Jacob Trouba caught trying to elbow Evgeny Kuznetsov.
There's no doubt about Jacob Trouba's intention this time around, a blatant attempt at an elbow.
New York Rangers captain Jacob Trouba has been on the receiving end of a ton of criticism for his perceived dirty play as of late, with that criticism ramping up considerably following a controversial sequence involving Carolina Hurricanes forward Martin Necas.
Trouba attempted to deliver a hit on Necas that failed to connect, but there was a large contingent of angry fans on social media who still went after Trouba for targeting Necas' head on the play with his elbow. Here's a look at the replay of that incident:
As I mentioned there were those who felt there was a clear intent to injure, although it is very difficult to read a players intent.
There was a lot of gray area in that particular incident however with Necas contributing to the angle of the hit by dropping to the ice to avoid contact, and that created enough doubt about Trouba's intent that it seemed most were willing to give Trouba a pass.
On Saturday night, Trouba attempted to deliver a hit to Carolina Hurricanes forward Evgeny Kuznetsov, and there was no question about Trouba's intent to throw a nasty looking elbow. The reason there's no doubt? Because Trouba can be seen clearly swinging his elbow at Kuznetsov, who gets out of the way and causes Trouba to look foolish in the process.
The third angle in the replay is by far the most damning.
Not a good look for Trouba to be sure, and one that may have caused him to lose the benefit of the doubt in the eyes of many hockey fans tonight.
To make matters worse for Trouba, he hasn't exactly been endearing himself to his own fan base as of late either.
