Just a different series.
Just another game.
of course. got it.
Believe that at your own risk of being gullible.
Vincent Trocheck, who played in this second round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs series against the Hurricanes, did his best to deflect the attention that comes with facing his former team in the second round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
Trocheck, the 30-year-old center for the Rangers, played three seasons in Carolina before signing with the Rangers as a free agent before last season, and played a vintage Trocheck game in Sunday’s 4-3 Game 1 win over the Hurricanes at the Garden. was unveiled. He was a true 200-footer who did everything on the ice.
Trocheck’s biggest moment that afternoon in front of a brightly lit Garden crowd came with 3:32 left in the first period to give the Rangers a 3-1 lead.
He passed to Mika Zibanejad (who scored the Rangers’ first two goals of the game), and Zibanejad’s shot at Carolina goaltender Frederik Andersen was saved. Trocheck ran forward for the rebound and buried it into the right side of the goal.
It was a power-play goal that came just 14 seconds after Evgeny Kuznetsov was sent off for cross-checking Rangers defenseman Adam Fox to the face.
Trocheck’s swift retribution for Kuznetsov’s lack of discipline resulted in his fourth goal in five playoff games this spring.
But scoring is only part of Trocheck’s impact in this game.
Rangers manager Peter Laviolette said of Trocheck in the days leading up to their first-round playoff series against Washington. Faceoff, offense, defense, power play, penalty kill, 6-on-5, 5-on-6.
“He’s been playing a lot of minutes. He’s been reliable. He’s one of the top lines in the league in terms of creating offensive power. He’s someone we can trust and I trust, He is someone I rely on.”
After the Rangers took a 1-0 lead on Zibanejad’s first goal, the Hurricanes tied it at 1-1 just 1:02 later, but Zibanejad’s second goal (scored with 9:55 left in the first period) ) was assisted by Trocheck.
Trocheck fed Chris Kreider in front of Anderson, and Kreider sent a no-look back pass to Zibanejad, which sailed over Anderson’s right shoulder for a one-time goal.
The accomplishment gave Trocheck four goals and four assists, or eight points in five playoff games.
Trocheck also contributed to the Rangers’ penalty kill, helping deny Carolina four power-play chances, but the Hurricanes are one of the most prolific power-play producing teams in the NHL. Considering this, this is telling us something.
With 3:44 left in the second period on the Hurricanes’ power play, Trocheck hit Anderson with a tricky shot. He also had a big blocked shot against Carolina’s Jordan Staal on a team that was evenly matched just moments before.
As Laviolette so eloquently put it, he touched on every part of the Rangers’ game in the series’ pivotal opener.
Trocheck also was on the ice for Artemi Panarin’s goal in the third period, giving Carolina some breathing room after scoring its second goal early in the third to tighten things up.
The Rangers enter games this season with a record of 38-0-1 when scoring four or more points. Make it 39-0-1.
Trocheck was admirable in terms of consistency and efficiency in the series-opening win over the Capitals, scoring three goals and dishing out three assists, winning an impressive 71.2 percent of his games.
Game 1 of the Carolina series was an opportunity for him to prove his great performance against Washington, but he showed even more.
“I want to be in every part of the game and definitely help the team win,” Trocheck said recently. “To do that, sometimes you have to be involved in different aspects of the game, the tougher ones like penalties and five-on-six. I want to be able to come out in those situations.”
He is, and it’s a big reason why the Rangers are 5-0 in the playoffs.
“This is just another series,” Trocheck said in the week leading up to Game 1.
It didn’t seem like it when he was taken off the ice by the referee at the end of the first period while cheering with several Hurricanes players, including former Ranger Tony DeAngelo, but now he There are boos every time he touches the puck.
Just another game? of course.
