The Rangers sent out a mostly AHL lineup against a group of Devils regulars in Monday’s preseason opener, but they did see a handful of positives.
Central among them was the performance from young goalie Dylan Garand.
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Garand is competing in what Mike Sullivan described as a “healthy internal competition” for the backup spot with the pro club heading into the year.
It remains to be seen exactly how much ice time he’ll see in camp, but the 24-year-old certainly made an awfully compelling first case for stick around.
Garand let in a trio of tough luck goals against, but otherwise stopped 28 of the 31 shots he faced while playing the full game against the division rivals.
That’s much of what the Blueshirts saw from the young netminder as he received his first cup of coffee down the stretch at the pro level last season.
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Garand made 25+ saves in all three of his first career appearances.
Sullivan didn’t rule out the possibility of the Rangers keeping three goalies to start the year, so we’ll see how things play out as the preseason progresses.
“I’ve just tried everyday to give it my best, work hard, and compete,” Garand said postgame. “There’s so much out of my control, so I’m really just trying to limit that outside noise inside my head and just battle and lay it all out there.”
Drew Fortescue also made his presence felt on the backend of things.
After a strong presence on the forecheck from the Rangers’ young forwards, the puck floated out towards Fortescue at the point, and he fired a game-tying goal past Nico Daws.
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Fortescue did take a penalty but also finished the night with a pair of shots on goal, two blocked shots, and three hits across 20-plus minutes of ice time.
The 21-year-old d-man looked the part in his nine-game taste at the NHL last year, but he faces an uphill battle to a roster spot with the Rangers crowded on the left-side.
That hasn’t caused the youngster’s confidence to fade, though.
“All I can do is just work the hardest that I can,” Fortescue said this week. “Whoever’s here or whatnot, I think that I know that I’m good enough — and someday, if it’s not now or in the future, that I’ll be able to play here.”
Disclaimer : This story is auto aggregated by a computer programme and has not been created or edited by DOWNTHENEWS. Publisher: Sports.yahoo.com
