Peter Laviolette opted to pull Shesterkin from the game in favor of backup Jonathan Quick with 6:09 left in the second period after Buffalo’s fifth goal of the night.

For the first time this season Igor Shesterkin has been pulled in the middle of a game. In the New York Rangers’ Thursday night game against the Buffalo Sabres, Shesterkin gave up five goals on just 12 shots.

Coming into Thursday night, New York Rangers goalie Igor Shesterkin had a league-leading .932 save percentage to go with a 2.22 goals-against average and a 6-2-1 record. The Sabres were 15th in the NHL in goals per game.

Rasmus Dahlin scored 26 seconds into the game, Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen made 25 saves and the Buffalo Sabres beat Igor Shesterkin and the New York Rangers 6-1 on Thursday night. Dylan Cozens, Tage Thompson, Jordan Greenway and Sam Lafferty had second-period goals as the Sabres won for the second time in six road games.

On a night when Igor Shesterkin was not in form to rescue the New York Rangers, the Blueshirts were incapable of bailing out their franchise goalie. Needless to say that was a bad recipe for the Rangers, who were hammered by the Buffalo Sabres 6-1 at Madison Square Garden on Thursday.

It isn’t often that New York Rangers goaltender Igor Shesterkin gets lit up by the opposition, but that was the case on Thursday night against the in-state rival Buffalo Sabres at Madison Square Garden in Manhattan.

Rangers goalie Igor Shesterkin was pulled in the second period against the Buffalo Sabres on Thursday night after giving up five goals on 11 shots.