While the Rangers’ high-profile players like Mika Zibanejad and Artemi Panarin continue to put up points and spark the team’s offense, Peter Laviolette said Monday there have been plenty of other aspects to the team’s game that has led to success heading into 2024.
One of them will have to be at the forefront again Tuesday, when they host the Hurricanes at Madison Square Garden, with Carolina having won three straight.
Laviolette singled out Jacob Trouba’s work on defense as something that stood out to him in their most recent victory over Tampa Bay.
“Some things don’t necessarily make headlines,’’ Laviolette said at the team’s practice facility. “[Igor Sheserkin] was really good in net, Panarin scores three goals and yet Trouba might not get talked about that much in what he did inside of that game: physicality, blocking shots and the way he played the game. And I think we need everybody to continue that and keep stepping forward.”
Especially against Carolina, which enters Tuesday fourth in the NHL, with 33.5 shots per game.
That’s coming off a season in which the Canes ranked third.
“They’re hard to play against,’’ Laviolette said. “They do fire a lot of pucks. We’ve got to continue to block shots and take care of the puck in front of our net.”
Trouba will play a significant role in that and is expecting a tough test.
“They’re a good team and the last couple years have been at the top of their division,’’ Trouba said. “We want to stay where we are and keep proving we’re the team we are.”
Vincent Trocheck spent three-plus seasons with Carolina before joining the Rangers, and credited head coach Rod Brind’Amour for the way the Hurricanes consistently been a tough opponent.
“He does a really good job, no matter what the personnel,’’ Trocheck said. “They play the same style of hockey. You know what you’re getting out of that team every year, no matter who’s there. They’ve got the same core and are a tough team.”
Laviolette said Kaapo Kakko, who has been out since Nov. 27 with a lower-body injury, is “progressing [and] moving in the right direction.”
Although Kakko is eligible to be activated, he’s still just skating on his own and the Rangers haven’t provided a timetable for his return.