SUNRISE, Fla. — Paul Maurice had perhaps the most appropriate response to a question regarding the $5,000 fine that was levied against Jacob Trouba on Monday afternoon, after the Rangers’ captain threw a dangerous elbow at Florida forward Evan Rodrigues in Game 3.
“Take the hat, pass it around,” the Panthers head coach quipped. “Poor lad. Poor Jake. He won’t be able to eat.”
Not only is it a fitting response for a disciplinary system that thinks a fine that is 0.06 percent of Trouba’s $8 million salary will deter the bruising blueliner from looking for the open-ice hits he’s known for, but it’s an inconsequential punishment for an Eastern Conference Final series that has been chock-full of nasty play from both sides.
Trouba didn’t have a lot to say about the fine, saying as much and noting that he and the Rangers are moving on to Game 4 on Tuesday night at Amerant Bank Arena.
Asked about his thought process going into the play, Trouba didn’t have many details to give about how he extended his elbow as Rodrigues flipped the puck to his backhand to evade the 30-year-old before a majority of the contact was made with the Panthers forward’s back.
“He kind of went to the middle, it all happens pretty fast,” Trouba said. “It’s not something you’re thinking about 1,000 times over and over again. It just happens fast. It’s hockey. I don’t have a great explanation for it.”
This series will be a tightrope walk for the Rangers as they try to maintain their physical presence while also staying disciplined. The Blueshirts were whistled for six penalties in Game 3, half of which were assessed to Trouba, including two on one shift in the second period that featured the now-infamous elbow.
The Rangers have yet to score a power-play goal through the first three games, as well, which has made the emphasis on staying out of the box all the more important.
“We have to play physical, but definitely don’t want to be taking six penalties,” Trouba said. “They got a good power play. Discipline is definitely something to be better at. I’m going to have to be better at. But we definitely want to play a hard, physical game. That’s part of what makes our team good.”
Matching Florida’s hard-nosed play is a key for any team that hopes to beat the 2023 Stanley Cup runners-up, but the Rangers have to take into consideration the likelihood of getting penalized in certain situations.
The Panthers compete with snarl and an edge on a shift-to-shift basis, so when the Rangers do it, it’s glaringly noticeable. That and one of their most physical players, Matt Rempe, is impossible to miss with his 6-foot-8 ¹/₂ stature.
“I’d like to see us out of the box,” Laviolette said. “I’d like to see it the other way, you know? Any coach would, right? Nobody likes a number that’s off like that. There’s things that we can do to stay out of the box and be better. You’re playing this team and it’s as aggressive as it is out there, I don’t know if you ever walk away and not have any penalty kills, you’re going to have some. But we certainly need to limit that number, reduce that number, to give ourselves the best chance of being successful.”
