Trouba having bounceback season

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This article was published 07/03/2022 (1307 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The novelty has — for the most part — worn off for Neal Pionk and Jacob Trouba. But the two defenceman admit meetings between the Winnipeg Jets and New York Rangers will always carry a bit of extra motivation.

The pair, of course, were part of the blockbuster blue-line swap that took place in June 2019. (Brenden Lemieux also went to Broadway, while the 20th-pick in the 2019 draft that ended up being Ville Heinola came to Winnipeg). Sunday marked just the third time they’ve faced each since the deal went down. The initial face-off happened at Madison Square Garden in October 2019 as the Jets and Rangers played on opening night. Trouba’s return to the team that drafted him ninth overall in 2012 occurred in February 2020. A 25-month, pandemic-related pause between their respective clubs ensued.

“I think for as long as I play, you want to beat your former team. I know there’s not that many guys left from when I played there, but you’re always looking to beat your former team,” Pionk, 26, said following the morning skate at Canada Life Centre.

Trouba, 28, already has bragging rights in that department even before Sunday’s clash, as his club took those two initial meetings by scores of 6-4 and 4-1.

“Obviously the first time’s a little bit more unique than the rest. But it’s nice to be back, fun to be back here,” Trouba said prior to puck drop. “Their team’s changed a lot over the last few years, but I’m still close with a couple (Jets players).”

Winnipeg would no doubt love to trade spots in the standings with New York, who have become an Eastern Conference powerhouse and sit comfortably in a playoff spot. After putting up just 39 points (nine goals, 30 assists) in 108 games during his first two seasons with the Rangers, Trouba is having a bounceback season. He entered play Sunday with eight goals and 18 assists in 55 games.

“I think, myself included, we saw that coming when they started the whole rebuild,” said Pionk. “They accumulated all those draft picks, drafted pretty high, and those guys are pretty good players. On top of that, they’ve got good veteran leadership too. It’s no surprise they are where they are.”

Pionk had 77 points (nine goals, 68 assists) in 125 games during his first two years with the Jets. He had two goals and 22 assists in 50 games this year prior to facing New York and admitted he’s struggled a bit of late, due largely to playing through a minor injury which has kept him from several practices and morning skates recently

“I think the first couple of shifts are pretty tough, just trying to get back into it, getting your hands going, getting your legs going. But after that, it’s just kind of hockey again,” he said of gutting through it.

The Jets just lost defenceman Nathan Beaulieu to a lower-body injury on Friday, as his attempt to hit Dallas blue-liner Ryan Suter resulted in an awkward crash into the boards. Interim coach Dave Lowry said the veteran Beaulieu, who is a pending unrestricted free agent, will be out indefinitely.

“You’re disappointed. You miss the element that Nate brings,” said Lowry. “He was in the lineup, and he earned the right to stay in the lineup just by the way that he played. He’s been a consummate pro when he wasn’t in the lineup. He did his work, he supported his teammates. He was pushing for them to be successful.”

Logan Stanley took Beaulieu’s after being a healthy scratch the past five games. The Jets are also expected to recall a defenceman from the Manitoba Moose in the coming days, as they only have six on the current roster. Stanley skated on the third-pairing beside Nate Schmidt.

“You never want to see your teammates go down. I feel for Beau. He was really good, actually, when he came in and played. You don’t wish that upon anyone,” said Stanley, who has previously battled both COVID and an injury this season.

“When you’re not playing, you’ve got to stay ready. That’s what I was trying to do, in the gym, on the ice, doing extra stuff,” he said. “We’ve done some good work the past five, six days on the ice, conditioning and whatnot. It’s always tough missing time with injuries, especially at this point of the season, the games are ramping up and you never want to fall behind. For me, it was just about working hard on the ice and trying to stay in shape. Wait for that opportunity.”

OVERTIME WOES: It’s a puzzling stat, for sure. How is a team loaded with so much offensive talent just 3-10 so far this year in games that go beyond 60 minutes? For a club desperately trying to make up ground in the playoff race, that’s a lot of points left on the table.

“You never want to point the finger at luck. I always try to look at what I can do better and how I can help the team improve. Plain and simple, I have to find a way to score, whether it’s myself or when I’m on the ice help the guys score,” Pionk said of the lack of overtime success. “Not just keep the puck or possess the puck, but create a scoring chance at three-on-three.”

Lowry said he may go back to a unique format the Jets utilized several times last season, rolling three forwards and keeping blue-liners on the bench. The recent returns of Nikolaj Ehlers and Andrew Copp from injuries would play a role.

“The biggest thing is lineup and players in your lineup. Now that we have a healthy roster up front, minus Cole (Perfetti) and Reichs (Kristian Reichel), it allows you now to start thinking that way,” said Lowry. “A few of the games that we’ve gone into overtime we haven’t had that luxury. You can put three forwards out but who you coming back with? Those are things that factor into the decision.”

mike.mcintyre@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @mikemcintyrewpg