Defenseman Jacob Trouba did not earn a point Tuesday night at Madison Square Garden. But his violent check against Max Domi in the first period changed the course of this fourth game between the Carolina Hurricanes and the New York Rangers, won 4-1 by the Blue Shirts.
Updated yesterday at 11:02 p.m.
The Hurricanes had taken advantage of their speed in the first minutes of the game, and Domi, precisely, was trying another breakthrough in the offensive zone, with great speed, when the Rangers defender hit him like a train.
The former Canadiens forward was starting to lose his balance on impact, so his opponent’s elbow landed directly at the level of the Hurricanes player’s helmet. Domi was thrown onto the ice like he was on the end of a bungee rope, but Trouba was given the benefit of the doubt due to Domi falling beforehand.
Domi’s teammate Steven Lorentz pounced on Trouba to defend him and he was given a minor penalty. Not only did Trouba cause a minor penalty, but he also avenged Ryan Lindgren, who had been cross-checked in the previous match by Domi who had raised the ire of Rangers, and in particular their head coach Gerard. Gallant.
“It was a bastard move by Domi, and we have a long memory,” Gallant had raged after the third game. He could one day find himself in the skin of [Lindgren]. »
Domi was not injured on the play, but Rangers took advantage of this numerical superiority to open the scoring and give themselves an irresistible momentum. They were never going to be threatened again, especially after a second goal just two minutes later.
“We don’t try to pinch the opponent for the simple pleasure of pinching them, playing stupidly,” commented forward Andrew Copp, a major contributor on Tuesday with a goal and two assists. “We’re just looking to complete our checks, play hard and make smart decisions. In the end, their two-minute penalty for initiating the fight changed the course of the match. We scored on the power play, and getting the first goal of the game was an important factor in this series. »
The new Hurricanes agitator played a modest ten minutes on the fourth line with Jesperi Kotkaniemi and Lorentz. Kotkaniemi played a little more often, 12:42, almost as much as Jordan Staal, had a few nice passes for chances from the point, but nothing more, and he has to settle for just one point in 11 games since the start of the series. However, he won 89% of his faceoffs.
Fortunately for the Hurricanes, the series moves to Carolina, where they are invincible so far. But they will have to solve their problems on the opposing rinks and banish their shyness, which was almost shocking on Tuesday.
The contrast is striking. The Hurricanes are now 0-5 away from Raleigh in these playoffs, with a -16 differential, compared to a 6-0 record at PNC Arena, with a +15 differential.
They averaged 3.67 goals per game and conceded 1.17 at home, compared to 1.60 goals scored and 4.20 goals conceded away. Their performance in numerical superiority also drops sharply by 10% from their amphitheater to others.
The Hurricanes will also need better offensive production from Andrei Svechnikov, just 4 points in 11 games, and Martin Necas, 3 assists in 11 games.
But they’re up against a keeper, Igor Shesterkin, who seems to have found his momentum. “It’s an essential element in our group, commented Gallant. Take Vasilevskiy the day before with Tampa, 49 stops. This is what a club needs. »