The Seattle Kraken might be kicking themselves for letting Tye Kartye go. The 25-year-old continued his breakout campaign with a power-play goal Saturday night, helping lift the New York Rangers (10-7-1) to a 4-3 win over his former team.

Kartye was all over the ice in the first period, returning to Climate Pledge Arena for the first time since Seattle waived him on Feb. 26.

He drew a holding penalty on Kraken forward Berkly Catton at 7:15 of the opening frame, and then got to celebrate not once but twice on the ensuing power play — though only the second score counted on the official ledger.

Hitting the ice with New York’s second power-play unit, Kartye appeared to give the Rangers a 2-0 lead at 8:25, nudging the puck through Joey Daccord’s five-hole off the faceoff win from captain J.T. Miller. Officials quickly determined that Kartye made a distinct kicking motion and waved off the goal, but the former Kraken forward got to celebrate for real 40 seconds later.

Kartye rolled down to the front of the net and redirected a long shot from Adam Fox over Daccord’s blocker with 10 seconds remaining on the Catton penalty.

His sixth goal of the 2026-27 season was one of three by New York in the first period, as the Blueshirts chased Daccord from the net just 13:53 into regulation. Pavel Dorofeyev added a fourth goal in the second period, and the Rangers held on in the third to secure a one-goal win.

“Yeah, I mean it’s nice to get a win,” Kartye said postgame, downplaying the notion of a revenge game. “First game back. It was fun to play here, but nice to get a win and move on.”

Kartye scored his second goal in as many games after netting the game-winner at 15:21 of the third period in Thursday’s 3-2 comeback win over the Philadelphia Flyers.

“I couldn’t be happier for him,” coach Mike Sullivan said Thursday night. “He’s been a great fit for our group. I think he thrives in the game that we’re trying to play.”

It certainly appears that way. Kartye recorded 41 points (20 goals, 21 assists) in 180 career games with the Kraken. But since New York claimed him off waivers on Feb. 27, he’s tallied 11 goals and 27 points in 41 contests — more than double his scoring rate in Seattle.

Kartye extended his point streak to three games on Saturday, as New York claimed its third straight regulation victory with a much-needed road win. The Rangers entered play with a 1-5-1 road record, and they still have plenty of work to do away from Madison Square Garden.

New York has three more games left on this West Coast swing, including a tilt on Monday with the Pacific Division-leading Edmonton Oilers, who cruised to a 4-1 win over the Blueshirts last Sunday.

Rangers get encouraging first glimpse at Joonas Korpisalo

Ill-timed injuries to goalies Igor Shesterkin and Joonas Korpisalo forced rookie Dylan Garand to shoulder a massive workload through the opening month of the 2026-27 season. Perhaps that explains New York’s 1-5-1 from Oct. 15 to Nov. 1, during which the overtaxed Garand sported a 3.65 goals-against average and .871 save percentage.

Fortunately, clearer skies may lie ahead. Garand enjoyed bounce-back performances on Tuesday and Thursday, and Korpisalo’s return should only make life easier for the 24-year-old netminder.

Korpisalo made 25 saves Saturday in his regular-season debut with the Rangers after missing more than a month with a foot infection. He held the Kraken off the scoreboard through two periods, turning aside some quality chances in the process.

The 32-year-old’s first save of the night came 3:51 into the first period on a well-struck one-timer from Kraken forward Jani Nyman at the left dot. He displayed his composure again 48 seconds later, turning aside a breakaway chance from Chandler Stephenson.

He made another quality stop in the waning seconds of the second period, swallowing a dangerous shot from Vince Dunn after the Rangers left the Seattle defenseman unmarked in the slot.

The Kraken tilted the ice in the third period and broke through with three goals on 13 shots. Korpisalo still had his moments, though, including an impressive save against Kaapo Kakko moments after the former Rangers forward ended his shutout bid.

“It was alright. Saw the puck pretty well,” Korpisalo reflected postgame. “There’s stuff to clean up, but it’s going to get better as we move along.”

All things considered, Korpisalo’s Blueshirts debut was encouraging. The veteran goalie made just one conditioning start with the Hartford Wolf Pack in the AHL — stopping 34 of 37 shots in a 4-1 loss to the Hershey Bears — before the Rangers activated him from injured reserve for Saturday’s game.

Korpisalo looked far more capable than 38-year-old goalie James Reimer, who lasted just one period after allowing three goals on eight shots against the Los Angeles Kings on Oct. 26. Without a suitable backup, Garand made 12 consecutive appearances in net, including 11 starts, prior to Saturday’s matchup against Seattle.

That streak finally ended Saturday when Korpisalo manned the pipes from opening faceoff to the final horn. Garand’s game should only benefit from a more traditional goalie rotation moving forward, and Korpisalo certainly looked up to snuff in his first taste of NHL action this season.

Nothing will replace Shesterkin, but this is a step in the right direction, to say the least.

Good first 40, bad last 20

The Rangers should be eager to replicate their opening 40 minutes from Saturday’s win moving forward. Those final 20 minutes? Not so much.

The Kraken completely tilted the ice in the third period, outshooting New York 13-4. They posted a 99.24 expected-goal share at 5-on-5 and accounted for all seven high-danger chances in the frame, according to Natural Stat Trick.

“I don’t think it was really anything they did,” Kartye said postgame. “We kind of got back on our heels, and they kept coming in waves at us.”

New York was on the offensive through the first two periods, smothering the Kraken with an effective forecheck and hungry play in the offensive zone.

“I thought for the first two periods, we were solid,” Sullivan assessed after the win. “We were playing the game the way we wanted to play it. We were dictating the terms.”

The Blueshirts shifted to a far more conservative style in the third, and it worked to Seattle’s benefit.

“Momentum is a powerful dynamic in hockey,” said Sullivan. “Give them credit. They elevated their intensity. They pushed hard, and they played well. But I thought we could have done a better job just pushing back.”

If there’s a lesson to be learned from this narrow victory, it’s to keep the pedal on the medal next time around.

Next man up

New York hit the ice without two key pieces on the backend.

Sean Durzi missed his fourth straight game due to a lower-body injury, despite making the trip with the Rangers to the West Coast.

But while Durzi’s absence was more or less expected, the same could not be said for rookie defenseman Alberts Smits, who was scratched late with an upper-body injury. The No. 5 overall pick from the 2026 NHL Draft had appeared in all 18 games with the Rangers prior to Saturday.

Third-year defenseman Matthew Robertson stepped into his place, joining Scott Morrow on the bottom pair. Robertson took 15 shifts and logged 11:14 in his regular-season debut, blocking a shot from Josh Mahura in the third period.

Sullivan leaned heavily on his top four as Fox, Vladislav Gavrikov, Marcus Pettersson, and Braden Schneider all eclipsed 20 minutes of ice time against the Kraken.

Monday will mark the next chance for Smits and Durzi to return to New York’s lineup.