Jacob Trouba didn’t mince words when analyzing his play in his first two games back from missing 11 games due to a lower-body injury.
After coming off the ice in a 5-2 loss to the Penguins at Madison Square Garden on Monday night, the captain took full responsibility for the turnover that led to Bryant Rust’s first goal of the game just 18 seconds in. .
“I’m just trying to get over it. [to Vincent Trocheck], hit the skates,” Trouba said. “It was a big mistake that cost us a big goal in the game. That can’t happen. It’s on no one but me. That’s something I have to do better at the start of the game.
“The positive thing for me is that a lot of the things that have held the team back since I came back are easy to fix myself. will be in good condition.”
The last goal took all the sails out of Garden and the Rangers’ sails, but Trouba and his defensive partner Quandre Miller didn’t do much to help the team get it back.
Pittsburgh remained a consistent offensive threat all night, with Trouba and Miller scoring three times on the ice and outwitting the defensive duo multiple times.
When asked if it was simply a matter of shaking off the rust, Trouba dismissed the idea.
“I’m not going to make a bunch of excuses about it,” he said. “That was a mistake. It will probably happen again in my career. I have to move forward, I have to learn from it. I can be a better player with this team and I want to be positive.” I know I can become a more impactful player in a sense. That’s what I want to continue to do.”
The Rangers are close to full strength for the first time since before the trade deadline.
Erik Gustafsson participated in Monday morning’s skate wearing a red non-contact jersey for the first time since suffering an upper-body injury March 23.
On Monday night, Gustafsson missed his fourth straight game after taking an elbow to the head from the Panthers’ Sam Reinhardt.
Gustafsson is the last regular skater removed from the lineup.
Trouba returned to action Saturday at Arizona State, while Ryan Lindgren missed just four games with a lower-body injury from March 19-26.
The Blueshirts only played without three of their top six defensemen against the Flyers on March 26, but the depth of the organization has been questioned over the past three weeks.
Coming into Monday’s game, Zach Jones had performed well in his previous 12 contests. The 23-year-old Jones, who skates alongside Gustafsson, Chad Ruhwedel, Adam Fox and Braden Schneider, has maintained the same level of play no matter who he’s paired with.
Jones scored his second goal of the season against the Coyotes on Saturday, increasing his career-high point total to nine points at the University of Massachusetts.
Matt Rempe was a healthy scratch for the third consecutive game on Monday.
Alexis Lafreniere was named the NHL’s third star of the week for his five goals and two assists.
