Jacob Trouba didn’t mince words when analyzing his play in his first two games, returning from an 11-game absence due to a lower-body injury.
After leaving the ice following a 5-2 loss to the Penguins on Monday night at Madison Square Garden, the captain took full responsibility for the turnover that led to Pittsburgh’s first goal of the game just 18 seconds in by Bryant Rust .
“I was just trying to get the message across (to Vincent Trocheck), hit his skate,” Trouba said. “It was a big mistake that cost us a big goal in the match. This can’t happen. This doesn’t concern anyone but me. This is something I need to improve upon early in the game.
“I think the positive for me is there’s a lot of things that are easy for me to fix that have been kind of holding the team back since I came back. My game is improving, this team is going to be in good shape.
Rust’s goal took all the air out of the Rangers’ garden and sails, but Trouba and his defensive partner, K’Andre Miller, did little to help them get it back.
Pittsburgh scored three times with Trouba and Miller on the ice, and they were able to get behind the defensive duo on several occasions to maintain a constant offensive threat all night.
When asked if it was just about getting rid of the rust, Trouba dismissed the idea.
“I’m not going to make a bunch of excuses about it,” he said. “It’s a mistake. It will probably happen again in my career. We have to move forward, we have to learn from it. I know that I can be a better player and have more impact in a positive way on this team. C This is what I want to do in the future.
The Rangers are near full strength for the first time since before the trade deadline.
Erik Gustafsson participated in morning practice Monday in a non-contact redshirt for the first time since suffering an upper-body injury on March 23.
Monday night was the fourth straight game Gustafsson missed, after the Swedish defenseman absorbed an elbow to the head from the Panthers’ Sam Reinhart.
Gustafsson is the last regular skater missing from the lineup.
Trouba returned to action Saturday at Arizona, while Ryan Lindgren was out only four games with a lower-body injury from March 19-26.
The Blueshirts only had to play one game without three of their top six defensemen, March 26 against the Flyers, but the organization’s depth has nevertheless been severely tested over the past three weeks.
Prior to Monday’s game, Zac Jones had impressed in the previous 12 games. Skating alongside Gustafsson, Chad Ruhwedel, Adam Fox and Braden Schneider, Jones, 23, maintained the same level of play no matter who he was paired with.
Jones scored his second goal of the season Saturday against the Coyotes, bringing the UMass product’s career point total to nine.
Matt Rempe was left out for a third straight game on Monday.
Alexis Lafrenière was named the NHL’s third star of the week thanks to his streak of five goals and two assists.
New York Post
