The New York Rangers cannot afford to let their goaltending situation become the reason their season slips away
There are legitimate circumstances behind the team’s problems in net. The crushing loss of Igor Shesterkin for the season was just the beginning. Then, there’s backup goalie Joonas Korpisalo, who remains on the shelf.
That situation left Dylan Garand and James Reimer to handle responsibilities that were never supposed to fall entirely on their shoulders.
Garand has been reasonably serviceable. Through 10 appearances, the 24-year-old has a 4-5-1 record, a .899 save percentage and a 2.69 goals-against average. He has also delivered average or better performances in seven of those 10 games, according to former NHL goaltender Stephen Valiquette’s quality-start assessment.
Those numbers are hardly disastrous for a young goalie thrust into an unexpected NHL workload.
James Reimer’s situation has been considerably less encouraging. His brief appearance, during which he surrendered three goals on just eight shots, resulted in a .625 save percentage and a 9.00 goals-against average.
What was supposed to have been a type of salvation became a abject nightmare.
The Rangers are now riding a four-game losing streak, and the goaltending problems are becoming increasingly difficult to ignore. But the solution is not necessarily to find another goalie. New York needs to make life easier for whoever is in the crease.
Rangers Need to Give Their Goaltenders More Support
It would be unfair to put the entire situation on Garand.
The young netminder has been thrown directly into the fire, and his overall numbers suggest he has done enough to keep the Rangers competitive. He is not Shesterkin, but expecting him to replicate the performance of an elite goaltender is unrealistic.
That is where the rest of the team needs to step up.
New York has to become more responsible defensively, particularly when protecting leads and managing pressure around its own net. The Rangers cannot consistently give opponents high-danger opportunities and expect an inexperienced goaltender to bail them out.
They also need to recognize that they might have to win some games differently.
The Rangers have enough offensive talent to make up for occasional defensive mistakes. Mika Zibanejad, J.T. Miller and Alexis Lafreniere give the team legitimate scoring options, while Adam Fox can help generate offense from the blue line.
If the goaltending is going to remain inconsistent, New York may need to outscore opponents more frequently.
That is not an ideal long-term strategy, but it could help keep the season on track until at least Korpisalo returns.
Blueshirts Are Running Out of Time to Turn Things Around
The bigger concern is that New York cannot afford to wait indefinitely for its goaltending situation to resolve itself.
A four-game losing streak is not necessarily a season-ending development, but it is another reminder that the Rangers are losing ground when they should be establishing themselves as a playoff contender.
The schedule does not offer much room for complacency, either. November brings 13 games, including difficult matchups against Edmonton, Carolina and other teams competing for postseason positioning.
There is also some uncertainty surrounding when Shesterkin and Korpisalo will be ready to return. Until then, Mike Sullivan needs to find a way to get more consistent performances from the players available to him.
Garand deserves some patience. Reimer’s disastrous outing should not define the entire position, either. But the Rangers cannot keep expecting their goaltenders to solve problems created elsewhere on the ice.
New York still has the talent to turn things around. The question is whether it can do so before this early-season slump becomes something much harder to overcome.
Rangers Biggest Threat to Their Playoff Hopes May Be in Net