Hartford, Connecticut – Dylan Garand entered his third full professional season with a clear goal.
Get his success in the AHL playoffs and find a way to replicate it consistently in the regular season.
“I feel like I’ve learned from past playoff experiences that when I’m really good, I just focus on winning and competing,” Garand explained after his practice at the XL Center on Tuesday. “I’m a very competitive one.” So what I always want to do is the regular season.”
This simple approach is very useful.
In 17 career playoffs, the Rangers’ top goalkeeper’s forward scored 2.21 goals with 2.21 goals, but he failed to post the regular season SV% above .898.
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so far.
So far, Garand has scored 12-7-4 with 0.913 SV% and 2.68 GAA, but even those numbers don’t tell the whole story. He caught fire when he was appointed as the goalkeeper of the AHL this month in December and was in good shape for the new year.
Starting nine times from December 4 to January 12, Garand scored 6-3 with 0.953 SV% of eyes. He allowed one goal or fewer in five of his appearances when a pair of closed door pieces was released.
“I just feel like I’m in the area,” he said. “(The game) is a little slow. You see a little better, feel good every day. I mean, even if you don’t feel the rink every day – your body or Your mind, if you are tired – but once you get stuck, the switch will flash and you are just in the area.”
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This has brought the 22-year-old Victoria native to the AHL All-Star Game earlier this month and has attracted attention in the Scouts who are increasingly confident that they will play the NHL role, both as backups Still a starter.
He has felt calm over the last three games, allowing five or more goals per goal, while facing a large number of shots from a dive pack, but the overall work is impressive.
“I’ve been working very hard,” Garland said. “I feel a little paid off now.”
The work ethics of the 2020 fourth-round draft pick have never been questioned, and he has earned a reputation for his meticulous pre-match routine and brain preparation methods.
First-year head coach Grant Potulny saw that this translates into Garand’s readings and expected ways to save.
“He’s a smart goalkeeper, and I think that really helps him,” Boerney said. “If the rush comes, he can be sure, ‘The hockey is here, but that guy is left-handed, that could be a single guy , so I have to know that guy is there. ‘The other thing he does for me is that the puck that hit him is either suffocated or go to areas that aren’t dangerous. Make the game easier.”
Potulny also praised his puck handling skills, which he believes prevents “five to six shots (per game) because you can play from behind the net to get the puck into the next game.”
In today’s game, Garand is 6-foot-1 inches taller than many goalkeepers and weighs 176 pounds, making up for Garand is smaller than many goalkeepers. This also put him on the cliff of his NHL debut.
“I want to have more in the NHL game than any game in the world,” Garland said. “You have a little taste, it just motivates you to work harder. But I’m here right now, focusing on us here,” he said. Things to do and win some hockey games.”
He was recalled several times as a backup role, most recently due to injury to Rangers starter Igor Shesterkin. These quick tasks might be like a blur, he said, but noted that he had been communicating with New York goalkeeper coach Jeff Malcolm, who looked at all of Garand’s starts and texted him frequently feedback.
He also found himself having a chance, and he respected veteran Jonathan whenever he had a chance, while the latest member of the NHL’s 400-win club plays the role of mentor.
“Among all the guys on the team, Quickie is great,” Garland said. “He would come and talk to me, just chat. Like I could get close to him anytime, he was there, he was a man’s stud, He was really fun when I was there.”
The presence of Shesterkin and Quick means that unless injured, Garand is temporarily stopped. But with a quick turn to 39 last month and a one-year contract, strong results can convince managers to prepare for the next season’s reserve. Another team may also consider him second and engage in a deal with blue shirts that can help other regions.
Regardless of this, it is undeniable that Garand’s stock is rising and his chance to show his blossoming skills at the highest level is approaching.
“When you sit at home, you kind of think about what it will look like,” he said. “It’s one thing to play in the NHL, it’s another to win in the NHL. I want to win in the NHL. This It’s my goal, and that’s what I’m going to do in Hartford, is to grow and get better and prepare for this opportunity.
Vincent Z. Mercogliano is a reporter for the New York Rangers to defeat the USA Today network. Read more of his work on lohud.com/sports/rangers/ and follow him on Twitter @vzmercogliano.
