The New York Rangers have looked like one of the best teams in the National Hockey League over the last couple of weeks — and that’s without the services of key defenseman Jacob Trouba.
The captain has missed each of the last 11 Blueshirts’ games after suffering a lower-body injury in a 4-2 loss to the Florida Panthers back on March 4. New York has lost just two games since — in 11 tries — as the heater continues in the Big Apple.
And the reinforcements could be on the way for Saturday night’s tilt against the Arizona Coyotes at Mullett Arena. Trouba has a chance to return in the desert, head coach Peter Laviolette confirmed on Friday.
“We’re still working through some things with him,” said the bench boss after an optional skate, according to NHL.com’s Alan Robinson.
Trouba has been an invaluable presence on the blue line in New York this season, as he has been since joining the club in 2019. He’s chipped in three goals and 22 points over 60 contests in 2023-24, a year after he recorded eight tallies over a full 82-game slate.
Although he hasn’t scored a goal since January 4 against the Chicago Blackhawks, he brings key intangibles and is one of the harder players in the league to play against.
If Trouba is unable to go on Saturday, D-man Zac Jones will remain in the lineup. The 23-year-old has appeared in 11 straight games, adding three assists along with eight blocks and seven hits.
Erik Gustafsson, who has had a great season on the Rangers back end after signing in the offseason, will miss his third straight game as he continues to recover from an upper-body injury suffered in a 4-3 win over the Florida Panthers on March 23.
The rearguard has notched six goals and 24 points over 70 games this year, including nine on the powerplay. In his absence, K’Andre Miller will continue to quarterback the second unit.
Along with Trouba and Gustafsson, the Rangers were also without Ryan Lindgren for a span of weeks, and have already lost Blake Wheeler and Filip Chytil for at least the rest of the regular-season — but likely for the remainder of the year.
Despite the mounting number of man-games lost to injury, the Rangers are continuing to win at a prolific clip down the stretch.
Rangers on absolute fire
Even with a roster that has consistently been depleted, Laviolette’s team continues finding ways to win in 2024. The Blueshirts have won nine of their last 11 games to vault into first place in NHL standings. Although the President’s Trophy race could come down to the wire in unprecedented fashion, New York has given itself an excellent chance to come out on top.
Now a sparkling 49-20-4, the Rangers are still just three points ahead of the Carolina Hurricanes for the top spot in the Metropolitan Division — although the Canes have a game in hand. They also lead the Dallas Stars by just a single point.
Both of those races will undoubtedly come down to the wire, and Jacob Trouba should be a key factor over the team’s final nine games — whether or not he is healthy enough to return against the Yotes on Saturday.
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