Rangers’ youth shines to snap six-game skid with rout of Blackhawks

Just call them the Baby Blueshirts.

Drew Fortescue made his NHL debut in a youth-infused 6-1 win over the Blackhawks on Friday night, bringing the rookie count in the Rangers lineup to six amid the club’s youth movement as part of a larger evaluation period for the entire organization.

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There was a lot of young blood on the ice between the Rangers and Blackhawks, the second- and third-worst teams in the NHL that are only competing for better draft lottery odds at this point in the season.

The Rangers’ youth undoubtedly shined the brightest.

“I think we’re all hungry,” rookie goalie Dylan Garand said after capturing his first NHL win in his second career start. “This is, for some of us, our opportunity. Guys like me and [Adam Sýkora], we’ve been playing in Hartford for a long time and we finally get to play games. We’re hungry and we’re excited to try and help this team win in any way we can.”

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Fortescue notched his first point — a secondary assist — in his debut.

Sykora scored his first NHL goal in his first game at Madison Square Garden.

Garand has stopped 63 of the first 66 shots he’s faced through his first two NHL starts.

Matthew Robertson notched the fifth goal of his career while skating in his 29th straight game.

And Jaroslav Chmelar was relentless on his way to earning his first NHL assist on Jonny Brodzinski’s second-period score.

The win snapped a season-high six-game losing streak for the Rangers, who are drinking in the youngsters’ energy to try to end this lost season on an encouraging note.

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“You can see the enthusiasm that the young kids bring to the lineup,” head coach Mike Sullivan said after the Rangers’ largest win at home this season. “I think it’s infectious with our veteran guys. Obviously, excited for them. There were some milestones…It’s just fun. I’m happy for the players. To see the positive energy around the group was great to see.”

After the game, Garand spoke like a player who knows he’s ready for the NHL.

The 23-year-old netminder exuded palpable confidence after impressing in his first two NHL starts.

Garand saved all three shots on goal from 2023 first overall pick Connor Bedard in the first period Friday. While his first win came against an easier opponent, he looked composed even in the shootout loss to the Jets last weekend.

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“I thought he looked really solid in there, and that’s the second game in a row I felt that way so,” Sullivan said. “It’s two really good starts for him and I’m happy for him because I know how hard he’s worked to get to this point. It’s great for our team, it’s great for our organization… The feeling I’ve gotten behind the bench in the two starts that he’s had is that he’s completely in control and he has good composure in there.”

The Rangers have been able to work Garand in amid Jonathan Quick’s upper-body injury, but the backup netminder is supposedly nearing a return.

Asked if Garand had earned himself some more starts over the final nine games of the season, Sullivan said that would be “a fair statement just based on his performance to this point.”

“As this moves forward, when eventually we get a healthy Quickie back, I think [Chris Drury] and I will sit and probably have a conversation around it,” he said.

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Of all the milestone moments that unfolded Friday night, the Rangers seemed especially overjoyed for Sykora.

Sullivan noted that the reaction from the Rangers bench, when Sykora buried Will Cuylle’s feed past Chicago goalie Arvid Soderblom, was indicative of the way he’s viewed as a person in the locker room.

Sykora’s energy is simply infectious, Sullivan said.

“This is something I’ll remember for the rest of my life,” Garand said. “So glad to do it with a guy like Syky. I know him really well and I can speak on behalf of the guys from Hartford, we’re all so proud of him and so happy for him. He deserves it. He’s such a great guy, like, we all love him. It’s awesome to share this moment with him.”