Dylan Garand’s strong opening act to his chance as the Rangers’ starter came to a screeching halt across the Hudson River.
Garand allowed four goals on 14 shots and was pulled less than five minutes into the second period, with two goals in 31 seconds for the Devils — as they extended their lead over the Blueshirts to 4-0 — ending his night.
Thursday marked the first time in his NHL career, which has featured six starts and an appearance after Igor Shesterkin left injured Friday, that Garand had allowed more than two goals in a game.
Spencer Martin replaced him in net.
The Devils jumped out to a 1-0 lead with just 29.6 seconds left in the first, when J.T. Miller whiffed on a cross-ice pass that ended up going right to Evan Rodrigues — and then right past Garand — in the Blueshirts’ zone.
Then, 18 seconds into the second frame, Luke Hughes’ shot seemingly hit Adam Fox’s skate and ricocheted past Garand.
Just minutes later, Timo Meier scored off a rebound before Arseny Gritsyuk made it 4-0.
Garand entered the night with a 1.15 goals-against average and a .951 save percentage in 2025-26, which included a shutout against the Red Wings after Joonas Korpisalo’s injury and then consecutive wins following Shesterkin’s injury.