Trouba stays true to his game, gets rewarded in win over Wings

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This article was published 29/12/2015 (3641 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Jacob Trouba reached into his locker and grabbed his hat to put over his sweaty hair Tuesday night as a herd of reporters circled him. It was a rare scene through 36 games this season — the need to talk to the Winnipeg Jets third-year defenceman following a win, or any game for that matter.

It was fitting then, that what spurred the moment was an even rarer occurrence, as Trouba finished with a two-goal performance in a 4-1 win over the Detroit Red Wings at the MTS Centre. It was rare enough that reporters wanted to know what, if anything, the 21-year-old defenceman had changed in his game of late to produce such a dominating offensive display of hockey, different from anything they’ve seen this year.

“It feels good, but at the same time I don’t think I played any different,” said Trouba. “I don’t really judge my game based off of goals or points or any of that, so, just keep playing the same way I’ve been playing and keep the puck out of our net.”

Trouba did that and more Tuesday, finishing the game a plus-two in what was his second career two-goal game. The last time he scored twice was Jan. 18, 2014, his rookie season, when the Jets edged the Edmonton Oilers 3-2. That season Trouba finished with 10 goals and 29 points in 65 games despite a neck injury that kept him out a month early in the year.

This season, the offence hasn’t come as easily. But none of that mattered on this night. Trouba opened the scoring for the Jets with a short-handed goal early in the first period, beating goalie Jimmy Howard with a blast to the top right corner. He added another in the second period with a seeing-eye shot from the blue-line that fought its way through traffic.

“I just kind of take it when it comes,” said Trouba, who now has four goals and nine points this season. “I don’t really go out there looking for it or going after it. If the opportunity is there, then do it.”

Playing mostly with Mark Stuart since he arrived in Winnipeg, head coach Paul Maurice moved Trouba to the left side midway through December to play with Dustin Byfuglien on the team’s second pairing. That way, the coach said, Trouba would be able to eat up more minutes and play against tougher competition, even if it meant playing on his opposite side.

“He seems to have made the adjustment and he’s always been good at jumping up into holes,” said Maurice. “And pulling that puck off that weak side to get the puck to the net, that’s the advantage to being on the off side, he can get it to the middle of the ice easier than he would if he was a lefty playing that side of the ice.”

Trouba logged 25:27 of ice time Tuesday, making it the fourth time in six games playing with Byfuglien he’s hit at least 24 minutes. In the 30 games prior, he hit that mark just once.

“Buff is a special player, he opens up a lot of ice out there and draws a lot of attention on the ice,” said Trouba. “So I just try to read off him and play off him as much as I can.”

And he doesn’t plan to change that any time soon.

jeff.hamilton@freepress.mb.ca

twitter: @jeffkhamilton