Rangers' Jacob Trouba suspended two games by NHL for elbow to head of Golden Knights' Pavel Dorofeyev
Rangers defenseman Jacob Trouba sets before a faceoff against the Golden Knights in the third period of an NHL game at Madison Square Garden on Friday. Credit: Kathleen Malone-Van Dyke
OTTAWA, Ontario — Rangers defenseman Jacob Trouba missed Saturday night’s game against the Senators after the NHL suspended him for two games for an elbow to the head of Vegas’ Pavel Dorofeyev on Friday night.
The Rangers’ captain also will miss the team’s next game, which is scheduled for Feb. 5, after the All-Star break.
No penalty was called on the hit, which occurred at 18:08 of the second period. Dorofeyev left the game and did not return.
“That’s a big piece on our back end,” coach Peter Laviolette said. “His leadership, his defense, his physicality. Plays against other teams’ top lines. So that’s a piece that is missing. Opportunity for others to step up. Certainly miss him tonight, but he’ll be back in a couple of games.”
A narrated video on the NHL website explained the league’s rationale for the suspension, which will cost Trouba $83,333.34 in salary. The money goes to the players’ emergency assistance fund.
“As the puck bounces away, Trouba snaps his elbow forward into the head of Dorofeyev with force, knocking him to the ice and causing an injury,” the uncredited narrator said. “This is elbowing. It is important to note that we acknowledge that players often accidentally bring their elbows up as part of a natural motion when skating, stopping or playing the puck. This is not such a play. Trouba is not attempting to make a play on the puck. Nor is this incidental contact that occurs as part of a natural motion while making a hockey play. Trouba needlessly snaps his elbow directly into the head of Dorofeyev with sufficient force to cause an injury.”
Lindgren out
The Rangers also were without D Ryan Lindgren, who left Friday’s game midway through the first period with an upper-body injury. Lindgren skated in warm-ups Saturday . . . D Connor Mackey was recalled from Hartford (AHL) and made his Rangers debut. D Zac Jones also played.
Anthony Rieber covers baseball, as well as the NFL, NBA and NHL. He has worked at Newsday since Aug. 31, 1998, and has been in his current position since July 5, 2004.
