NY Rangers Have the Best Goalie Tandem in NHL

Mar 27, 2026; New York, New York, USA; New York Rangers goaltender Dylan Garand (33) is congratulated by goaltender Igor Shesterkin (31) after his first career NHL win against the Chicago Blackhawks at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

NY Rangers Have the Best Goalie Tandem in NHL

Originally posted on New York Rangers On SI
By Kenneth Teape | Last updated Oct 4, 2026 6:00 AM ET

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There were a lot of things that went wrong for the New York Rangers during the 2025-26 season that led to them finishing in last place in the Eastern Conference.

One of the culprits in their lack of success was goaltending. Igor Shesterkin battled injury, which led to the team relying on Jonathan Quick and Spencer Martin to start in net a lot more than the team had planned.

The results without Shesterkin in net were unsurprisingly poor. Quick and Martin combined to go 7-20-2 in 31 appearances and 28 starts. Quick, who retired at the end of the season and has moved into a front office role, struggled with a save percentage of .891 and a goals-against average of 3.09. Martin was even worse with an .863 save percentage and a 4.13 goals-against average.

However, the team looked to find something with Dylan Garand. He got a few opportunities and performed well, but it wasn’t enough to originally get him the No. 2 job. Veteran Joonas Koprisalo held that spot entering the season, but mysteriously landed on IR days into the season.

Igor Shesterkin, Dylan Garand are best goalie tandem in NHL

IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

That opened the door for Garand to make another impression, and he is well on his way to doing so, giving the Rangers the best goaltender tandem in the League.

In his 2026-27 debut, the 24-year-old recorded the first shutout of his career in a 2-0 victory over the Detroit Red Wings. He stopped all 22 shots he faced, giving him a career save percentage of .958 through four games.

A 22-save shutout for G pic.twitter.com/81GkotFVPr
— New York Rangers (@NYRangers) October 3, 2026

According to Hockey Stats, Garand had one of the best performances in net thus far in the early going of the season. His 1.5 Goals Saved Above Expected is eighth in the NHL despite making only one start.

One of the goalies ahead of him is his teammate, Shesterkin, who is viewed as the best goalie in the world right now.

EVERY ANGLE OF THE FIRST GOALIE GOAL IN #NYR HISTORY pic.twitter.com/utKW6bkhZR
— New York Rangers (@NYRangers) October 2, 2026

He has 1.9 GSAx, which is tied for the fourth-best mark in the League. Only Joel Hofer of the St. Louis Blues (2.8), Jeremy Swayman of the Boston Bruins (2.6) and Jacob Markstrom of the Florida Panthers (2.3) are better; Logan Thompson of the Washington Capitals is at 1.9 as well.

Some teams don’t have one goalie with a GSAx above zero, let alone two. That creates a massive advantage for the Rangers, who look like they have the kind of goalie tandem that can lead the team to a lot of success during a marathon regular season that is 84 games long.

This article first appeared on New York Rangers On SI and was syndicated with permission.

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