The Rangers head into Tuesday night still unbeaten at home, and now the spotlight shifts to the least experienced player on the ice: Dylan Garand.
New York is 5-2 through seven games and has won every game it has played at Madison Square Garden this season. That marks a sharp change from last year, when the Rangers had trouble getting comfortable at home early in the campaign.
So far in the 2026-27 season, that hasn’t been an issue. The group’s offseason moves have looked productive, and a couple of younger players have helped push the team forward.
Then came the blow that changed everything. Igor Shesterkin is done for the season, a massive loss for a Rangers team that already leans heavily on elite goaltending. With Joonas Korpisalo also on the injured reserve, Garand is the one left to carry the load in net.
The 24-year-old has not built up a long NHL résumé, but the early returns have been strong. He already picked up a win against the Canucks after Shesterkin’s injury, and now he gets a much tougher assignment against Tampa Bay. The Lightning bring a 4-1 record into Tuesday, and their only loss came against the Rangers in the home opener at MSG.
For Garand, this is the kind of night that can tell you plenty about where he stands. He has six NHL games under his belt, with five starts dating back to last season, and he has handled every challenge so far.
In those five starts, he has gone 4-1. Across six appearances, he has allowed just 1.43 goals per game and owns a save percentage of .947%.
Those are eye-catching numbers, even if some regression is likely. Still, Garand has shown he can give the Rangers a real chance to win.
Tuesday’s game should say plenty about what New York can look like with a playoff contender coming to town and Shesterkin unavailable.
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Beaudoin had just gotten his first taste of the NHL with New York before heading back to Hartford, where he has also played this season. Dowling, meanwhile, comes back with more league experience and a brief stint in Hartford already behind him, giving the Rangers a more established option as they keep sorting through the back end of the roster. [Read more 🡒]
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A strong team start can hide a lot of individual stories, but this one keeps producing them. Alexis Lafrenire has been one of the most visible finishers, while Dylan Garand, Mika Zibanejad, Adam Fox, Will Cuylle, J.T. Miller and Tye Kartye have each added their own marks to the first stretch of the season. The bigger question now is whether this fast start is the foundation for something lasting, or just the kind of hot October that gets a lot louder once the schedule starts to bite. [Read more 🡒]
Rangers Suddenly Have A Big Crease Question After Shesterkin Injury
Igor Shesterkins season-ending injury has left the Rangers with a crease issue that suddenly matters a lot more than it did a few weeks ago, and Dylan Garand has been thrust into the conversation at just the right time. The young goaltender has handled the opening stretch well enough to give New York some reason for optimism, even as the larger reality remains that the team has had to pivot quickly after losing its No. 1 option.
Garands early work has helped steady things, but the situation still feels fragile for a Rangers team trying to keep its season on track without its star goalie. The organization now has to decide how much trust to place in a netminder who was not long ago viewed as depth, and the answer could shape how the rest of the year unfolds in front of him. [Read more 🡒]