As the Rangers continue through the season, the ice time differences between the top three lines and the fourth line comes more into the discussion. In yesterday’s ice time post, there was a huge difference between the third line and fourth line minutes at even strength, almost a full three minutes over the course of a game. No one on the fourth line averages more than 10 minutes a game.
Part of this issue is lineup choices. The Rangers have a fourth line that consists of one possibly viable player in Greg McKegg, one defenseman in Brendan Smith, and a rotating circle of rookies and Micheal Haley.