The New York Rangers suffered significant setbacks with injuries to key players Adam Fox and Igor Shesterkin during their 3-2 overtime loss to the Utah Mammoth on Monday at Madison Square Garden. Fox has been placed on long-term injured reserve with a lower-body injury, while Shesterkin is on regular injured reserve for his own lower-body issue. Both players will miss upcoming games, complicating the team's playoff push.
The New York Rangers' 3-2 overtime defeat to the Utah Mammoth at Madison Square Garden on Monday highlighted ongoing injury woes for the team, now with a record of 20-18-6. Goaltender Igor Shesterkin, the Rangers' backbone this season, suffered a lower-body injury at 13:00 of the first period. He fell backwards after marginal contact from Utah forward JJ Peterka while driving to the net, slamming his blocker on the ice in pain and unable to put weight on his left leg. Teammate Vladislav Gavrikov and trainer Andy Hosler assisted him off the ice. Shesterkin, who leads all NHL goalies with 34 starts, has a 17-12-4 record, 2.45 goals-against average, and .913 save percentage this season. He has been placed on injured reserve and will continue to be evaluated.
Defenseman Adam Fox, the team's top blueliner with 28 points (4 goals, 24 assists) in 30 games, also sustained a lower-body injury. Details on how it occurred remain unclear; Fox played 23:30 but took his last shift with 3:14 remaining in the third period and did not play in overtime or the final power play. He has been placed on long-term injured reserve, requiring him to miss at least 10 games and 24 days, making him ineligible until January 31 against Pittsburgh. Fox recently returned from a 14-game absence due to an upper-body injury from December 2-29.
Jonathan Quick relieved Shesterkin and made 15 saves in the loss. The Rangers have called up defenseman Scott Morrow from AHL Hartford and goaltender Spencer Martin from the KHL to bolster the roster. Without these two pivotal players, New York faces challenges in the tight Eastern Conference playoff race, where they sit three points out of the second wild card but with the East's worst points percentage. The team hosts the Buffalo Sabres on Thursday.
