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VANCOUVER, British Columbia — With Dylan Garand expected to start in goal against the Canucks on Friday night, the Rangers will have alternated netminders for four games.
That kind of goaltending arrangement is normal for plenty of NHL teams, but the Blueshirts did not have that luxury for the first 17 games of the 2026-27 campaign as Joonas Korpisalo was sidelined with a foot infection from the start before Igor Shesterkin went down with a season-ending injury six games in.
As a result, rookie goalie Garand was forced to appear in 12 consecutive games.
The Rangers are fortunate to be out of that predicament now, but the team’s deployment of its two goaltenders going forward will be interesting to follow as Korpisalo ramps his game back up and Garand continues to settle into life as a full-time NHL goalie.
“I think [the balance] is great,” head coach Mike Sullivan said after Korpisalo backstopped the Rangers to a 3-1 win in Calgary on Wednesday night. “I think both of these guys are giving us a chance to win right now. We’re getting solid goaltending, and they’re making timely saves for us. They’re giving us a chance to win. I think both of them are very capable. I think now that Korpi’s back in the mix, I just think it gives us the ability to share the workload. And I think the benefit of sharing the workload is potentially getting the best version of both guys because they’re both going to see action, but they’re both going to have the ability to recover.
“They’ll get some quality reps with their goalie coach [Jeff Malcolm] that keeps their game sharp on the off days. I think it could be a real good tandem for us.”
Through his first two games as a Ranger, Korpisalo has stopped 54 of the 58 shots he’s faced, including a sprawling, highlight-reel save on the Flames’ Zayne Parekh on Wednesday night.
He’s posted a .931 save percentage and a 2.01 goals-against average, but Korpisalo said there are still aspects of his game he hopes to clean up. Winning, he said, has certainly helped his transition back into the lineup.
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“I think the last couple games has been really good for us,” Korpisalo said. “Especially, defensively. I saw the puck all night [Wednesday]. It’s fun to play behind.”
Sean Durzi participated in Rangers practice Thursday in a red noncontact jersey again. It’s unlikely the 28-year-old defenseman will play against the Canucks.
With one more game after the one in Vancouver before another extended break in the Blueshirts game schedule, Durzi could benefit from the long layover between games. Following a matchup with the Canadiens on Monday, the Rangers won’t return to game action until Nov. 22 against the Hurricanes.
