As the New York Rangers hope to be an improved team coming off a nice break, there has been no shortage of discussion about the fallout since the Igor Shesterkin injury. 

Following their first home loss of the season to the Los Angeles Kings on Monday night, the Rangers have had some time off from games. They will next be in action on Sunday night against the Edmonton Oilers, and it has been a much-needed break for this New York team. 

With some struggles of late, being able to take a step back and reset comes at a very good time. The Rangers will certainly be tested against the Oilers and their star center Connor McDavid. 

The ultra-talented McDavid is off to an amazing start to the season and is on pace for over 200 points right now. Playing good defense and getting some good goaltending will be key.  

There has been a lot of discussion about their current goalie, Dylan Garand, and how he has performed so far this season. The 24-year-old has been put in a tough spot, but some metrics indicate that he has performed well overall.  

Garand Has Been Solid 

As shown on the graphic, Garand has either been average or above average in seven of his 10 games so far this season. For a 24-year-old goalie that didn’t make the roster out of camp, a lot of credit has to go to him for the effort that he has been able to put forth. 

In one of those outings as well, it was him coming in relief of James Reimer when he was expected to be getting a night off. That game could easily be tossed out in those circumstances, and he would look even better. 

Overall this season, he has totaled a 4-5-1 record, .899 save percentage, and a 2.69 GAA. The numbers for Garand have been solid, and while he hasn’t played as well of late compared to earlier, he also hasn’t been able to get a break. 

With Joonas Korpisalo trending in the right direction and hopefully set to return soon, this will allow Mike Sullivan to get Garand some more rest. 

Overall, while the young goalie is obviously not Igor Shesterkin, he has been doing just fine for New York. The rest of the team is going to need to continue to step up around him if they are going to be a playoff contender, but he has held his own despite being put in a tough spot.