Rangers Mike Sullivan makes another lineup shakeup to get Pavel Dorofeyev going

The one obvious line combination Mike Sullivan has yet to try this season is exactly where the veteran head coach started Friday as the Rangers returned to practice. Pavel Dorofeyev moved up to the top line with Mika Zibanejad and Alexis Lafrenière and Sullivan bumped Gabe Perreault to the third unit in the latest attempt to find the best fit for the newcomer in the Rangers lineup.  Join Post Sports+ for exciting subscriber-only features, including real-time texting with Mollie Walker about the inside buzz on the Rangers.It’s been a season-long discussion of where to slot the Russian wing, who can’t seem to shake the disconnect that has limited him to three goals in 14 games while sitting among the NHL’s leaders in posts hit. “We’re trying to find a way to capture Pav’s best game,” Sullivan said of the switch.

“And so we’re moving people around based on a number of different objectives.No.

1, trying to help Pav capture his best game, create some balance through our lineup.I don’t think Mika’s line has been as effective most recently as it was earlier in the year.

I was reluctant to move people earlier in the year because we thought that line was playing extremely well. “We just think the timing was right at this point to try to make this adjustment.I think it’s the one combination that we haven’t gone to yet with respect to Pav inside the top six.” Bouncing between the top two lines through the first 13 games of the season, Dorofeyev fell out of the top six for the 6-3 loss to the Kings on Monday.

While Dorofeyev logged a few shifts on the third line previously, Sullivan alluded to it not being a long-term solution for a player whose skill set belongs in the top six. The abundance of high-quality scoring chances Dorofeyev has seen tempers concerns, but his lack of production has made an already difficult situation for the Rangers even more so. Of his three goals, the most meaningful made it a 2-0 game over the Lightni...