After four games this season, only Danil Tarasov of the Detroit Red Wings has a better save percentage than Garand’s .951. It’s worth noting too that Tarasov has only played two games. He’s also second behind Tarasov with a 1.15 goals against average, a remarkable achievement for the Rangers’ designated third string netminder.

At least he was coming out of camp, it may be the case that Garand establishes himself as the true starter with Shesterkin out for the year by the time Joonas Korpisalo comes back in November. I wonder how Winnipeg feels now having chosen to claim Clay Stevenson off of waivers over Garand.

DRURY GOT LUCKY

It’s a fortunate turn of events for the Rangers that has so far paid dividends in a short sample size. The Rangers have put up two strong wins since Shesterkin was ruled out for the season, allowing just three goals in the process. Garand has made most of the saves he’s had to, and the offense has found a way to pick up at even strength.

Chris Drury must be thanking the hockey gods after he made the decision to run Garand through waivers and watched as first his backup and then his starter were hit with injuries. Even fourth stringer Spencer Martin picked was sidelined out of camp, though he managed to recover in time to serve as backup for Garand in the last two games.

More importantly, it looks like Garand is doing his best to prove that his delayed debut last season was not a fluke and that he’s ready to play in the NHL.

A FEW GOALS HAVE HELPED

A 4-2-0 record belied some of the underlying struggles the Rangers have had scoring at even strength this year. Only 5v5 goals through six games, and three of those came in the victory over the Lightning in the home opener. In the last two games they’ve doubled that total, with 8 of 10 coming at even strength along with a power play tally and an empty netter.

Leading the way have been Alexis Lafreniere, Will Cuylle and Tye Kartye, the trio of 25 and under players have accounted for seven of those eight goals. Half of those have also come early in periods, with Cuylle also adding one in the last two minutes of a period last night to extend the lead to 3-1 over Tampa.

Getting in front and staying there has been an early hallmark of the team, and it mattered when Shesterkin was healthy. It matters more now though, with the Rangers looking for ways to help their young netminder.

TEAM DEFENSE HELPING TOO

There’s been a better commitment to defense this season as well. Fewer clean breaks into the Rangers zone, and the ability to get the puck out of the zone more cleanly have helped keep all but one game under 3 xGA (per NatualStatTrick) in every game except for the one against the Mammoth which they won 4-2 thanks to some strong goaltending from Shesterkin at the time.

It’s resulted in a miserly 1.75 GAA, good enough for second in the league, while allowing just 24 shots a game – good enough for sixth in the league. It’s certainly helped things, though Shesterkin and Garand have already combined to also save 8.2 goals above expectation per MoneyPuck which puts both individuals in the top 12.

Maybe the standout stat for Garand on MoneyPuck though is his ability to stop high danger shot attempts when they’re not blocked, ranking fourth in the league with .275% above expectations.

GARAND PERFORMANCE

It’s fair to say that some of my earlier analysis on xGA% and HDCA from NaturalStatTrick don’t tell the whole story. Yes, there’s some indication the Rangers are giving up more shots than they take, and the goaltenders are earning their keep. Comparatively the bottom four defenders remain a higher risk of giving up a chance than the top pair. The goaltenders have certainly earned their keep, though perhaps not as one-dimensionally as some recent seasons suggest.

There’s a good chance that this year’s performances are more sustainable. The Miller line with Lafreniere and Kartye has emerged along with the third line as the two best offensive options, and if they can find a way to get Zibanejad and Dorofeyev going as well, then that would make the team a lot more dangerous.

We’re early going here, but there’s some good signs in these last couple of games that are promising for what lays ahead.