Goaltender Dylan Garand is doing well in the NHL but the Rangers fell to the Jets
It was Kids Day at Madison Square Garden on Sunday, but for the Rangers, it’s been All About The Kids for months.
Goaltender Dylan Garand was informed after the AHL Wolf Pack game Wednesday that he will make his NHL debut in four days against the Jets at Madison Square Garden, filling the Blueshirts’ roster with at least one player from every position in their 3-2 loss to Winnipeg on Sunday.
It was certainly the first game that Garand was remembered for.
The workload — 35 saves on 37 shots — is more like a deep end cannonball than a toe dip.
His first shot opponent? Relentless goalscorer Kyle Connor.
The second time? Gabriel Vilardi, who himself scored a power play goal at the beginning of the game.
“That was pretty good,” Garand said after both Jets skaters participated in a shootout to hand him his first NHL loss. “It was a great experience. I just tried to be there and take it all in. It was everything you could hope for or dream of. It hurt not to get the win from the boys, but it was a dream come true.”
Garand is embroiled in a race between the 2024 and 2025 President’s Trophy winners, who are both up for grabs in their next seasons.
Looking solid between the pipes and only conceding goals he couldn’t do much with, Garand even stonewalled Connor on a short-handed breakaway in the second half to keep the Rangers within one goal at the time.
The 23-year-old network producer has been waiting for this since making his AHL debut with the Wolf Pack on Feb. 21, 2021.
It took just under five and a half years, as the Rangers drafted him 103rd overall in 2020, for Garand to get his due. There have certainly been times, like the Jonathan Quick combine, when the organization could have looked to Garand but chose to go with a more experienced goaltender in their system.
Even earlier this season, the Rangers recalled Spencer Martin – who signed with the Russian Kontinental Hockey League in November – to replace Garand. It’s been a tough season for Hartford, which may have played a part in the decision to bring up Martin.
With the playoffs out of reach and Letter 2.0 out in the open, however, the Rangers decided Garand’s time was now.
“I’ve been waiting to make my NHL debut my whole life,” Garand said. “When they tell you that you’re actually going to play, it’s a lot of fun. It’s like, ‘Okay, here we go.’ I feel like I’ve been waiting for this for a long time, and I felt so ready. It was many days [since I found out]but it was nice that they gave me many heads.
“I was taking care of my family’s flights and hotels and things like that, which was very stressful for the first few days. [people at MSG]: My mom, my dad, my stepmom and my goalie coach from Kamloops with his daughter.”
The Rangers were able to answer each of the Jets’ goals with one of their own during regulation.
Winnipeg took the lead again on Vilardi’s power play goal at 6:43 of the second period, but the Rangers answered with one of their own to tie the score at 2-2.
Mika Zibanejad blasted a one-timer from his sweet spot in the circle, tying the Swede with Adam Graves for the fourth most goals in franchise history with 280. The Rangers survived the final 20 minutes of regulation, in part because of Garand’s 11 saves.
“It was great,” Sullivan said of Garand’s debut. “I thought he looked really strong. The calmness there, tracking the puck well, controlling the rebound was good. He made some great saves for us. I thought he had a really strong game.”
