What a week for Dylan Garand. After passing through waivers on Monday to be assigned to the Hartford Wolf Pack, he got the call from the Rangers to come back due to Joonas Korpisalo being placed on the injured reserve. He witnessed Igor Shesterkin making history by becoming the first Ranger to score a goalie goal in a win at the home opener.

A night later, Garand was perfect in his first start by making 22 saves to pick up his first career NHL shutout in a 2-0 win over the Red Wings on Friday night at Little Caesars Arena. He went from not knowing where he’d be to winning his first start of the season. It was well deserved for the 24-year-old from British Columbia, who’s now 3-0-1 in four starts with a sparkling .961 save percentage (5 GA on 118 shots).

“Awesome. So happy for him. He’s a great kid. He’s a good goalie. He showed it tonight. He’s got a calm demeanor in there. He made some big saves for us through the middle part of the game. Some of those saves that he made, they look a little bit easier than they actually are. He had to fight through traffic to find sight lines to make those saves, and I thought his rebound control was great. I couldn’t be happier for him,” Mike Sullivan said afterward on Garand, who became the eighth Rangers rookie goalie to record a shutout in four games or less.

Garand called it “the craziest week of my life.” He went from just getting an apartment in Hartford to getting recalled and picking up a shutout to spoil the Red Wings home opener.

When asked by reporters about what it meant, he told them, “Yeah. A lot. The team played really well. I just tried to battle and give them a win. Proud of the group. Whole D-corps was unbelievable tonight.”

Playing for the third time in four nights with an earlier start due to it being a national game on the NHL on TNT, the Rangers bent but didn’t break. They got off to a good start thanks to an early penalty on Nate Danielson for a hold on Oliver Bjorkstrand.

It was the second unit that delivered the game’s first goal. On a play in transition started by Will Cuylle, Gabe Perreault had enough time to find a cutting Sean Durzi for a shot that beat John Gibson for a power-play goal at 5:12. It was Durzi’s first as a Ranger since coming over from Utah this past summer for Vincent Trocheck. He nearly had his second on another power play.

With Michael Rasmussen boxed for roughing Jaroslav Chmelar, it was again Perreault who created what looked like Durzi’s second power-play goal. However, Red Wings bench boss Todd McLellan successfully challenged for offside, with Cuylle just ahead on the entry to overturn it.

As the period went on, the fresher Red Wings began to take control. They tested Garand for the remainder to outshoot the Rangers 11-8. To his credit, Garand stood up to the challenge. He was particularly good late in the first and during most of the second period.

The Rangers got into penalty trouble at the start of the second when Durzi took down J.T. Compher to put Detroit on the power play. But the Rangers penalty kill was superb to remain perfect on the season.

In three games, they’ve successfully killed off 10 penalties. In particular, the additions of Marcus Pettersson, Durzi, Joe Veleno, and Eeli Tolvanen have solidified a unit that also includes Vladislav Gavrikov, Braden Schneider, Adam Fox, Noah Laba, Tye Kartye, Cuylle, Mika Zibanejad, and J.T. Miller. Sullivan now has more defensive oriented players to lean on. That improved depth has already made a difference in the first two wins.

With Garand continuing to repel Red Wing shots, Durzi was challenged by Marco Kasper with less than eight minutes left in the second. After Kasper got in the first shot, Durzi responded with some hey makers to win the tilt with a knockdown on a strong right. The amusing part was that Kasper got off the first punch as The Beastie Boys “Fight For Your Right To Party” played over the speakers. Perfect timing.

Despite the Red Wings pressing hard for the equalizer, it never came. When Garand wasn’t making timely stops, his team defense was making it difficult for the Red Wings to get clean looks.

The Rangers defended extremely well in a tight checking third period. Not only did they hold Detroit to only two shots, but they forechecked well enough to kill time. They outshot the Wings 6-2.

Sullivan made one change by moving up an effective Kartye onto the third line, which meant Oliver Bjorkstrand went down to the fourth line. It was a case of it being a low scoring, defensive game. Kartye was more noticeable and earned the promotion. For a player that was claimed on waivers last year, he’s a strong two-way forward who can be plugged anywhere. The line with Laba and Cuylle did a good job spending time in the offensive zone.

Miller also had a very good night defensively. He was double shifted a couple of times with Kartye and Tolvanen by Sullivan. Miller hasn’t gotten going yet offensively, but his overall game has been solid. He had a big hit on one shift to separate a player from the puck in the defensive zone. Hopefully, the Rangers captain can add more offense when the Rangers return home for a 6 PM game on Sunday against the Mammoth.

With McLellan pulling Gibson for a 6-on-5, the diligent checking from Kartye led to a Tolvanen empty netter that sealed it with 1:16 remaining.

Chmelar Replaces Rempe

For a second straight game, Chmelar replaced Matt Rempe in the lineup. Sullivan made the late change for the home opener. So far, so good. The Rangers improved to 2-0 with Chmelar, who adds a different element than Rempe. He’s a better skater. In 13 shifts, he recorded two hits with a shot over 9:11.

The Rangers have to be pleased with Veleno so far. The new fourth line center has been a factor due to his skating and checking. A strong player on the walls, he’s effective on the cycle. He’s also trusted on the penalty kill, which looks improved. Veleno went 7-and-6 on faceoffs in 13:34 last night.

Trocheck Returns to MSG

When the schedule was released this past summer, one of the first games circled was October 4 at The Garden. A few months after being traded, Trocheck makes his MSG return on Sunday.

A well respected player who was a good Ranger, the 33-year-old who signed with the team as a free agent on July 13, 2022 was instrumental to the team’s success in 2023-24.

After Filip Chytil went down to a concussion against Carolina, Trocheck became a permanent fixture as the number two center between Artemi Panarin and Alexis Lafreniere under former Rangers head coach Peter Laviolette. The trio became the NHL’s best scoring line that season. While Panarin set career highs with 49 goals, 71 assists, and 120 points, Trocheck had 25 goals with personal bests in assists (52) and points (77). Lafreniere went 28-29-57 for his breakout.

Trocheck was front and center scoring and setting up goals while dominating in the dots with a 58.7 win percentage. A hard-nosed player who created room for Panarin by finishing checks, he finished second on the Rangers in scoring and ranked among the league leaders in faceoffs that season.

The Blueshirts finished with the league’s best record to capture the Presidents’ Trophy. Although they came up short in their bid to win a Stanley Cup, it was an exciting season that saw them return to the Eastern Conference Finals for the second time in three years. Trocheck was a big reason why they had success, leading them in postseason scoring with 20 points. Aside from Igor Shesterkin, he was their best skater.

Although they were never able to duplicate that success the last two seasons, Trocheck remained a consistent player for the Rangers. When his name was heavily rumored to be on the block last spring, he never let it affect him. He was finally moved to the Mammoth on July 1 for Durzi, prospect Cole Beaudoin and a conditional 2027 third round pick.

Despite returning tomorrow as an opponent, Trocheck will be warmly received and get a video tribute. In 313 games as a Ranger, he totaled 89 goals with 164 assists and 253 points. A popular former teammate, it should be fun to see him back.

In his first game with the Mammoth, he picked up an assist in a 6-0 win over the Blackhawks.