Jacob Trouba’s big hit actually had adverse effect on New York Rangers
Jacob Trouba stepped up and laid a hit on an opposing player making their way up ice. It’s a hit that the New York Rangers most physical defenseman has done dozens of time this season.
The difference on this occasion was the player looking down at the puck before the 6-3, 209lb Trouba-train caught him on the tracks.
BOOM!
It was a scary scene and after the predictable ensuing scrum settled down, Trouba was visibly concerned as Jujhar Khaira was taken off the ice on a stretcher.
Jujhar Khaira released from hospital
Blackhawks forward Jujhar Khaira was released from a Chicago hospital on Wednesday.
“Blackhawks forward Jujhar Khaira was released from Northwestern (Memorial) Hospital early this morning after extensive testing and returned home,” team physician Michael Terry said. “Despite the significant injury, his prognosis is excellent, and we expect a full recovery. At this point, it is too early to put a timeline on return to play.”
The injury occurred at 15:40 of the second period when Trouba delivered a shoulder-to-chest hit to an unsuspecting Khaira. The Hawks player hit his head on the ice as a result of the blow. No penalty was assessed on the play and the NHL will not be disciplining Trouba.
“[Khaira] had his head down bad. You hate to see a guy hit that hard,” Rangers coach Gerard Gallant said. “[Trouba] even slowed up coming in. There was no intent to hurt the guy.”
Adverse effect
The New York Rangers were actually playing really well before the hit. Artemi Panarin had tied the game just minutes before with a beautiful power play goal, but the injury to Khaira took the wind out of their sails.
“It’s a bad effect because I didn’t feel too good and our players didn’t either,” Gallant explained. “It’s a big hit and part of hockey – I don’t think it helped either bench. To see [Khiara] like that, it’s hard to look at.”
What Gallant said was visible on the ice too.
The Blackhawks were more focused to get some payback themselves, which came when Riley Stillman fought Trouba with 8:30 left to play in the second period. Despite Trouba winning the tussle, the team gained no momentum off either incident.
It took the intermission for the Rangers to refocus and put the hit behind them. Once the third period began, the stark difference between the two teams in the standings played out on the ice.
The Blueshirts would score 4 times in the final stanza and leave Chicago with a 6-2 win.
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