Jacob Trouba was certainly very lucky to escape with a minor punishment since his elbow to Evan Rodrigues’ head was very dangerous.
The New York Rangers had just taken a 3-2 lead against the Florida Panthers on Sunday when the captain showed indiscipline with another questionable move.
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Trying to prevent the opposing attacker from approaching his net, Trouba stuck out his elbow to reach it very high. Hit in the shoulder and right ear, Rodrigues fell, grabbing his face.
The officials consulted near the penalty box before awarding only two minutes to the offender. Trouba was also punished for hitting Sam Bennett with a stick moments earlier.
Despite this four-minute numerical penalty, Barclay Goodrow hit the target to make it 4-2 for the Rangers.
Asked to comment on this move, Panthers head coach Paul Maurice preferred not to compromise.
“I think I have enough on my plate. I will not be doing the work of the referees or the player safety department tonight. I will remain a coach,” he told reporters.
Subban furious
Now an analyst for the ESPN network, former defenseman PK Subban spoke out live on television about Trouba’s gesture, mentioning that a blow like this was unacceptable.
“There is no shoulder involved. Don’t tell me he was hit in the neck. That’s a blatant elbow to the chin. It’s a [pénalité] major in my opinion. It’s not a hockey game,” said the Ontarian.
During the previous series against the Carolina Hurricanes, Trouba was noted for his gliding while trying to check Martin Necas. Subban this time defended him, admitting however that the attacker could have been seriously injured.
“I played with him (Trouba), I talked with him and I never want to see him stop hitting and trying to hit guys like that. I want to see more of that and I think we need that in this sport. I’m just relieved that elbow didn’t hit him,” Subban explained.
A glide by Jacob Trouba –
