Andrei Svechnikov is doing what he can to get Igor Shesterkin off his game.
The Canes forward took out the Rangers goalie behind the net during the first period of Tuesday’s Game 2. Svechnikov’s run at the goalie caused a small brawl to break out, with several Rangers players, including Shesterkin, going after the Canes’ forward.
The incident occurred early in the first period when Svechnikov was skating behind the Rangers’ net. Shesterkin was playing the puck as Svechnikov was coming at him. The Canes’ forward didn’t try to avoid the goalie and took out Igor’s legs, causing him to fall to the ice.
Check out the video below:
SVECH TAKES OUT IGOR AND CHAOS FOLLOWS 🤯 pic.twitter.com/zAy1LHKj4q
— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) May 7, 2024
Our favorite part about this is Shesterkin taking matters into his own hands and immediately going after Svechnikov. The Russian goalie was able to skate pretty close to Svechnikov near center and give him an earful. The ref eventually escorted Igor away.
Svechnikov was initially assessed a five-minute major penalty, but it was reduced to a two-minute minor after review.
Shesterkin has a history of embellishment, but the replay here shows Svechnikov intentionally moved his stick to put it between Igor’s legs and trip him.
Shesterkin wanted to take care of business himself after that. 🍿 pic.twitter.com/xtYfK2vvXW
— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) May 7, 2024
Shesterkin has been on fire in the playoffs, so we can’t fault Svechnikov for trying to get him off his game. While it was a dirty move, it may have worked. The Canes scored two goals afterward to take a 2-1 lead in the game.
With Matt Rempe on the Rangers roster, we wouldn’t be surprised if Svechnikov isn’t done answering for his play on Shesterkin.