty net after Hartford pulled Sean Burke. It completed a 4-2 win at the Hartford Civic Center.
Ron Hextall, Philadelphia Flyers at Washington Capitals, April 11, 1989
Hextall became the first goalie to score in a playoff game and the first to score a shorthanded goal. He shot the puck into an empty net after Washington pulled goalie Pete Peeters during a power play, capping an 8-5 win at Capital Center.
Ron Hextall, Philadelphia Flyers vs. Boston Bruins, Dec. 8, 1987
Hextall, one of the most active goalies in NHL history when it came to playing the puck, became the first to score by shooting the puck into the net. He his length-of-the-ice shot went into an empty net after Boston pulled goalie Rejean Lemelin, capping a Philadelphia’s 5-2 victory at the Spectrum.
Billy Smith, New York Islanders at Colorado Rockies, Nov. 28, 1979
Smith became the first goalie to be credited with a goal when he made a save during a delayed penalty and was the last player to touch the puck before Rockies defenseman Rob Ramage missed connections on a back pass and the puck slid into an empty net after Colorado had pulled goalie Bill McKenzie. However, the Rockies went on to win 7-4 at McNichols Sports Arena; Smith is still the only goalie to be credited with a goal in a game his team lost.
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