New York Rangers Lose Backup Goalie Joonas Korpisalo to Injury

Korpisalo Sidelined with Lower Body Injury

The New York Rangers will be without backup goaltender Joonas Korpisalo for the near future. The 32 year old Finn is week to week with a lower body injury, according to a person familiar with the situation. It is not clear exactly when Korpisalo got hurt.

To cover for his absence, the team placed Korpisalo on injured reserve. They recalled 24 year old goaltender Dylan Garand from Hartford of the American Hockey League to take his spot on the roster.

New York originally acquired Korpisalo from the Boston Bruins this past summer. That acquisition pushed Garand down the organizational depth chart. However, the young goalie remained with the Rangers organization after he cleared waivers earlier in the week.

Shesterkin Faces Heavy Workload in Back to Back Games

With Korpisalo out, face of the franchise Igor Shesterkin is still expected to start a vast majority of the games for the Rangers this season. Shesterkin played in the team's season opener on Tuesday night at Boston. In that game, which ended in a 3-0 loss, Shesterkin stopped 20 of the 22 shots he faced.

The Rangers now face a busy back to back schedule this week. They play at home on Thursday night against Tampa Bay, followed immediately by a road game on Friday night at Detroit.

With games on consecutive nights, the Rangers will likely need to rest Shesterkin for one of the matchups. This means Garand could be counted on to start the second game on the road against the Red Wings.

What it means for the next game

Tampa Bay Lightning at New York Rangers (NHL, Thu, 01 Oct): New York Rangers win 39%, Tampa Bay Lightning win 61%; projected score New York Rangers 3, Tampa Bay Lightning 3. Our safest pick: Rangers +3.

New York Rangers at Detroit Red Wings (NHL, Fri, 02 Oct): Detroit Red Wings win 52%, New York Rangers win 48%; projected score Detroit Red Wings 3, New York Rangers 3. Our safest pick: Rangers +1.5. Our best value pick: Rangers +1.5.