Garand Earns First NHL Shutout, Every NHL Team Now Carries an Emergency Backup Goalie
Plus: why the Maple Leafs are counting rest instead of starts, Vilmer Salen Forsberg's 44 saves for Brantford, and Tara Bach and Jackson Unger open the college season with shutouts.
In this edition 10 stories
NHL
International
NHLGarand caps his "craziest week" with first shutout
Dylan Garand made 22 saves for his first NHL shutout as the New York Rangers beat the Detroit Red Wings 2-0 at Little Caesars Arena on Friday. It was the 24-year-old’s fourth NHL game, after he went 2-0-1 in three appearances late last season, and his 22 saves were the most by a Rangers rookie in a shutout since Igor Shesterkin made 27 on April 13, 2021 (NHL.com, AP via TSN).
“This has been the craziest week of my life,” Garand said. “I got cut Sunday and put on waivers, I cleared Monday and went to Hartford and found an apartment, had two practices there, then got called back up and I’m playing on Friday.”
Rangers coach Mike Sullivan: “This week speaks volumes about his character. Pro sports are competitive and things don’t always go your way. You have to work through the ebbs and flows, and I really have great admiration for how Dylan handled this whole situation” (NHL.com). He added: “The thing I love about Dylan is he controls those things that are within his power” (New York Post).
Garand is the first Rangers goalie since Henrik Lundqvist in 2005-06 to earn a point in each of his first four NHL games (New York Post).
On InGoal: Garand breaks down his own game in Sticking to Foundations on Unpredictable Plays, explains his Carey Price-inspired key to crease movement, and shares the Shesterkin drills he uses for RVH entries and lateral recoveries.
NHLMeet the emergency backup goalies
Starting this season, each NHL team is required to have an emergency backup goalie on its roster. Each EBUG wears No. 00, and practises and travels with the team. To qualify, a goalie must not have played an NHL game under a standard player contract, played more than 80 professional games, or played professional hockey in the previous three seasons. NHL.com has the list of EBUGs that teams have announced so far (NHL.com). It isn’t complete: some teams haven’t named theirs publicly, but every team will already have told the league who it is using. And for the first time this year, all EBUG gear has to be approved by the league office, just like a rostered goalie’s.
The oldest listed is Carolina’s Jorge Alves, 47, the Hurricanes’ head equipment manager, who played the final 7.6 seconds of a game against Tampa Bay on Dec. 31, 2016. The youngest is Utah’s Colten McIntyre, 22, a Park City native and the first player from Utah to dress for the Mammoth.
Calgary’s EBUG is Dusty Nickel, 35, who has filled the role for the Flames for several years and backed up Dan Vladar on Nov. 27, 2023, after Jacob Markstrom fell ill before the game. He owns a construction business and coaches for Apex Goaltending (NHL.com).
In Edmonton, it’s Brett Epp, a former MacEwan Griffins goalie who skated with the Oilers a handful of times over the last two seasons through goalie coach Peter Aubrey, and texted Aubrey to put his hat in the ring as soon as the job became official. “I was at the Brick, actually, when he called me. I was furniture shopping for a new house that my wife and I bought. I saw that pop up on my phone and I was just ecstatic.” He’s already had a No. 00 Oilers jersey made for his grandmother’s birthday (Edmonton Journal).
On InGoal: Alves joined us on InGoal Radio Episode 51, alongside Joel Hofer, and Nickel was our guest on InGoal Radio Episode 236, alongside Brian Hayward.
NHLBobrovsky, Stolarz and the Leafs' rest plan
Maple Leafs GM John Chayka says the team is tracking rest, not starts, for Sergei Bobrovsky and Anthony Stolarz: “We’re less focused on number of starts and more focused on the amount of rest and we do think there’s a correlation not just with our goalies but all goalies that they perform better when they’re well rested” (Sportsnet).
Chayka also said that when the staff mapped out Bobrovsky’s workload, Bobrovsky asked for a certain number of meaningful dates to be built in for Stolarz, something Chayka said he’d never had a No. 1 goalie offer to do. Bobrovsky also apologized to Gavin McKenna for leading the team onto the ice before Tuesday’s opener, right into McKenna’s solo rookie lap: “I completely forgot, I didn’t think about it, I didn’t mean to do that. I came to him after and pretended it was my first game, too” (Toronto Sun).
