Rangers' Igor Shesterkin, Devils' Jacob Markstrom have spirited goalie fight at Garden

This would have been an relatively nondescript matchup between two rivals going nowhere, except for one moment that woke up the Madison Square Garden crowd Tuesday night and got the fans – and the home team – more excited than they have been most of the season.

Goalies Igor Shesterkin of the Rangers and Jacob Markstrom of the Devils fought midway through the third period of the Rangers’ 4-1 victory, and that created a lot of excitement and smiles in the Rangers’ locker room after the game.

SHESTY 😤 pic.twitter.com/qD73Jgbkax

— New York Rangers (@NYRangers) April 1, 2026

“There hasn't been, unfortunately, a lot to cheer about (at the Garden) in the early going this year, so to have a moment like that, it's really special,’’ said Rangers captain J.T. Miller, whose first-period goal that put the Rangers up 2-0 proved to be the game-winner. “And I'm glad the fans got it. I'm happy for Igor.’’

“It was awesome,’’ said a grinning Mika Zibanejad, who was Markstrom’s teammate on the Swedish Olympic team. “Obviously, knowing Markstrom a bit, I knew he's feisty, so when he started skating over I had a feeling it was gonna happen. So no, just a good fight. It was awesome. It was a lot of fun to watch.’’

The whole thing started when the Devils’ Paul Cotter crashed into Shesterkin with 10:55 remaining in the period and the Rangers already leading 4-1. Adam Fox immediately shoved Cotter behind the net and all of the Rangers on the ice surrounded him and started pummeling him for running into their goaltender.

The fiery Shesterkin left his crease and also attacked Cotter, and that prompted Markstrom to leave his goal crease and skate all the way down into the Rangers’ end of the ice to challenge Shesterkin to a fight. Markstrom had already shed his mask and gloves by the time he arrived, and the linesman had to hold him back while Shesterkin got his mask and gloves off. Then, the two goalies fought.

“I felt like I just needed to do something,’’ Markstrom said. “And it’s frustrating, letting in four goals and you stand back there, you want to hit someone, you want to get involved, you want to do something. And as a goalie, that’s not really my job. And Paul bumped into (Shesterkin) a little bit, he sold it, and then when (Shesterkin went after Cotter) . . . we’re down 4-1, I just tried to hit a spark and do something.’’

Shesterkin was in a jovial mood after the game. Asked what his first thought was when he saw the 6-6, 207-pound Markstrom coming at him, he said, “I just thought how huge he is. And I thought like, I just don’t want to get knocked out, so I was defensive.’’

“I just want to say thanks to my boxing coach,’’ he said.

Shesterkin (listed at 6-0, 199) seemed to throw more punches, though most appeared to hit Markstrom not in the face, but in the back, as Markstrom ducked. The fight went on for a few minutes, and Markstrom threw a couple shots as well, before he eventually fell and the officials broke it up.

“What a great fight,’’ Rangers coach Mike Sullivan said. “I didn't know Shesty had it in him.’’

Sullivan was asked whether he was more excited watching the goalies fight, or worried that Shesterkin might get hurt.

“I thought it was great,’’ he said.

Both goalies received two-minute penalties for leaving the crease and five-minute fighting majors. Cotter received a two-minute goalie interference penalty for running into Shesterkin, which put the Rangers on a power play. They did not score.

The fight was the first for both players in their NHL careers, though Shesterkin tried to fight Ottawa captain Brady Tkachuk last season, throwing punches at Tkachuk. Markstrom got into a goalie fight against Binghamton Senators’ Peter Mannino while playing for the Utica Comets in the AHL in 2015.

Sullivan said seeing their goalie fight can be a good thing for a Rangers team that won’t make the playoffs, but is playing well and now has won three straight games.

“I think the team can rally around something like that,’’ he said. “Obviously, you don't wish for anybody to get hurt, but I think the players certainly rally around it. Shesty means so much to this team. You know, in a lot of ways, he's the foundation. He's just -- I've said this to you guys so many times this year. I believe he's the best goalie in the world.’’

SHESTY 😤 pic.twitter.com/qD73Jgbkax

— New York Rangers (@NYRangers) April 1, 2026