By JOHN WAWROW
Igor Shesterkin stopped 37 shots and Alex Lafreniere’s first-period goal stood up as the winner in the New York Rangers’ 4-0 victory over the Sabres in Buffalo’s season-opener Thursday night.
Mike Sullivan earned his first win as Rangers coach, and the 480th of his career. Fired after 10 seasons in Pittsburgh last spring, the two-time Stanley Cup-winner took over in New York after Peter Laviolette was fired in April.
Newly named captain J.T. Miller and defensemen Carson Soucy and Adam Fox sealed the win by scoring a goal each over the final 5:14.
Shesterkin’s shutout was the 22nd of his career, and followed a 28-save outing, in which he allowed just one goal in a season-opening 3-0 loss to Pittsburgh on Tuesday night.
Buffalo’s Alex Lyon finished with 29 saves. The offseason free-agent addition got the start with Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen on IR due to a lower body injury.
The Sabres were shut out in their season-opener for just the fifth time in 55 seasons, and only second time at home.
Lafreniere, the No. 1 pick in the 2021 draft, now counts four career game-winning goals against Buffalo.
He opened the scoring 11:43 in by being set up at the right post, where he slipped the puck into the crease. Lafreniere then out-muscled defenseman Jacob Bryson and used his long reach to sweep the puck into the open side.
Aside from Luukkonenen, the Sabres were playing without defensemen Owen Power (illness) and Michael Kesserling and forward Zach Benson, who took a puck off the cheek in practice on Wednesday.
Rangers forward Vincent Trochek did not return after sustaining an upper-body injury in the second period.
UP NEXT
Rangers: At Pittsburgh on Saturday night.
Sabres: At Boston on Saturday night.
