The New York Rangers were in an unenviable situation when it comes to their goaltending depth. Before their home opener, Joonas Korpisalo was sidelined due to a foot injury. Then, in a game against the Washington Capitals, Igor Shesterkin suffered a season-ending knee injury. So, the team had to rely on Dylan Garand, who has started all but one game since Shesterkin's injury.
Garand played well early on in his new stint at the starting goaltender, but it was evident that not getting a break did affect his play. Not to mention, he was still inexperienced. Before Tuesday, the Rangers were on a four game losing streak. They needed to get back in the win column, especially if they wanted to gain ground in the playoff picture in the Metropolitan Division.
Garand more than held his own on Tuesday, as he helped lead the Rangers to a 3-1 victory over the St. Louis Blues.
Dylan Garand has best performance of season in Rangers' win over Blues
Heading into the game, the Blues were not slouches by any means, as they were 7-6-1 on the season, and carried a two-game winning streak. Yet, Garand put a stop to most of scoring chances that the Blues had. Garand made 32 saves in total, and nearly had a shutout in his sights, before giving up a goal with less than a minute left in regulation.
It certainly made Garand's night easier that despite the Blues being aggressive in terms of shooting the puck, they barely created any high danger scoring chances. In the entire game, Garand only faced one high danger shot attempt, according to Money Puck. The only goal he gave up was classified as a low danger chance, which isn't ideal. Still, it's hard to argue with the results, as he survived an onslaught of shot attempts from St. Louis.
After the game, Garand received praise from head coach Mike Sullivan when asked about his performance against the Blues.
“I think this game was an important one for him,” said Sullivan, h/t The Athletic's Peter Baugh. “He wanted to bounce back and have a solid night for the group, and he did.”
Garand told reporters after the game that he was dealing with the transition from a backup goalie into an every game starter, saying that he's looking to find aspects of his game that he can utilize to ensure he can help win games for the Rangers.
"All the noise around the NHL - it's new. At the end of the day, figuring out what I want to do with my game and me as a human being trying to battle for the guys and help this team win," said Garand, h/t SNY.
Dylan Garand shows he can carry the load in net for Rangers with Joonas Korpisalo nearing return
Garand has had to carry the load for the Rangers with Shesterkin ruled out for the remainder of the season and Korpisalo sidelined with a foot infection. They tried to give James Reimer a start against the Los Angeles Kings, but they quickly abandoned that plan after he allowed three goals in the first period.
But it seems as though Garand will have some relief arriving shortly. On Wednesday, the Rangers officially sent Korpisalo down to the AHL for a conditioning stint with the Hartford Wolf Pack. He is expected to start for the Wolf Pack in their game on Wednesday against the Hershey Bears. We'll see how long of a conditioning stint Korpisalo has, but it's clear that he will make his Rangers debut eventually.
Once Korpisalo makes his debut, it will be on Sullivan to decide who should get the majority of starts in net. Whatever the decision may be, at least the Rangers won't have to play the same goalie every game, so that will give them a chance to rest in between starts.
Garand has shown glimpses of being a starting goalie throughout this season post-Shesterkin injury. But his performance against the Blues was his best, and that he is deserving of a shot to be a starter in the NHL, whether its in New York or anywhere else.
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