Tuesday night at Madison Square Garden came with a familiar sound and a new face in the spotlight. On the 21st anniversary of Henrik Lundqvist’s first NHL win, the building broke into a “Dy-lan!...
Dy-lan!” chant for Dylan Garand after he turned aside a spinning Brayden Point.
The echo of that old “Hen-rik!... Hen-rik!”
crowd energy was hard to miss.
Garand kept the momentum rolling with a 25-save win over Tampa Bay, his third victory of the season and fifth of his career. That result put him in some select Rangers company, too.
With that win, Garand matched Igor Shesterkin and Cam Talbot for the fewest starts by a goalie to reach five victories. Shesterkin’s early run included wins in his first two starts, a 2-1 loss to Columbus, then seven straight victories before a loss to New Jersey and a final win over Dallas. That stretch ended with a 10-2-0 record, a .932 save percentage and a 2.52 goals-against average in his first Broadway stint.
Talbot’s path looked different. His fifth career win came after he relieved Henrik Lundqvist in a game that ended in a 5-0 loss, and he added a sixth against Vancouver before dropping his next two starts. He finished his rookie season with 19 starts, going 12-6-1 with a .941 save percentage and a 1.64 goals-against average.
Now Garand has a chance to carve out his own place in that lane. Unlike Shesterkin’s midseason run in a three-goalie setup or Talbot’s time as Lundqvist’s backup, Garand has been pushed into the de facto starter role with Shesterkin out for the season and Joonas Korpisalo also injured. That has opened the door for him to play more games than either of those earlier Rangers goalies did at the same stage.
Shesterkin’s rise was steady, moving from 12 starts to 31 and reaching 50 starts in his third season before settling into that range for good. Talbot’s climb was more dramatic, beginning as a backup and then becoming an unexpected starter after Lundqvist’s health scare before eventually taking on a larger role.
The Rangers weren’t sure how they would handle losing Shesterkin for the season, but so far the response has been strong. Garand has looked increasingly comfortable, and with each start he keeps adding to a story that already stands out on Broadway.
The season is still in its early stretch, and the Rangers can only be judged by the games they’ve put on the board. There will be tougher nights ahead, but for now the wins matter, both for the team and for Garand, who is quickly building one of the more compelling early chapters the Rangers have had in a while.
In Other News...
Rangers Suddenly Have A Pavel Dorofeyev Problem Mike Sullivan Can't Ignore
The Rangers have managed to keep rolling even without Igor Shesterkin and Pavel Dorofeyev in the mix, but Dorofeyevs situation has become one of the quieter concerns hanging over the early part of the season. After a rough start, he was pushed onto the top line in an effort to spark his offense, a sign that Mike Sullivan is still trying to find the right fit while the team keeps collecting points and papering over some absences.
Sullivan is not out of options, either, and the next move could say plenty about how far the staff is willing to go to shake Dorofeyev loose from his slump. If the production does not turn soon, the Rangers may keep reshuffling his place in the lineup and start looking at where he fits on the power play, too, which would only add to the pressure on a player who already needs a strong response. [Read more 🡒]
Wolf Pack Let Another Tight Home Game Slip Away Late
The Hartford Wolf Pack had another tight home game within reach at PeoplesBank Arena, only to see it unravel late in a 4-1 loss to the Lehigh Valley Phantoms. It was 1-1 heading into the third period, and for most of the night the game felt like the kind of one-goal battle that can turn on a bounce, a mistake or one timely save.
Instead, the finish belonged to Lehigh Valley, which pulled away in the final period and put the game out of reach late. Even in defeat, Wolf Pack head coach Jay Leach had reason to point to Callum Tung, whose work in net kept Hartford competitive for much of the night and gave the home side a chance before the game slipped away. [Read more 🡒]
Rangers Fans Will Want To See Chytils Next Step In Vancouver
Filip Chytil is on the verge of getting back into the lineup for the Vancouver Canucks after a shoulder injury kept him out for the first eight games of the season. He took part in the teams morning skate ahead of their game against the Florida Panthers, a clear sign that his return is close and that Vancouver is ready to see what he can add once hes cleared to play.
The roster move to make it happen came with a cost, as the Canucks waived center Aatu Raty to open a spot. For Rangers fans still tracking Chytils path, this is the next checkpoint to watch: how he looks coming off the injury, and how quickly he can settle back into a lineup that has been waiting for his arrival. [Read more 🡒]