Shesterkin just off the mark with late shots

Igor Shesterkin said he knew the date — Oct. 31, 2013, when the Rangers goalie scored a goal while playing for Spartak Moscow in the MHL, the junior Russian league.

Shesterkin was eyeing a rare NHL goalie goal in just his fourth career start, but barely missed two attempts at the empty net late in a 4-2 victory over the last-place Red Wings at the Garden on Friday night.

“I’d be surprised if [Shesterkin] doesn’t get one,” coach David Quinn said. “He does have that ability. He’s one of those goalies that can. He has poise, and he has the ability, physically, to get that puck down the ice.”

The Rangers have never had a goalie score — or really, come close — and the most recent time it happened in the league was from the Predators’ Pekka Rinne on Jan. 9, the first goalie goal since 2013.

Shesterkin also happened to be pretty good keeping the puck out of his own net, making 23 saves on a rather slow night, when the only two shots that went in were from uncontested chances when the Rangers were already up, 4-0, with less than 15 minutes remaining.

The 24-year-old Russian spent the recent nine-day break playing two games with AHL Hartford, where he allowed three goals on 62 shots and picked up two more wins. So he was sharp, and has now won three of his first four games in the NHL. ➤ With Shesterkin getting called back up on Wednesday, the Rangers had three goalies on the roster again — Henrik Lundqvist dressed as the backup, and Alexandar Geor

giev was a healthy scratch. Lundqvist is set to start Saturday night in Detroit, which will only be his second start in the past nine games, going back to Jan. 4.

➤ The new defensive pairs lasted only until Brady Skjei and Adam Fox were on for both goals against midway through the third period. That’s when Quinn put Skjei back with Jacob Trouba, and Fox back with Ryan Lindgren.