Good hockey teams find ways to win despite adversity throughout a hockey season. The New York Rangers are no stranger to winning hockey games despite significant injuries and are holding their breath that their latest Blueshirt injured will not be out for a substantial period of time.
Captain Jacob Trouba played one shift of the second period, then headed to the locker room and did not return to the game.
“He’s being evaluated right now,” head coach Peter Laviolette said after the game. “We’ll find out more [Thursday].”
Trouba’s blueline partner, K’Andre Miller, mentioned postgame: “I think, luckily, he’s OK.”
It is unclear when the injury occurred, but he did collide with Capitals Tom Wilson while the Rangers were on the Penalty Kill. Trouba left the game after that hit.
Injury Kind of Season
The Rangers have dealt with the injury bug for most of the season. Trouba may join Filip Chytil (concussion) and Kappo Kakko (LBI) as players who are trying to get back into the lineup. Igor Shesterkin and Adam Fox were also out of the lineup with injuries for a substantial time earlier in the season.
Despite the New York Rangers losing 56-man games due to injury this season, they have had the depth to continue to lead the league in many categories. Players like Zac Jones and Johnny Brodzinski have performed admirably, filling in for some of the sidelined regulars.
Defenseman Eric Gustafsson will presumably be moved up to play with K’Andre Miller (2 goals, 3 points in Wednesday’s win) should Trouba miss their next game and beyond.
Adversity can bring a team closer. The Rangers sit atop the NHL, tied with the Vancouver Canucks in points (47), and tied in wins (23) with two fewer games played.
Hopefully, this injury is short-term, and the Blueshirts will get to follow the Trouba Train wreck havoc with the opposition.
Follow Frank on X at @RangerProud
