New York Rangers goalie Igor Shesterkin is being evaluated for a lower-body injury following a collision sustained in the Rangers’ 3-2 loss to the Utah Mammoth Monday.

Shesterkin left Monday’s game against visiting Utah following a collision with another player in the crease with seven minutes remaining in the first period. He was ruled out not long after.

“Obviously we don’t want him to get hurt,” Rangers coach Mike Sullivan said after the game. “He’s an important part of this team. Hopefully it’s not too serious. I don’t have an answer for you because obviously they’re going to do more tests right now. He’s being evaluated.”

Shesterkin made a pad save on Utah’s Dylan Guenther with 7:05 remaining but couldn’t control the rebound. JJ Peterka beat New York defenseman Braden Schneider to the loose puck and his skate blade appeared to make contact with Shesterkin’s glove.

The one-time All-Star (2021-22) immediately fell backwards into the crease and was down for a few minutes before being helped off the ice by a teammate and a trainer. Jonathan Quick entered the game as Shesterkin went to the locker room; Quick gave up three goals on 17 shots.

Shesterkin made nine saves before the collision. He is 17-12-4 with a 2.47 goals-against average and a .912 save percentage in 33 games entering Monday.

“There are certain guys that drive your team and he’s one of them for us,” Sullivan said. “He’s an elite player at his position. I think he’s one of the very best in the game. When you lose a player like that for any length of time, those types of players are difficult to replace.”

–Field Level Media