If the Rangers could put their last loss on Dylan Garand, as the rookie goaltender declared in the aftermath of Sunday’s dreadful defeat, then they can put this win on him, too.
Garand, playing in his 11th consecutive game since Igor Shesterkin’s season-ending injury and recently struggling in his chance to audition as the Blueshirts starter, delivered the performance the Rangers needed to snap their four-game skid in a 3-1 victory over the Blues at the Garden on Tuesday.
He made 31 saves to nearly post his second shutout of the season, allowing a goal in the final minute of the game. He anchored the victory that marked just their second win over the past eight games.
Paired with Adam Fox’s second-period goal, Oliver Bjorkstrand’s third-period tally and Eeli Tolvanen’s empty-net goal, his performance made the difference as the Rangers (8-7-1) took a needed step toward proving their early-season tear wasn’t a fluke.
At the center of that, of course, was Garand — because until Joonas Korpisalo returns, he remains at the center of everything the Blueshirts do.
After collecting a .951 save percentage over his first four appearances, Garand stumbled to an .871 mark and a 1-5-1 record over his next seven outings. Sunday, against the Oilers and Connor McDavid, marked another growing pain, especially in the first period.
But two nights later, with Korpisalo continuing to progress and nearing a chance to make his own statement in net, Garand reminded the Rangers of his potential until the late rebound ruined his shutout bid.
The Blueshirts took three penalties in the first period and had some other defensive lapses, but Garand turned aside all 10 shots he faced. He flashed his glove on multiple occasions and avoided allowing rebounds to sit in high-danger areas. On one sequence, Blues forward Mason McTavish got around Alberts Smits and cut toward the net — similar to McDavid for his goal Sunday, albeit at a reduced speed — before Garand stopped him.
He turned aside Jake Neighbours after the Blues forward curled in front of the net from the post in the second period. He stuffed Philip Broberg on a 2-on-1 after the defenseman snuck behind J.T. Miller, too. And in perhaps his signature save of the game, he denied Pavel Buchnevich in the slot while St. Louis was on the power play for the fifth time.
The Rangers had plenty of chances — including two chaotic sequences in front of the net when Blues goaltender Joel Hofer was out of position — to extend their lead after Tye Kartye’s impressive play to Fox accounted for the first, but they could never land an insurance tally until their new-look third line produced it.
Will Cuylle, playing his first game at center, capitalized on an offensive-zone draw, fed the puck across to Eeli Tolvanen, then watched as Tolvanen made the extra pass to Bjorkstrand, who sent his sixth goal of the season into an open net with Hofer out of position.
Gabe Perreault had a goal waved off with 6:50 remaining in the third after it was determined he kicked the puck, but Garand ensured the Rangers’ pair of goals, then Tolvanen’s latest empty-net tally, were enough.
It’ll take more than one game for the Rangers to reverse their struggles of the past two weeks. It’ll take more than one outing like this from Garand to secure his place as their primary goaltender for the rest of the season.
But by the final minutes of the third period, the “Dy-lan” chants had returned. This, more than anything from the past two weeks, was closer to the version the Blueshirts needed.
