Igor Shesterkin stopped all 37 shots he faced, and Alexis Lafrenière’s first-period goal held up as the winner as the New York Rangers opened their season with a 4–0 victory over the Buffalo Sabres on Thursday night.
The win marked Mike Sullivan’s first behind the Rangers bench and the 480th of his coaching career. The two-time Stanley Cup champion, dismissed by Pittsburgh last spring after a decade there, took over in New York following Peter Laviolette’s departure in April.
Captain J.T. Miller and defensemen Carson Soucy and Adam Fox added insurance goals over the final 5:14 to secure the shutout win.
Shesterkin, coming off a strong 28-save effort in Tuesday’s 3–0 loss to Pittsburgh, recorded the 22nd shutout of his career, anchoring a stingy Rangers defense.
For Buffalo, Alex Lyon made 29 saves in his Sabres debut, stepping in for injured starter Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen (lower-body injury). The Sabres were blanked in their season opener for just the fifth time in franchise history and only the second time at home.
Lafrenière, the top overall pick in the 2021 NHL Draft, continued his success against Buffalo, notching his fourth career game-winning goal versus the Sabres. He opened the scoring at 11:43 of the first period, outmuscling defenseman Jacob Bryson near the crease and sweeping the puck into an open net after a slick setup from the right post.
Buffalo was also missing several regulars, including defensemen Owen Power (illness) and Michael Kesselring, and forward Zach Benson, who was sidelined after taking a puck to the cheek in practice on Wednesday.
New York lost forward Vincent Trocheck in the second period to an upper-body injury; he did not return.
Rangers next game is Saturday night in Pittsburgh at 7pm. Rangers also play Sunday night back home at the Garden vs Washington 7pm.
LETS GO RANGERS!
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