Rangers Beat Canucks 6-2 Without Shesterkin

The Rangers did not wait around to mourn Igor Shesterkin. Dylan Garand made 19 saves and New York beat the Vancouver Canucks 6-2 at Madison Square Garden on Sunday, their first game since learning Shesterkin is out for the rest of the season with a lower-body injury, per NHL.com.

Shesterkin got hurt in a 3-1 loss to the Washington Capitals on Friday. The Rangers announced Saturday that he would miss the rest of the year and that Garand would get the No. 1 job. Sunday was the first real test of that plan, and the group answered.

Kartye and Cuylle set the tone

Tye Kartye and Will Cuylle each scored their first two goals of the season. Alexis Lafreniere and Gabe Perreault each had a goal and an assist. J.T. Miller and Mika Zibanejad had two assists apiece, per NHL.com's Dan Rosen.

Kartye scored 27 seconds into the game. Cuylle made it 2-1 early in the second. After Elias Pettersson tied it 2-2 with his first career short-handed goal, Kartye answered 1:29 later for a 3-2 lead. Lafreniere extended it to 4-2 on the power play 1:04 into the third off a Perreault feed, Perreault tipped home Adam Fox's shot for 5-2, and Cuylle finished the 6-2 win off a rebound.

"It's obviously tough when you lose your best player in 'Shesty,'" Garand said. "But it happens sometimes. It's pro sports. I think the guys did a great job of stepping up tonight and we're going to need more of that for sure."

Home ice still rolling

The Rangers improved to 5-2-0 overall and 4-0-0 at home. They have outscored opponents 9-1 in the third period at Madison Square Garden, including 3-0 against Vancouver, per NHL.com.

"I think there's a maturity to this group," coach Mike Sullivan said. "Expectations don't change. It's the next man up mentality. It's going to provide opportunities for others. Take advantage of it."

Vancouver's skid hits four

Jake DeBrusk and Pettersson scored for the Canucks (2-5-0), who lost their fourth straight. Kevin Lankinen made 19 saves. Coach Manny Malhotra called out the third-period details after New York pulled away.

"It's not a great feeling, obviously, when you can't put some wins together and the losses start adding up," Malhotra said, per NHL.com. "The test of our character at this point is to make sure we're coming to the rink with the right attitude."

Zibanejad also hit a personal marker, becoming the third player in Rangers history with at least 250 power-play points for the team, joining Brian Leetch and Rod Gilbert, per NHL.com.

Shesterkin is not walking back through that tunnel this season. If Garand keeps the crease calm and Lafreniere keeps finishing chances like this, the Rangers can still sell the same expectations without their Vezina-caliber starter.