New Second Line Makes Strong Impression for NY Rangers

The newly formed second line for the New York Rangers looked impressive on Sunday night.

Oct 4, 2026; New York, New York, USA; Utah Mammoth defenseman MacKenzie Weegar (52) defends against New York Rangers center J.T. Miller (10) during the second period at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Dennis Schneidler-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The New York Rangers were able to win their third straight game and their second straight at home on Sunday against the Utah Mammoth. With the team performing well, the Rangers are proving that they have improved. 

Coming into the season, expectations were pretty high for a New York team that was last in the Eastern Conference. This summer, the Rangers were one of the more aggressive teams in trying to get better, and on paper they certainly did so. 

So far, the moves made this summer have translated to success on the ice, and New York looks like a team that has the ability to be a playoff contender. 

To start the campaign, head coach Mike Sullivan had an idea of what the lines were going to look like coming into camp and the preseason. For the most part, he hasn’t really shaken things up too much. 

In the recent win against the Detroit Red Wings, Sullivan did make some changes to his second line with Tye Kartye moving up and Oliver Bjorkstrand going down to the fourth line. On Sunday, that combination stuck together and the second line performed well. 

New Second Line Looks Strong 

Oct 1, 2026; New York, New York, USA; New York Rangers right wing Pavel Dorofeyev (16) skates against Tampa Bay Lightning left wing Brandon Hagel (38) and defenseman John Carlson (74) during the third period at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

While the second line was performing well with Bjorkstrand, the swap seemingly worked as well; in 10:43 of ice time together, the trio of J.T. Miller, Pavel Dorofeyev, and Kartye had an xGF% of 79.2% to lead the team. 

When looking at them on an individual level, it was Dorofeyev who had the highest xGF% at 79.2%. Dorofeyev continues to be a difference maker for the team on the ice, and while he didn’t score in this one, he was able to notch an assist. Furthermore, in terms of scoring for this line, it was J.T. Miller getting his first of the season. 

As expected with the line doing well, both Miller and Kartye had xGF% above 60% in this one. 

For Bjorstrand, it was tough to gauge the fourth line because of an early injury to Joe Veleno. The fourth line center went down early, and Sullivan had to do some juggling with other centers getting some extra time while trying to keep both Bjorkstrand and Jaroslav Chmelar involved. 

Overall, in terms of the second line, there was a lot to like, and a win on top of it makes it even better. The Rangers certainly have been playing well, and they will be looking to make it four straight against the New York Islanders on Tuesday.