Dylan Garand Makes NHL Debut With 35 Saves in Rangers Shootout Loss

Thirty-five saves into his first NHL start, Dylan Garand had already answered the question the Rangers organization had been quietly asking for four seasons: can he handle it? Coach Mike Sullivan left no doubt about his verdict.

"He obviously was terrific," Sullivan said. "He looked really solid, calm demeanor there, track pucks well, rebound control was great. He made some big saves for us. I thought he had a really strong game."

The Rangers lost 3-2 in a shootout to the Winnipeg Jets at Madison Square Garden on March 22, but the result barely registered against the weight of what the afternoon meant. Garand, 23, became a full-time AHL fixture when he made his Wolf Pack debut on Feb. 21, 2021. Five years and more than 160 professional games later, he finally got the call.

"I've kind of been waiting to make my NHL debut my whole life," Garand said. "I don't even remember the last time I didn't want to be a hockey player. It's my life's dream. It's pretty cool to accomplish that. Hopefully it's just the beginning, but yeah, it's a dream come true for sure. It's an awesome experience, and I'm glad my family is here for it too."

The game itself gave Garand no soft landing. It was Kids Day at Madison Square Garden, a matchup between the 2024 and 2025 Presidents' Trophy winners, and Garand was being measured against a Winnipeg lineup that doesn't let rookies breathe easy. Vilardi's power-play goal at the 6:43 mark of the second period put the Jets back in front, but the Rangers answered when Mika Zibanejad blasted a one-timer from the circle to tie it at 2-2, the goal moving Zibanejad alongside Adam Graves for fourth on the franchise's all-time goals list with 280. Garand held the door shut the rest of the way, making 11 saves in the final 20 minutes of regulation, including a cold-blooded stop on Connor's short-handed breakaway attempt in the second period to keep the Rangers within one at the time.

The recall came with organizational urgency attached. Jonathan Quick is day-to-day with an upper-body injury, and his contract expires at the end of the 2025-26 season with his NHL future uncertain beyond that. The Rangers' backup position behind Igor Shesterkin could be open next fall, and Garand's audition at MSG was the most direct evidence yet that he belongs in that conversation.

Sullivan framed the promotion as earned, not just opportunistic. "There's a lot of things that have gone into the decision to bring Dylan up," he said. "The biggest point is that he's played extremely well in Hartford. He's given those guys a chance to win night in and night out, and he's deserving."

The numbers back that assessment across two full seasons. In 2024-25, Garand went 20-10-8 with a 2.73 goals-against average, a .913 save percentage that ranked tied for ninth among all AHL goalies, and three shutouts in 39 appearances. Win No. 20 came in his final start of that season, April 18, when he stopped 23 of 24 shots in a 4-1 victory over Bridgeport. This season with Hartford, he carried a 16-15-2 record, .896 save percentage, and 2.83 GAA into the recall.

Garand was informed after Hartford's Wednesday game that he would make his NHL debut in four days. The Rangers officially recalled him Friday, and Sullivan confirmed the plan Saturday. By Sunday afternoon, Garand was stopping pucks in front of a packed house at the Garden.

His own mindset going in was deliberately stripped of any ceremony. "I think for me, especially over the last year or so, I've really gotten to know myself, and thinking about the future and stuff like that, I don't tend to play my best," Garand said. "So just trying to stay in the present moment, and if I get an opportunity, then great. It's just another game. I've played, including playoffs, over 160 American League games, so it's just another game."

That composure was on full display. The fourth-round pick from the 2020 draft, selected 103rd overall, showed nothing of a player overwhelmed by the moment. Whether the Rangers' backup job becomes available and whether Garand is the answer are questions for the offseason. March 22 was his opening argument, and it was a strong one.