Dylan Garand walked into a high-pressure night at Madison Square Garden and answered it the right way.
After a rough outing against the Edmonton Oilers on Sunday and with the Rangers trying to stop a four-game slide, the young goaltender steadied everything in a 3-1 win over the St. Louis Blues. New York leaned on him early and often, and Garand kept the game from slipping away while the Rangers handled the rest.
St. Louis had six power plays, but New York erased every one of them.
That perfect kill pushed the Rangers’ penalty kill to 89%, good for third in the NHL. Garand was a big part of that stability, flashing the glove, swallowing rebounds and avoiding the kind of loose second chances that have hurt him before.
This time, he looked in control from the start.
The Rangers also gave him support at the other end, and Adam Fox delivered the opening punch. During a stretch when the Blues were pressing in the Rangers’ zone, New York turned the tables on a rush that ended with a Tye Kartye feed to a streaking Fox. Fox finished for his second goal and 19th point of the season, and the Rangers kept another important trend going: they improved to 8-1-0 when scoring first.
The flip side is just as stark. New York still has not won a game after allowing the first goal, and it remains the only team in the NHL without a victory in that situation. The lone loss when scoring first came against the Capitals, when the Rangers took a 1-0 lead into the second period before losing franchise goaltender Igor Shesterkin for the season.
When the Rangers can play from in front and stay inside their structure, they look like a different team. Mike Sullivan has made that point repeatedly, and the game showed why it matters.
The Blueshirts made St. Louis work for every inch, and as the night went on, their net-front game became more and more noticeable, especially with the new line combinations Sullivan rolled out.
Tye Kartye continued to show why he has been such a strong addition from GM Chris Drury, bringing the kind of grit and edge that shows up around the crease and along the boards. Will Cuylle, making his first appearance as an NHL center, was just as noticeable.
He used his reach to force a turnover that sparked a short-handed 3-on-1, then set up Eeli Tolvanen, who slipped a pass to Oliver Bjorkstrand for a goal that made it 2-0. Bjorkstrand’s sixth of the season beat Joel Hofer and sent the building into a roar.
The only thing that kept Garand from a shutout was Pius Suter’s goal with 57 seconds left, trimming the final score to 3-1. Even that didn’t take much shine off the night.
The Garden crowd was already chanting “DY-LAN! DY-LAN!”
in support of their goalie.
Garand was named the No. 1 star, then gave the kind of answer Rangers fans will remember.
"I love this team, I love playing here, I love this city, and I love these fans."
The cheers that followed said plenty about how quickly he’s won over the building.
In Other News...
Rangers Just Took An Important Step Toward Goalie Relief
The Rangers have taken a meaningful step toward easing their goaltending squeeze by sending Joonas Korpisalo to the AHLs Hartford Wolf Pack on a conditioning loan as he works back from a lower-body injury and foot infection. The move is designed to get him back into game shape without taking him off the NHL roster, a small but important bit of roster management for a team that has been navigating life without Igor Shesterkin.
Under the NHL collective bargaining agreement, the loan can run for as long as 14 days while Korpisalo remains on the NHL payroll, giving the Rangers a short window to evaluate where he stands physically. His eventual return would offer some relief in net, but for now the bigger question is how quickly he can regain the form and availability New York needs from him. [Read more 🡒]
Rangers Trade Search Just Zeroed In On A Crucial Need
The Rangers search for help down the middle is starting to look like one of the more important items on their list as the season unfolds. Will Cuylle has been asked to bridge a gap at center, but that arrangement is viewed more as a stopgap than a long-term answer, which is why the front office is believed to be keeping a close eye on the market for younger options who could fit the roster better over time.
Among the names being floated are Ryan Hartman, Josh Norris and Cole Sillinger, a mix that reflects both the need and the uncertainty around what might actually be available. The Rangers are clearly trying to solve a real roster issue, but the challenge is finding a center who fits their timeline and can be pried loose without overpaying, which makes this one of those trade searches that could linger for a while before anything concrete happens. [Read more 🡒]
Rangers May Have Found An Unexpected Answer To Their Center Problem
The Rangers have spent much of the season searching for stability down the middle, and injuries forced them to try something a little off the board against the Blues. Will Cuylle was shifted to center for the first time in his professional career, a move born more out of necessity than design, with Eeli Tolvanen and Oliver Bjorkstrand flanking him on the wings.
The results were encouraging enough to keep the idea in the conversation. Cuylles line drove play well, posted strong expected goal numbers and helped the Rangers control key stretches in a 3-1 win over St. Louis, giving the club at least one plausible answer in a spot that has been a problem for much of the year. Whether the look sticks beyond one game is still the bigger question. [Read more 🡒]