On the final game of a disappointing centennial season, the Rangers went out on the right note thanks to Tye Kartye’s big night in a 4-2 win over the Lightning.

Kartye had a pair of goals and set up another for a three-point game. Since he was claimed on waivers from Seattle, the 24-year-old Kartye has fit in seamlessly with the Blueshirts. A good defensive player who combines skill with grit, Kartye looks like he’s found a new home in the Big Apple.

He continued to have success while playing with J.T. Miller and Conor Sheary on the second line. After being a part-timer with the Kraken, Kartye looks like he’ll enter training camp with a full-time role in the top nine. In 24 games with the Rangers, he finished the season with five goals and nine assists for 14 points.

Combined with the eight points he had in Seattle, Kartye set a new personal best with 22 points, surpassing his previous high of 20 in 2023-24.

It was also a good finish for Dylan Garand. The rookie made his third career start and first in three weeks. Facing a roster that still featured Nikita Kucherov, Brandon Hagel, and Darren Raddysh, Garand played well to win for the second time. He was quite busy in the third period, stopping 13 of 14 shots en route to a 29-save effort.

After letting in a bad goal to Corey Perry in the first minute of the third, Garand responded by making several key stops to prevent a Lightning comeback. That included a good save on a Kucherov misdirection feed that Perry deflected. Garand followed that up with a big glove stop on Raddysh.

The 23-year-old made it clear that he wants to stay with the Blueshirts in the NHL.

“A lot. I never want to go back to the American League, honestly. I’m so hungry to be here. I want to be in this league and a part of this organization,” he told reporters.

Make no mistake. Garand looks like he belongs. He should graduate to become the backup behind Igor Shesterkin in 2026-27. If they want to sign a veteran for camp, fine. But the pickings are slim. I’d prefer to see Garand get into 20 to 25 games.

Ironically, Brandon Halverson got his first career start for Tampa Bay. A former Rangers second round pick who was selected two rounds before Shesterkin in 2014, he finished with 17 saves on 21 shots.

Just over four minutes into the first period, Kartye took a Mika Zibanejad feed and beat Halverson to the short side for a 1-0 lead. It was the only tally in a low event period.

The second period was more interesting. On a play started by Conor Sheary, J.T. Miller set up Kartye for his second of the game less than 90 seconds in. Kartye came close a couple of times to getting the hat trick, but he wasn’t done being involved.

On a sustained forecheck, he helped set up Gabe Perreault for his 12th. Some strong work from Kartye allowed Will Cuylle to find Perreault up top. He patiently skated to a spot and let go of a shot that beat Halverson for a 3-0 lead. With a secondary helper, that gave Kartye his third point.

After the Lightning got on the board thanks to Oliver Bjorkstrand getting his 12th from Scott Sabourin and Mitchell Chaffee, the Rangers replied back in short order.

On the power play, Alexis Lafreniere took a Miller feed and found Zibanejad for his team-leading 34th to make it 4-1. With a primary assist on Zibanejad’s Rangers’ high 16th power-play goal, Lafreniere tied his career-high in points (57) set in 2023-24. Twenty-four of those points came after Artemi Panarin sat out of the lineup before being dealt to the Kings.

In the third, with the Rangers holding onto a two-goal lead, the Bolts pulled Halverson for a 6-on-4. Following a faceoff win, Kartye had a long turnaround shot from inside the zone just miss hitting the empty net. He was that close to his first hat trick.

Credit head coach Mike Sullivan for having Kartye out at the end to try to get it. He also showed some hustle with time winding down but was unable to get one more chance.

Although they finished in last place for the first time in 60 years, the Rangers played better over the final six weeks. They became a harder working team that had four lines. Something that was lacking most of the season. While other teams they were out of it mailed in their final game, the Rangers didn’t.

Whether or not winning the final game could hurt their lottery chances, which will depend on if the Flames win over the Kings. A Calgary win would give the Rangers the third worst record, increasing their lottery odds in May.

They can be proud of how hard they competed.