JOHN GIBSON

Garand Shuts It Down as Rangers Make Their looks count

Durzi and Tolvanen provide the finish while Fox and Perreault supply the touch; Detroit fires more but can’t find a way through

This wasn’t a volume win — it was a quality win. Detroit had more shot attempts and even outshot New York almost one-for-one (23 to 21), but the Rangers carved out the better chances and buried them. By expected goals — a measure of how dangerous the chances were — New York finished ahead 2.07 to 1.55, matching what the eye said: fewer looks, better looks.

That story showed up on the scoreboard. Sean Durzi and Eeli Tolvanen finished the two chances that mattered, with slick feeds from Adam Fox and Gabe Perreault (plus helpers from Tye Kartye and Will Cuylle) turning selective pressure into goals. The Rangers also cashed once on the man advantage, the one bit of separation a low-event night needed.

The closer was Dylan Garand. He stopped all 23, and his work beat the math too: he posted 1.48 goals saved above expected, meaning the quality he faced should have produced a goal and a half, and it didn’t. No iron either — zero posts both ways — so the bounces weren’t Detroit’s bailout.