Rookie Goalie Steps Up for Rangers Amidst Star's Injury

If the names and numbers were stripped from the back of every Blueshirt, it would have been easy to believe that Igor Shesterkin still stood between the pipes.

Rookie goaltender Dylan Garand has earned back-to-back wins and stopped 44 of 47 shots in his first two starts, filling in after Shesterkin's season-ending injury. The performance has been a stark contrast to a subsequent outing where Garand was pulled in a 7-1 loss to New Jersey after allowing four goals on 13 shots, highlighting the magnitude of Shesterkin's absence.

"I know Dylan will bounce back," Rangers head coach Mike Sullivan said after the loss. "He’s a high-character kid. He’s a competitive guy. He’s played really well for us to this point. I would expect him to respond the right way, just like our team."

Garand responded with 28 saves in a 1-0 overtime loss in Columbus on Saturday. On Monday, the 24-year-old, who began the season in the AHL, made 28 saves to maintain a shutout for nearly 59 minutes in the Rangers' 5-2 victory against the Ducks.

Garand is now 4-1-1 in six starts this season, ranking fifth in the league in save percentage (.929) among goalies with at least five starts and sixth in goals against average (1.85). These numbers place him just behind Shesterkin's average of 1.79.

Including three starts at the end of last season, Garand has a career record of 6-2-2 with a 1.77 goals-against average and a .936 save percentage. In eight of his nine career starts, he has allowed no more than two goals.

"I’ve been asked the question a number of times: ‘What do you expect from Dylan?’” Sullivan said after Monday’s win. “And my expectation based on his body of work here is he’s gonna go in and he’s gonna make saves for us. He’s gonna make timely saves. He’s given us a chance to win night in and night out and that’s what we’ve asked of him.”