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The Rangers looked like a team that had gotten off a plane just 15 hours earlier, with an emotional loss still hanging over their heads, when they took the ice against the Coyotes on Saturday night at Madison Square Garden.
But there was Jacob Trouba, disrupting plays, throwing his body and working overtime in the offensive zone to keep his team competitive, knowing that everybody’s legs felt a bit heavier than usual. There he was, leading by example, as he has many times this season.
Trouba ultimately scored two goals and assisted on Chris Kreider’s shorthanded tally that sparked the Rangers’ rally to a 7-3 victory over Arizona.
“We’d rather play a good first period and play a consistent game throughout,” he said after the win, which improved the Rangers to 27-11-4 ahead of Monday’s home game against the Kings. “But when you have a bad period, you can turn the page and kind of regroup.”
As Trouba has become more comfortable in New York, different aspects of his game have been able to steadily emerge. Last season, several Rangers said Trouba had one of the most compelling leadership voices in the locker room. This season, Trouba has gotten much more involved offensively than he has in the past.
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After scoring his seventh and eighth goals of the season Saturday, Trouba is two shy of his career-high, which he set in his rookie season in 2013-14. With eight goals, Trouba surpassed Adam Fox for the lead among Rangers defensemen.
Trouba is also tied with the likes of the Sharks’ Erik Karlsson, the Capitals’ John Carlson, the Golden Knights’ Shea Theodore, the Avalanche’s Devon Toews and the Oilers’ Evan Bouchard for fifth in goals among all NHL defensemen.
“He’s outstanding,” head coach Gerard Gallant said of the 27-year-old defenseman. “Real good. Shooting the puck, real heavy shots. The way he defends and plays an all-around game.
“He played really strong and hard and that’s what he does. That’s why he’s a leader and a character of our group. He shows it.”
In the third season of the seven-year, $56 million deal he signed with the Rangers in July 2019, Trouba has been able to make the impact management thought he could when it acquired him.
Saturday’s contest was the fourth multi-goal game and sixth three-point performance of Trouba’s career. He hadn’t had more than one goal in a game since April 2017 when he was with the Jets, who selected him ninth overall in the 2012.
Trouba, who has 13 assists to go along with eight goals, is not only among the top NHL defensemen in scoring, but he is also fifth in shots (112), fourth in hits (120) and fourth in blocked shots. Those are $8 million dollars a year numbers.
“I’ve seen it a lot,” Gallant said of Trouba’s ability to shift momentum in a game. “Earlier in the season, he had the big hits and he sets the tone and wakes us up sometimes. He’s a big part of that group. He’s been around here for a while and guys really respect him.”
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