Rangers Recap: Garand's First NHL Shutout Lifts Rangers Past Red Wings, 2-0

In part two of the first back-to-back of the season, the New York Rangers paid a visit to the Detroit Red Wings for an Original Six showdown on Friday night. Riding high off their exciting home-opener win the night before, the Rangers looked to keep the good times rolling. It would be the same lineup for the Blueshirts, with Dylan Garand getting his first start of the season.

First Period

It only took three and a half minutes for the game's first penalty to take place. Nate Danielson was sent off for holding, giving the Rangers an early power play. While the Rangers' top unit was unsuccessful, the second one would convert, and it was another newcomer with his first in a Rangers uniform. Sean Durzi let a quick shot go off the pass from Gabe Perreault to beat John Gibson to make it a 1-0 game.

The Rangers were back on the power play soon after as Michael Rasmussen was assessed a roughing penalty alongside coincidental unsportsmanlike calls to Keegan Kolesar and Joe Veleno. The second power-play unit continued to thrive as Oliver Bjorkstrand redirected a shot from Durzi to find the back of the net once again. The Red Wings, however, challenged for offside, and the goal was overturned.

The Rangers' penalty killers' first challenge of the night came with about eight minutes to go as Alberts Smits sat in an NHL penalty box for the first time after cross-checking Mason Appleton. The Rangers continued to have success on special teams as they kept the Red Wings off the board.

All in all, a strong period from the Rangers as Garand was standing tall in net. The Red Wings came closest to scoring with less than three minutes to go, when Anton Johansson hit the post as his shot took a slight redirect on its way to the danger zone.

Shots at the end of the first period were 11-9 in the Red Wings' favor. They also had the edge in practically every category save for expected goals for. They led in hits, shot attempts, faceoffs, and high-danger chances after the opening 20.

Second Period

It was all Detroit to start the second period as the Rangers went more than seven minutes without recording a shot on goal. Garand was tested on more than one occasion, including a big glove save on Lucas Raymond. He continued to hold down the fort as he shut down J.T. Compher on a point-blank scoring chance.

He wasn't the only young Ranger to impress, as Smits had a notable hit on Danielson in the offensive zone along the boards. Smits was certainly playing the game with some physicality this evening and didn't hesitate to stand up for himself in various scraps.

With just under eight minutes to go, the Rangers went back to the power play as Axel Sandin-Pellikka was called for hooking. As the whistle blew, Tye Kartye finished his check, which led to a scrum that escalated to a proper fight between Durzi and Marco Kasper.

The top unit dominated possession on the man advantage but was a bit too hesitant to shoot the puck. The Red Wings cleared the puck after a minute and a half of constant pressure from the Rangers, eventually killing the entirety of the man advantage. Still, the Rangers continued to push as the period eventually came to a close. Shots after 40 were 20-15 in Detroit's favor.

Third Period

The Red Wings took another early penalty in the third as Justin Faulk was sent off for slashing. The Rangers decided to use their timeout, as their top guys had just been on the ice and they had the chance to add some insurance to their lead in the final period of regulation. The timeout didn't bode well, as the Rangers came out of the man advantage empty-handed with just one shot on goal.

As the period went on, there was plenty of back-and-forth as each side exchanged rush chances, but not a ton in the form of shots on goal. Eeli Tolvanen had a gutsy block, getting in front of a 92-mile-per-hour one-timer from Raymond closer to the midway point. Small sample size, but he's been great early on this season.

Aside from that, it was becoming a rather uneventful period. One interesting note was that Kartye was getting reps on the second line with J.T. Miller and Pavel Dorofeyev as Bjorkstrand slotted in alongside Veleno and Jaroslav Chmelar. Boos from a frustrated fan base filled the arena as time continued to expire. With just over two minutes to go, the Red Wings pulled Gibson for the extra attacker. With 76 seconds to go, Tolvanen would get to center to find the empty net, extending the Rangers' lead to 2-0.

That would do it for this one, as Garand made 23 saves for the first shutout of his NHL career. It only took him four games to reach that accomplishment.

The Rangers will head back home to take on the Utah Mammoth at Madison Square Garden on Sunday evening.