Jacob Trouba and the New York Rangers had all the momentum on their side against the Carolina Hurricanes. New York had a 3-0 series lead heading into Game 4 of their matchup in the Stanley Cup Playoffs. All they need is one win to advance. But after two consecutive losses, the Blueshirts are reeling a bit.
New York entered the third period on Monday with a 1-0 lead. But the Hurricanes decisively took control of the game. Carolina scored four unanswered goals against the hosting Rangers in the final frame. And they sent the New York crowd home wondering what happened to their favorite team.
After the game, Trouba acknowledged the bad period. But he stressed the importance of putting it behind them and moving on. “It snowballed quick on us,” the Rangers captain said, via NHL.com. “It is what it is, a bad period. It's different from the regular season when you feel bad all night, tomorrow you wake up and you're upset. You've got to turn the page quick. Yeah, we played a bad period. Now we've got to focus on Game 6 and we get another chance to close out the series.”
A poor reflection
Monday's loss was rather uncharacteristic of the Rangers. New York is usually the team that fights their way back into games. They were among the NHL leaders in comeback victories during the regular season. And it helped them win the Presidents Trophy for having the best regular season finish.
But beyond the collapse, the team's overall play was not up to their usual standard. This was acknowledged by head coach Peter Laviolette after the game. “It wasn't a reflection of who we were for the majority of the year,” the Rangers bench boss said, via NHL.com. “Tonight was not it for us.”
Jacob Trouba had put his team in front with a short-handed goal in the second period. But New York had trouble sustaining much in the way of offensive pressure. And the Blueshirts had issues simply breaking out of their defensive zone. All of those issues piled up until the Hurricanes broke through in the third period.
Hurricanes wanted it more
It's hard to pick out any one area of New York's game as the major reason they fell apart on Monday. It was a collective effort. But for some, it doesn't require overanalyzing or overthinking what happened. You can take a look at each team's drive to win in the third period. “They played well in the third and we just didn't give it enough,” forward Vincent Trocheck said, via NHL.com. “They wanted it more.”
The Hurricanes certainly have found new life in the Stanley Cup Playoffs. They suffered some heartbreaking losses in the first three games of the series. One of which was a double-overtime loss in Madison Square Garden in Game 2. But they have stormed back to win the two most recent contests. And the Rangers seem to have lost a step.
“I don't think we thought this would be a cakewalk,” Jacob Trouba said, via NHL.com. “We lost two, face a little adversity. We'll see what we're made of going down to Carolina for Game 6.”
The Rangers may have taken some hits over these last few games. But they can still advance to the Eastern Conference Finals with one more win. Game 6 takes place at PNC Arena on Thursday night, and it is certain to be an intense affair between these Metropolitan Division rivals.
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