On InGoal: Rebuilding Bob, The Bobrovsky Ballet, and InGoal Radio Episode 122 with Anthony Stolarz.
NHLHofer shuts out Stars in his first opening-night start
Joel Hofer made 25 saves in the first season-opening start of his NHL career as the St. Louis Blues won 4-0 against the Dallas Stars at American Airlines Center. It was Hofer’s ninth NHL shutout; he was second in the league with six last season (NHL.com).
“We obviously know about (Dallas’) offense. They’re obviously very dynamic and can make very good plays, but we were up to the test tonight,” Hofer said. Blues coach Jim Montgomery added: “He’s really focused, he’s really matured. I think we’re starting to see a goalie that is blossoming into a potential top-10 goalie in the League.”
On InGoal: Hofer’s Pro Tips on improving your goalie IQ by watching, his Pro Reads, and InGoal Radio Episode 218.
NHLAround the league
- Logan Thompson made 31 saves in the Washington Capitals’ 5-2 win at Carolina, his 63rd win with Washington, passing Jose Theodore for ninth in franchise history. “Credit to the PKers. We were keeping afloat, we were grinding. That PK unit was huge tonight,” Thompson said (NHL.com).
- Jeremy Swayman made 30 saves as the Boston Bruins came back to win 4-3 in overtime in Winnipeg, and Stuart Skinner made 26 saves in his Jets debut (NHL.com).
On InGoal: Pro Tips with Logan Thompson on focusing on control, not numbers, Jeremy Swayman’s ball drop drill, and InGoal Radio Episode 338 with Stuart Skinner.
CollegeBach, Unger and Urban open with shutouts
Vermont sophomore Tara Bach stopped all 36 shots for her first shutout as a Catamount as Vermont beat No. 7 Minnesota Duluth 3-0 in its season opener (UVM Athletics, Duluth News Tribune).
Colorado College sophomore Jackson Unger stopped all 32 shots for the first shutout of his career as the Tigers beat No. 10 UMass 2-0 in their season opener (The Gazette). On stepping in for the Tigers’ longtime starter, Unger said: “I’m not trying to play like him, but I do want to fill that role and be the guy here.”
Arizona State sophomore Samuel Urban made 37 saves in a 5-0 win at Lindenwood, his second career shutout and the Sun Devils’ third opening-night shutout in program history. Both of Urban’s career shutouts have come with exactly 37 saves (Sun Devil Athletics).
InternationalThelin brings a shutout streak into Saturday
Färjestad goalie Melker Thelin has kept clean sheets in two straight SHL games heading into Saturday’s home game against HV71 (SHL.se).
Junior17-year-old Salen Forsberg off to hot start in Brantford
Brantford Bulldogs goalie Vilmer Salen Forsberg made 44 saves in a 5-4 shootout win over Brampton on Friday, improving to 4-0 as the Bulldogs stayed unbeaten at 6-0. The 17-year-old from Södertälje, a second-round pick in the 2026 CHL Import Draft, was named OHL goalie of the week and is the Bulldogs’ first import goaltender. On the 6-foot-6 netminder’s glove hand: “They’re basketball hands.” On Brantford: “I love it here. I love the fans, I love the team and I love the city” (Brantford Expositor).
Kamloops Blazers rookie Kaeden Tate made 39 saves as the Blazers won 5-2 in Kelowna on Friday, holding firm as the Rockets outshot Kamloops 14-6 in the third period and 41-26 overall (Kelowna Rockets).
AHLSogaard opens with a shutout
Mads Sogaard stopped all 27 shots in his Syracuse Crunch debut as the Crunch opened the AHL season with a 2-0 win over the Laval Rocket at Place Bell (Syracuse Crunch).
Birthdays
Happy birthday to former Chicago Blackhawks goalie Michel Larocque (50) and Seattle Kraken goalie Victor Ostman (26). Born on this day: Hall of Famer Glenn Hall (1931) of the Chicago Black Hawks.
On InGoal: InGoal Radio Episode 306 with Victor Östman, InGoal Radio Episode 29 with Mr. Goalie, Glenn Hall, and InGoal Radio Episode 336, celebrating the life of Glenn Hall.
Have goalie news, a big save, a signing, or a coaching hire? Send it to info@ingoalmag.com.