The New York Rangers got exactly the kind of response they needed Monday night, rolling to a 5-2 win over the Ducks and doing it with a fast start and a strong second period takeover.
That performance came after a couple of uneven outings, especially on offense away from home, and this one looked different almost immediately. The Rangers pushed early, built control as the game went on, and for most of the night they looked like the sharper, more dangerous team at both ends of the ice.
A big piece of that was Tye Kartye, whose move into the second line has paid off. He began the season down on the fourth line, but his rise has been quick, and he has settled in well alongside J.T. Miller and either Alexis Lafreniere or Pavel Dorofeyev.
Kartye was one of the best players on the ice against Anaheim. He picked up his fifth assist of the season on Sean Durzi’s opening goal, and his underlying numbers backed up what showed up on the eye test. At five-on-five, HockeyStats.com had him at an xGF% of 91%.
The numbers at even strength were even more striking. With Kartye on the ice, the Rangers were expected to score 1.32 goals while allowing just 0.13. That kind of balance made a difference in a game where New York was looking to get back on track and stay perfect at home.
The Rangers came close to a shutout, but even without it, the 5-2 result was a comfortable one. More importantly, it was a reminder that the second line has been a steady source of offense for most of the year, and Kartye has become a major reason why.
In Other News...
Rangers Suddenly Have A Tye Kartye Decision They Didn't Expect
Tye Kartye arrived in New York as a waiver claim from Seattle, the kind of low-risk pickup teams make to deepen a roster and see if a hard-working winger can carve out a niche. Instead, the undrafted left winger has quickly turned into much more than depth, earning trust with the Rangers for the way he competes, handles his defensive responsibilities and helps steady the kind of line that can tilt a game.
What makes the situation interesting is how quickly Kartye has moved from hopeful addition to someone the staff has to keep in a meaningful role. His fit with the clubs top offensive players has already changed the conversation around what the Rangers thought they were getting, and now the bigger question is whether this early stretch is a real sign of staying power or simply the latest surprise in a season that is still taking shape. [Read more 🡒]
Sean Durzi Solves One Rangers Need While Exposing Another
Sean Durzi has already given the Rangers what they hoped to get when they brought him in over the summer: a steadier blue line and a presence that seems to fit naturally in the room. The comparison to Vincent Trocheck is obvious enough for anyone around the team. Both are similar in build, both play with a similar edge, and both come with the kind of workmanlike reputation that tends to travel well in New York. Durzi has also brought a little of the same personality and energy that made Trocheck so useful to the Rangers beyond the stat sheet.
What the move has also done, though, is shine a brighter light on the other side of the ledger. Trochecks departure left a hole down the middle, and the Rangers are feeling the effects in their center depth as the season goes along. Durzis past injury history is part of the broader picture too, because the Rangers know the upside is real but the margin for error is thin when a player has had to battle through health issues before. [Read more 🡒]
Rangers Hot Start Still Hasnt Solved One Bigger Problem
The Rangers strong start has done plenty to build optimism in New York, but it has not yet changed the way star players view the organization when bigger decisions come up. Dylan Larkin has reportedly widened his trade wishlist from three teams to 10, and the club on Broadway still is not on it, a reminder that early-season momentum does not automatically make a team a destination for elite talent.
The latest list apparently does include several familiar Eastern Conference names, with the Hurricanes, Devils and Capitals among the teams Larkin is open to. For the Rangers, that leaves a familiar kind of frustration: they can look like a contender on the ice and still find themselves on the outside when the leagues top names start narrowing their options. [Read more 🡒]