Dylan Garand Responds to Adversity With Strong Showing In Rangers' Loss To Blue Jackets

Dylan Garand’s 28-save performance wasn't enough to secure a victory on Saturday night, as the New York Rangers lost 1-0 to the Columbus Blue Jackets in overtime, but any concerns about Garand’s shaky performance against the New Jersey Devils on Thursday night were put to rest.

The Rangers’ 7-1 loss to the Devils on Thursday night reached a low point in the second period, as Garand was pulled for the first time in his NHL career after giving up four goals on 13 shots, including three goals in the span of less than five minutes.

For the first time since taking over the starting goaltending job from Igor Shesterkin in the wake of his season-ending injury, Garand, who had come into New Jersey with a 5-1-1 record, .949 save percentage, and 1.37 GAA across his seven NHL games, looked rattled, with the implications of Shesterkin’s injury truly setting in.

As a team, the Rangers stuck by the rookie goaltender and went right back to him on Saturday night in Columbus.

“I knew he was going to bounce back tonight,” Sullivan said. “I said that to him before the game. I knew he was going to be good.”

And bounce back Garand did.

The 24-year-old goalie set the tone early in the contest with a pad save on Adam Fantilli, and his play only grew from there.

Throughout the night, Garand was composed in his net. He was aggressive yet positionally sound when Columbus had its scoring opportunities.

The game was relatively even, with both teams attempting 29 shots on net and trading three power-play opportunities without a goal on either side.

When the Rangers needed Garand to make timely saves, he delivered, highlighted by a diving glove save on Cole Sillinger toward the end of the third period and a glove save in overtime with Sean Monahan taking a shot from the doorstep of the net.

“It was a huge response,” Sullivan said. “He was solid in there. He has a quiet confidence about him. I thought he made timely saves for us. I thought he was real good.”

The Rangers were unable to come up with the win in Columbus, as they failed to convert on three power-play tries in the third period and gave up a goal late in the overtime frame, courtesy of Kent Johnson.

Regardless of the loss, Garand showed his strong mental toughness for a young goaltender and his ability to bounce back after what was his worst NHL performance.

“Games like that happen,” Garand said. “The best goalies in the world: Carey Price, Henrik Lundqvist, Igor, everyone’s been pulled, that happens. I think you just learn from it and move on. I don't think a lot of us like the way we played that game. And myself personally, I wasn't happy. I don't think I did a good enough job of being present, and maybe let the self-doubt a little bit creep in too much to my game. It doesn't change my capability when games like that happen so just trust in myself trust in my game and respond.”

The Rangers recently added veteran goaltender James Reimer to their American Hockey League pipeline, but that addition likely doesn't change the fact that the Blueshirts will need Garand to take on a bulk of the starts for the foreseeable future, at least until Joonas Korpisalo is activated from injured reserve, which is expected to happen in a few weeks.

Garand has started in all four games since Shesterkin went down with a season-ending lower-body injury, and Sullivan has continued to show trust in Garand through both his words and actions, which should only continue moving forward.

“I just think it speaks volumes for his character,” Sullivan said of Garand’s performance against the Blue Jackets. “He's a high-character kid. I said that after the Jersey game. I mean it…

“It's just part of his makeup. He's a competitive guy. He's got a lot of pride in his game. He knows how important he is to helping this team win, and he's trying to take advantage of the opportunity that he has. So I was happy for him, but it didn't surprise me.”