Rangers Stand Behind Dylan Garand, Team Identity After Ugly Loss To Devils

The New York Rangers entered Thursday night’s matchup against the New Jersey Devils riding a wave of momentum, but left with nothing but frustration after suffering a 7-1 loss.

Going into Thursday night’s matchup, the Rangers had won six out of their last seven games and had won their past two games in the wake of Igor Shesterkin’s season-ending injury.

Despite a relatively strong opening 20 minutes, in which the Rangers managed to successfully kill a 5-on-3 power play, the period ended with a costly defensive-zone turnover from J.T. Miller, which resulted in a goal from Evan Rodrigues.

“I thought we had a strong first period,” Sullivan said. “We get a great 5-on-3 kill. I thought we did a good job checking, checking forward, taking their speed away. We had some pretty good extended zone shifts. It's unfortunate we gave up a goal late in the first.”

The night only went downhill from there for the Blueshirts.

The Rangers gave up three goals in less than five minutes to open the second period, as Dylan Garand was pulled in favor of Spencer Martin.

Garand, who had taken over the Rangers’ starting goaltending position after Shesterkin’s season-ending injury, had only given up four goals in his four previous appearances this season.

The 24-year-old goaltender was pulled in New Jersey after giving up four goals on 13 shots. Despite yanking him out of the game early, Sullivan expressed his confidence in Garand moving forward.

“It's not on Dylan. I think Dylan's played pretty good for us. He's played sound hockey,” Sullivan emphasized. “We were trying to change the momentum of the game a little bit, and I know Dylan will bounce back. He's a high-character kid. He's a competitive guy. He's played really well for us to this point. I would expect him to respond the right way, just like our team.”

With Shesterkin out for the season and Joonas Korpisalo sidelined for at least the next few weeks, Garand will be counted on to start a bulk of the Rangers’ games for the foreseeable future, at least until Korpisalo is ready to return.

“We’re going to need him for a lot of games, and he’s been playing great,” Adam Fox said of Garand. “He’s mentally tough, and I know he can bounce back. I said to him ‘forget about it.’ He knows how important he is to us as a team and what we're trying to do. I'm expecting him to just bounce back and play the way he’s been playing for us.”

In relief of Garand, Martin gave up three goals on 18 shots, with Sullivan’s goaltending change failing to help turn the tide of the game.

Carrying a 6-2 record before Thursday night’s game, the Rangers had been playing a strong team game, creating an identity centered around structured defensive play.

The Rangers went away from the game they’ve been so proud to have established, as they gave up numerous high-quality scoring chances and struggled to establish any sort of offensive pressure, as evidenced by their 19 shots on net.

“We played a lot of great hockey, and we're a confident group. Today, we just didn't have it,” J.T. Miller said. “Disconnected all over the place, and giving up, obviously, chances we haven't been giving up. We've learned a lot about ourselves over the last couple weeks and the last month, and I think that we have a high-character group in here. So, all we can do is learn from today, move forward, and be ready for the next game and come out firing.”

After the loss, Sullivan and the Rangers’ leadership group conveyed a united message that they can’t let this loss define who they are or undo what they’ve been able to build.

On Saturday night, when the Rangers face off against the Columbus Blue Jackets, it will be a crucial test to see if Garand can bounce back after a shaky performance and if the team can get back to the style of play that has brought them so much success to open the season.

“It's a humbling experience when you go through games like this,” Sullivan said. “Nobody wants to live through those types of experiences. What I will tell you is when you go through a humbling experience like this, it forces all of us to look in the mirror and make sure that we bring the right intentions and try to respond the right way.”