NEW YORK — Injured forward Andreas Athanasiou wasn’t present Thursday, but that didn’t stop Rangers captain Jacob Trouba from inflicting pain on the rest of the Blackhawks.
Helping the Rangers pull away for a 4-1 win, Trouba scored his second goal in as many games against the Hawks since Athanasiou described him as “an $8 million man with zero goals” after a dirty hit in December 2022.
The Hawks suffered their fourth straight loss overall — having scored just two goals over their last three games — and their 13th straight loss on the road. Coach Luke Richardson admitted they’re “definitely” feeling the effects of a lengthy injured-reserve list.
“I don’t know how many teams can absorb this many injuries,” Richardson said. “We’re just getting our feet under [us], trying to get people to play together and [to build] some continuity with a new lineup. But it’s what we’re [dealing] with right now.”
Forward Colin Blackwell scored his first goal since last February to pull the Hawks within one, 2-1, late in the second period. But instead of pushing for an equalizer early in the third period, they “fumbled the puck a few times,” according to Richardson, and allowed Trouba and Jimmy Vesey to score 70 seconds apart, putting the game out of reach.
The Rangers had 11 of the first 13 shots on goal in the third period and outshot the Hawks 32-23 in all.
Megna thrilled to be a Hawk
Defenseman Jaycob Megna joined the Hawks on Thursday morning after being claimed off waivers from the Kraken the day before and immediately slotted into the lineup on the second pairing alongside Alex Vlasic. He earned his first assist as a Hawk with a nice breakout pass to Boris Katchouk before Blackwell’s goal.
Megna, 31, is elated about landing with the Hawks for two reasons: One, they’ll allow him to finally get some regular playing time after being a healthy scratch all season with the Kraken, and two, he grew up in Northbrook as a big Hawks fan.
“I never envisioned [as a kid] playing in the NHL or playing pro,” he said. “I got to play for the Chicago Wolves four years ago, which was pretty special. To get to play for the Blackhawks now, it’s kind of beyond whatever I would have imagined. I’m just really excited.”
Megna went to the United Center frequently as a kid, starting “when it was an empty building” all the way through the 2010 Stanley Cup parade, when he was a student at Glenbrook North. The Hawks’ next home game Sunday against the Flames should be extra special for him.
He joked that he won’t be able to “do some of the things that Duncan Keith did,” but he will provide some depth to the Hawks’ defense. Isaak Phillips and Louis Crevier were both healthy scratches Thursday.
“He played very confident for a guy that hasn’t played a lot of games this year,” Richardson said. “[He kept a] good gap and played simple.”
Bedard’s mistake
The night that rookie Connor Bedard was named an NHL All-Star wasn’t his greatest night on the ice. He made a weak play along the offensive blue line in the first period, allowing Rangers forward Vincent Trocheck to easily shove him off the puck and jump-start a counterattack in which Artemi Panarin scored the opening goal.
“He probably has to get rid of that a little earlier,” Richardson said. “It’s just [about] learning the strength of this league. A guy can push you over pretty quick.”
