After two weeks of time off for most of the roster, the Rangers looked unprepared in a humiliating 8-2 loss to the Sabres last night in Buffalo. That included starting goalie Igor Shesterkin, who let in a soft goal to Jack Quinn less than two minutes in to put his team behind right away.

Following a K’Andre Miller turnover, Quinn picked it up and fired a shot that Shesterkin butchered to give the Sabres an early lead. As bad as Miller’s mistake was, the Rangers needed Shesterkin to make a save. Instead, he gave up a deflating goal that set the tone for a forgettable game.

As has been the case for most of a disappointing season, the Rangers were a mess defensively. There was hardly any effort from the 18 skaters in a lopsided first period that saw the Sabres dominate the action by outscoring the Rangers 5-0. They were lackadaisical in what was the worst period of the season. There have been plenty of bad periods to choose from for a team that looks destined to miss the postseason after winning the Presidents’ Trophy and reaching the Conference Finals. They hadn’t allowed five goals in an opening period since Oct. 7, 2017.

How bad was it? After Rasmus Dahlin got a piece of a Jordan Greenway shot that gave Buffalo a two-goal lead, Tage Thompson outworked both Ryan Lindgren and Adam Fox to make it 3-0. On a J.J. Peterka play in corner, Thompson outhustled Lindgren and then overpowered Fox to the net to stuff in a backhand past Shesterkin with 4:28 left in the first period. At that point, he should have been replaced by Jonathan Quick.

Inexplicably, Rangers coach Peter Laviolette left a shaky Shesterkin in for too long. Just over two minutes later, Ryan McLeod tipped in a Dahlin shot to make it 4-0. Braden Schneider didn’t close him out, allowing McLeod enough time to get his stick on the shot for the fourth Sabres goal of the period. Schneider’s game has fallen off recently. He and defense partner Urho Vaakanainen were a combined minus-7 in the defeat.

For good measure, Dahlin added a power-play goal with 1:39 remaining to make it five past Shesterkin on 16 shots, making it the first time in his career that he’s allowed five goals in a period. Laviolette finally put in Quick to end Shesterkin’s night.

He’s 1-5-0 with an .817 save percentage over his last six starts. Aside from a strong January, he’s been subpar in 2024-25. He entered Sunday’s game at Pittsburgh with an 18-20-2 record, 2.98 goals-against-average, and .903 save percentage. The 29-year-old Russian has seen his save percentage dip over the last three years. After winning the Vezina in 2021-22 when he posted a .935 save percentage, Shesterkin’s trending in the wrong direction. He had a .916 save percentage in 2022-23. Last year, it fell to .913. Now, it’s at a career low .903. As bad as the Rangers play in front of him, he needs to be better. There have been too many instances where he’s given up bad goals that hurt the team.

Making matters worse, Shesterkin didn’t take any questions from reporters who requested him for yesterday’s postgame interviews. It isn’t the first time he’s ducked them this season. He’s fallen victim to some embarrassing losses in his sixth season. That doesn’t excuse him from speaking to the media.

There should be more accountability from the soon to be highest paid goalie in NHL history. Rangers team president and general manager Chris Drury signed Shesterkin to an eight-year contract extension worth $92 million on Dec. 6, 2024. He will go from a $5.67 million cap hit to an $11.5 million AAV the following season. The long-term deal includes a full no-movement clause that’ll take him until he’s 37.

Nobody would dispute the importance of Shesterkin to the Rangers. However, it’s selfish for him to duck the media following a bad loss. Win or lose, he should be available for reporters following games.

Rangers’ legend Henrik Lundqvist was at his locker win or lose during his Hall of Fame career. Even when it got bad towards the end, he spoke to reporters. He understood that he had a responsibility. It’s why he remains the most popular former Ranger. We’ve seen him make a seamless transition from the ice to the studio where he hasn’t been hesitant to criticize the team. But as he had during his playing days, he does it in an eloquent manner.

On Saturday, there were too many passengers. That didn’t include Chris Kreider or Mika Zibanejad. They each scored goals and weren’t culpable. Both are usually available after games. It’s inexcusable for Shesterkin to not be. It lacks maturity and reflects poorly on the most valuable Ranger. That has to change moving forward.