Dylan Garand gets his Rangers backup opportunity and a real chance to make his case

DETROIT — So, Dylan Garand will be the Rangers backup goalie in October after all. Among the last round of cuts from training camp less than a week ago, the rookie netminder was in Hartford for just two practices before he was summoned back to New York for the Blueshirts’ home opener at Madison Square Garden on Thursday night and his fourth NHL start Friday night in Detroit.  Join Post Sports+ for exciting subscriber-only features, including real-time texting with Mollie Walker about the inside buzz on the Rangers.Joonas Korpisalo was placed on injured reserve with an undisclosed lower-body injury just a few hours before puck drop in Manhattan.

The Rangers said he’s considered week to week. “Dylan and I have had a lot of conversations along the way,” head coach Mike Sullivan said.“I had a number of conversations with him when the decision was made to send him to Hartford.

He knows that we believe in him.I don’t know that I have to say anything else.

He’s a good, solid goalie.And we believe in him, and we know he’s going to make saves for us.” It’s crystal clear now that Korpisalo was slated for the No.

2 job since the Rangers acquired him from Boston on July 1. With a 24-year-old homegrown goalie in Garand pushing his way out of the pipeline, however, the Rangers called it a competition heading into training camp.Garand maximized his first NHL opportunity last season in the form of a 2-0-1 record and a .948 save percentage, but management believes he needs to be getting starter’s reps in Hartford to continue developing. That led to the Rangers putting Garand on waivers just a few days after the Canucks claimed 24-year-old goalie Leevi Meriläinen from the Senators. “I’m sure he was disappointed,” Sullivan said.

“He’s a fierce competitor, and he wants to play in the NHL.That’s part of his personality that we love.” Concerns over the possibility of Garand getting claimed may have been overblown, but they weren...