Vincent Trocheck calls out the New York Rangers while delivering a stern message to his teammates
Photo credit: Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images
Veteran forward Vincent Trocheck calls out the New York Rangers while delivering a stern message to his teammates, following a tough 3-2 OT loss to the Carolina Hurricanes.
On Monday night, the Rangers had a 2-1 lead and still fell 3-2 in overtime in Raleigh. As Hurricanes Jackson Blake forward ended it on a late power play, and it felt like the same movie again.
Afterward, Trocheck didn't sugarcoat the lesson. He said, «You got to close out games in this league,» and pointed straight at the ugly goals around the crease.
Vincent Trocheck: «You got to close out games in this league. I mean, the [third-period] goal that goes in is just a battle in front. It goes off a leg. It's the kind of goals that you got to be willing to score against them. They're definitely willing to score those types of goals against most teams. It's just battle in the trench areas, and they won that battle.»
He's talking about the third-period equalizer, a net-front battle that turned a point shot into a bouncing deflection. Those are the ones that don't look pretty, but decide nights.
Vincent Trocheck issues a stern message to the New York Rangers
It's hard not to nod along and agree with what Trocheck said, because the Rangers keep leaving the door cracked late. You can feel the bench tighten when the game gets greasy.
The numbers back up his frustration. The Hurricanes outshot the Rangers 35-20, and New York managed only five shots in the third, while Igor Shesterkin stopped 31.
That's the tactical problem in a nutshell, too much defending, not enough exiting with control. When clears turn into icings, Carolina just reloads and hammers the middle of the ice again.
Trocheck isn't some random voice, either. He's 32, drafted 64th overall by Florida in 2011, and he's sitting at eight goals and 21 points, so he's lived both the winning and the messy parts.
This also ties into the bigger picture at halfway. The Rangers are 19-17-5, and that record screams «fine» until you remember how tight the Metro is every year.
Previously on NY Hockey Insider
| POLL | ||
DECEMBRE 30 | 68 ANSWERS Vincent Trocheck calls out the New York Rangers while delivering a stern message to his teammates Did Vincent Trocheck have the right message for the New York Rangers after Monday's loss? | ||
| Agree | 53 | 77.9 % |
| Disagree | 6 | 8.8 % |
| Needed | 9 | 13.2 % |
| Too harsh | 0 | 0 % |
| List of polls | ||