TROUBA FINED ... NOT SUSPENDED ... WHY?

 The National Hockey League fined JACOB TROUBA $5,000 Monday for throwing a nasty-looking elbow that barely missed its intended target … the face of Florida Panthers EVAN RODRIGUES Sunday during Game 3 of the Stanley Cup playoffs … Believe it or not, the New York Rangers’ captain got away with only a minor penalty after the game officials checked with NHL master control in Toronto where apparently it was decided that, while Rodriques went down and stayed on the ice for a minute or so, he got up and wasn’t seriously injured … In case you missed it … with the Rangers’ reeling late in the second period, Rodriques put a move on Trouba who would have been beaten badly deep in the NY end had he not thrown his right elbow at the Panther forward’s head … and, thankfully, missed but still hit him in the back of the neck and shoulder area. The Ranger defenseman’s intent was unmistakable.

Naturally, it was a major topic of conversation after the 

Broadway Blueshirts won despite being widely outplayed 

everywhere but where it counted most … Had the officials done 

the right thing and banished Trouba, chances are ALEX 

WENNBERG wouldn’t have had an opportunity to provide the 

victory, deflecting a very long, high shot by RYAN 

LINDGREN by goaltender SERGEI BOBROVSKY some six 

minutes into overtime … On ABC’s studio show, P.K. 

SUBBAN, former NHL defenseman who knows all about 

cheap shots (having delivered a few himself), said, “That’s a 

straight elbow to the chin. He takes his hand off the stick. 

Where is this a hockey play? No question it’s a major.” …

 MARK MESSIER, former NY captain who led the Rangers 

to their last Cup in 1994, just sat there, expressionless, and said 

nothing. Trouba was the recipient of the NHL’s 2024 Messier 

Award for leadership.

Monday, on NHL radio distributed by SiriusXM, one of the 

commentators said, “You know … I always like to give the 

player the benefit of the doubt … but not in this case. Trouba 

has done this before.” … And almost always has gotten away 

with it … see the 2022 playoffs when Pittsburgh’s SIDNEY 

CROSBY was sidelined with a concession, the result of an 

elbow to the head by Trouba … and the NHL

did nothing … ABSOLUTELY NOTHING!! … Because this 

was a post-season matchup, and the Panthers have been 

uncommonly (for them) disciplined, nobody went after Trouba 

then … but you can bet one of their several tough guys will 

seek revenge.

The reaction in New York was predictable. Rodriguez was 

accused of diving. Better the officials should get after all those 

cheap shots by the Panthers, right? … You could only imagine 

how they would have reacted if Trouba had been struck by a 

similar shot aimed at his head … Florida coach PAUL 

MAURICE, who refused to comment after the game about 

Trouba, went tongue-in-cheek when asked about the fine, 

which was the maximum amount allowed under the player 

union’s agreement with the NHL. “Take the hat, and pass it 

around,” Maurice said. “Poor Jake. He won’t be able to eat.”

Game 4 of the best-of-seven semifinal series will be Tuesday in 

Sunrise, Fla., with the Rangers up 2-1 after winning back-to-

back in OT … Like Wennberg, a third-line center who scored 

his first playoff goal (and only second since coming from San 

Jose as a trade-deadline addition), BARCLAY GOODROW

 was a surprise hero with his overtime goal in Game 2. For the 

most part this season, he has been an object of scorn by the NY 

fan base for making $5 million and doing virtually nothing to 

deserve it … A two-time Cup champion with Tampa Bay, he 

now has six playoff goals including one short-handed while 

Trouba was in the penalty box. Goodrow beat Bobrovsky high 

to his right side Friday night then scored twice Sunday, tipping 

in a shot then going low left.

Did we mention goaltender IGOR SHESTERKIN continued 

to make up for a lousy defense? Officially, he stopped 34 of 38 

shots on goal. The Rangers had 23 but only four in the third 

period … Get this: In total shots, Florida finished with a 

whopping 108 to NY’s 44. No wonder former coach BRUCE 

BOUDREAU suggested the Panthers remained the team to 

beat. “I don’t think they’re really worried … being behind by 

one game,” he said on The NHL Network.

Who knows … maybe the No. 1 line will score another point 

before series end. MIKA ZIBANEJAD, ARTEMI PANARIN

 and CHRIS KREIDER had none, NADA, Sunday. Panarin 

and Kreiter were notably MIA in the face of the Panthers’ 

physical play … Adam Fox hasn’t scored in 26 games and 

looks tired. In fact, the only defenseman who actually plays 

defense has been BRAYDEN SCHNEIDER, 23 … By the way 

… ZAC JONES’ healthy-scratch streak is at 17 games (and 

counting). On TV (TNT, ESPN, ABC), the defenseman from 

Richmond is no longer included among the Rangers available 

but not in uniform. The last three games they have named 

forwards only. Joining Jones on the forgotten list is backup 

goalie JONATHAN QUICK. 

Until next time ...