The New York Rangers were finally able to snap their losing streak on Tuesday night against the St. Louis Blues. For a team that was really struggling of late, this was a needed win.
Following the injury to Igor Shesterkin, the Rangers have struggled quite a bit of late. Coming into their matchup with the Blues, this was a team that had lost four games straight and also six of their last seven.
The hot start to the season quickly became a distant memory, and New York was seeking answers. While there has been a lot of talk about the goalie situation for the Rangers, this was a team that overall was not performing up to par.
Furthermore, with both Shesterkin and Joonas Korpisalo out, the team was asking a ton of their 24-year-old goalie, Dylan Garand. The young goalie has played in every game since the Shesterkin injury, which is a daunting task for any player at the position.
While it hasn't all been perfect, there have been some good showings by Garand. Tuesday night was certainly one of those games. The 24-year-old was nearly able to pull off the shutout win if not for a goal inside the final minute.
This was an important game for Garand, who was very hard on himself following the loss to the Edmonton Oilers. Garand took a lot of the blame for the bad start in that game, but he responded in a big way on Tuesday. Following the win, Garand received some nice praise from his head coach, Mike Sullivan.
Nov 1, 2026; New York, New York, USA; New York Rangers goaltender Dylan Garand (33) at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
When asked about Garand, Sullivan praised the 24-year-old and what he has been able to accomplish since the injury to Shesterkin. Here's what he had to say to Rangers On SI:
"You know, I think this game was an important one for him. He wanted to bounce back and have a solid, solid night for the group, and he did. So I think his resilience, just his ability to, you know, move by circumstance, you know, and not let it affect his performance or game moving forward."
With Korpisalo starting to skate, help should be on the way soon for the Rangers in the net. Their next game is going to be against the Philadelphia Flyers on Thursday, then they will be heading on the road for a West Coast and Western Canadian road trip.
Overall, with a bounce-back performance on Tuesday, the Rangers have to be happy with what they have received production-wise from Garand. New York has asked a ton of their young goalie, and he has responded very well for the most part.
This article was originally published on www.si.com/nhl/rangers/onsi as NY Rangers Head Coach Mike Sullivan Likes This Trait About Dylan Garand .
