The first five letters of his name are the same as the first five of “trouble.’’
And trouble is what Rangers defenseman Jacob Trouba has been for opponents during the spirited postseason journey the Blueshirts continued to ride with a 3-2 win over the Lightning in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference Final on Friday night at the Garden.
Trouba isn’t usually very present in the postgame summary. He doesn’t light the lamp very often, having scored just 21 goals in his three seasons with the Rangers, including one in 16 games this postseason.
What the 28-year-old Trouba — with his imposing 6-foot-3, 205-pound frame — does on occasion is light up opposing offensive threats with bone-jarring hits.
Ask Penguins star Sidney Crosby, who missed a game-and-a-half after a Trouba hit in Game 5 of the Rangers’ first playoff series. That hit changed the course of that series and had a big impact on the Rangers winning in seven games.
Ask Seth Jarvis of the Hurricanes, who left Game 7 of the Rangers’ second playoff series victory with an “upper-body injury’’ as a result of a mid-ice collision with Trouba.
Trouba didn’t knock any of the Lightning players out Friday night, though he did send center Anthony Cirelli helicoptering to the ice with a body blow in third period.
What Trouba did in his team-high 25 minutes and 14 seconds of ice time was block a game-high six shots, including one on a desperation dive in front of goaltender Igor Shesterkin on a mad scramble in front of the crease with a minute remaining and the Rangers trying to preserve a one-goal lead.
“With Troubs, he brings the same game — you know what you’re getting every night,’’ Rangers defenseman Adam Fox said. “He’s going to throw his body, he’s going to block shots, play a big, strong game. He does it every game. We know what we’re getting out of him. It’s no surprise.
“It wears guys down. Guys want to move and create space and he doesn’t let you do that. He’s been a great player for us and a huge leader.’’
Fellow defenseman K’Andre Miller, who scored the Rangers’ first goal, summed Trouba up best when he said, “I know if I was on the opposing team, I wouldn’t want to go against him.
“Troubs is just a hard player. He has that grit to him. You got to know when he’s on the ice.’’
Trouba’s toughness has opponents’ heads on a swivel — particularly since his high-profile TKOs of Crosby and Jarvis.
“Trouba’s been doing that for years,’’ Tampa Bay coach Jon Cooper said. “The unfortunate result of what happened the other night [Jarvis getting hurt], I don’t think anybody wants to see happen, including Trouba. Everybody’s well aware of the guys that can hit you. If you’re going into a corner with Trouba versus someone else on [the Rangers] you probably have a little bit a of a different mindset.
“Trouba’s been a heck of a player in this league and his physical presence … you do need that on teams that advance.’’
He has been one of many keys to this Rangers team, which seems to get better with every game it plays this postseason.
Trouba was second only to enforcer Ryan Reaves in most hits for the Rangers during the regular season, with 207. He led the team with 177 blocked shots.
Rangers coach Gerard Gallant insisted before Game 2 that Trouba isn’t headhunting, that the Crosby and Jarvis injuries were merely incidental from the hard contact they took from him.
“He doesn’t go out there thinking he’s going to have a big hit,’’ Gallant said. “When the hits come to him, he finishes the body checks. He doesn’t go out there before the game starts and say, ‘Well, I’m going to have a big hit tonight.’ I don’t think that’s in his mindset at all. It’s about playing good, hard-nosed hockey, and that’s what he does for us.’’
Gallant did concede, though, that those big hits “have effect during the game, there’s no doubt,’’ adding, “But it’s not a big, big issue in the game. You want him to play physical and you want him to play hard. But sometimes [those hits] turn shifts around for you and you get some momentum from them.’’
The Link LonkJune 04, 2022 at 02:29PM
https://nypost.com/2022/06/04/rangers-getting-big-lift-from-jacob-troubas-hard-nosed-play/
Rangers getting big lift from Jacob Trouba's hard-nosed play - New York Post
https://news.google.com/search?q=hard&hl=en-US&gl=US&ceid=US:en
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