RALEIGH, N.C. — About eight hours earlier than the puck dropped on Monday evening, Jacob Trouba was requested about enjoying the villain.
“I don’t actually suppose a lot about it, I suppose,” he mentioned. “I play the way in which I’ve all the time performed. I suppose I haven’t actually thought of it until you requested me that query.”
Far be it from anybody to get inside Trouba’s thoughts. However after the Rangers crushed the Hurricanes 6-2 to get to their first convention ultimate since 2015, it’s arduous to imagine that didn’t cross into the defenseman’s head at any level throughout the evening.
For the second time in 4 video games, Trouba made a game-changing hit. For the second time in as many playoff collection, Trouba was booed by opposing followers. Whether or not he needs it or not, and whether or not he’s thought of it or not, that is his position to play.
“I don’t suppose it hurts,” he mentioned pregame on Monday, claiming he pays no consideration to the narrative. “I don’t suppose it actually has an impression both approach.”
That's the place Trouba was fallacious.
“It looks like he may flip the tide for us once we want it,” Adam Fox mentioned following the victory. “You noticed it final collection, you see it this collection. There’s possibly one or two large ones that everybody kinda sees, however there’s many extra that simply put on groups down and put on guys down.
Entry the Rangers beat like by no means earlier than
Entry the Rangers beat like by no means earlier than
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“I don’t suppose anybody likes to be hit, particularly by somebody like him. It positively simply takes a toll on groups.”
The large one in Sport 7 got here across the eight-minute mark of the primary interval, when Trouba decked Seth Jarvis.
Identical to his hit early in Sport 3 on Max Domi, the play resulted in a Rangers energy play — this one after the Hurricanes received known as for too many males on the ice amid the following confusion as Jarvis struggled to get again to the bench. Identical to Sport 3, they scored, with Chris Kreider deflecting Mika Zibanejad’s shot to increase their result in 2-0. And identical to Sport 3, there was seldom a second after that the place it really felt as if the Hurricanes had been within the sport.
“That simply kinda summed all of it up,” Hurricanes coach Rod Brind’Amour mentioned. “Proper there on that shift.”
Although clearly authorized, it didn't take lengthy for Carolina followers to get upset in regards to the hit, which resulted in Jarvis lacking the remainder of the sport with an upper-body damage. Brind’Amour declined to go down that street postgame.
Trouba’s repute in Carolina won't be helped — neither was his repute in Pittsburgh after that collection. It’s arduous to think about the Lightning will really feel any heat in the direction of him a few weeks from now.
However in fact, that's what villains do.
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