3 Key Takeaways as Vincent Trocheck Puts Rangers Up 2-0

2. Special Teams Rule This Series

It's very cliche to say that the team that wins the battles on special teams will likely win the game, but thus far that has been the case. The Rangers and the Hurricanes entered the postseason with elite penalty kills and powerplays, ranking in the top five of the league signalling a clash of titans. Through two games, the Rangers have taken a jarring ten penalties, which should be enough for Carolina to bury the team. The Rangers penalty kill, however, has nullified the Hurricanes power play as they've held the Canes scoreless while allowing few scoring chances thus far.

On the opposite side of the matchup, the Hurricanes have taken one fewer penalty than the Rangers, committing nine penalties. The Rangers have scored on four of their nine powerplays, including Vincent Trocheck's game-winner in game two.

As the series heads to Carolina this will be the biggest storyline as the referees may call the game a little tighter after these two games. The Hurricanes will eventually figure out their powerplay, meaning the Rangers have to start playing with more discipline if they're going to move onto the Eastern Conference Finals.

1. Vincent Trocheck Has Been the Rangers' Best Player

Through six games of the playoffs, the Rangers have gotten massive contributions out of several key pieces including Mika Zibanejad, Artemi Panarin, and Igor Shesterkin.

No one has been more important to the Rangers success thus far than Vincent Trocheck though. On Tuesday night he led the team with 35:21 of ice time before scoring the game-winner. He was massive for the Rangers in the win, with a goal, an assist, and winning 13 faceoffs.

The Rangers signing of Trocheck was received poorly by the media as many believed it was a "massive overpay". This postseason, however, no one has been more impressive than Vincent Trocheck as he does everything from killing penalties to scoring game winners all while being moved around the lineup in games. The career year for Trocheck continues to get more impressive especially as he continues to make his former team regret moving on from him.

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