Rangers' Vincent Trocheck treats teammates to home cooking in Pittsburgh

PITTSBURGH — Vincent Trocheck was looking for some home cooking on Tuesday night in the city in which he grew up and the area in which he and his family still live as the Rangers played the Penguins. 

Trocheck and his teammates had already gotten some actual home cooking during the Rangers’ day off on Monday. 

“My grandma cooked everybody a big Italian dinner,” Trocheck said. “So it was nice. Chicken parm, pasta, steak pizzaiola, chicken cutlet, meatballs. She made a big feast.” 

The Rangers were on a seven-game winning streak going in. The Penguins had a seven-game winning streak snapped in their previous outing. So the first meeting between the Metropolitan Division rivals since last season’s first-round playoff series (won by the Rangers in overtime in Game 7) promised to be a good one. 

For Trocheck, it was another chance to earn his keep with the Rangers, who  signed him to a seven-year, $39.375-million free agent contract over the summer with the intention of centering the second line with Artemi Panarin. That didn’t really work out, so Trocheck has moved around. On Tuesday, he centered Chris Kreider and Jimmy Vesey. 

Trocheck, who went into Tuesday with 11 goals and 14 assists in 33 games, is still trying to find his way. 

“Played against them in the playoffs [with Carolina] last year,” he said of the Rangers. “They were an extremely exciting team to play against. A lot of skill, a lot of young skill. I felt they’d be a good fit in the sense that they’d be good for a long time. And obviously, winning is something that I really want to do. Having [Gerard Gallant] as a coach — had him in Florida — was another big sell. Loved him when I had him in Florida. Him being here made things easier for comfortability.” 

Said Gallant: “I had him quite a while ago in Florida and really liked him then. He’s a competitive guy. He works hard. He plays a complete game for us. Real good in faceoffs. He's done a real good job with our team, for a new guy coming in and trying to get settled with different linemates and playing with different people quite a bit here in the first 30 games, so he's done a good job. Really like him.” 

Perhaps part of what Trocheck is dealing with is trying to prove he’s worth the big contract. He said the free agency period was “weird” because “I’ve been on two teams [before] in my career. You know what you’re getting every time. Every summer, you’re just working to get ready for the season with the team that you’ve been with. Obviously, having to decide and pick the right fit for me was a little nerve-racking and anxious. But I thought I found a good fit.” 

Grudge rematch.  Folks in Pittsburgh were jazzed up for the return of Rangers captain Jacob Trouba, who knocked Sidney Crosby out of Game 5 of last year’s playoff series with a hit that was called headhunting here. 

"Guys never forget experiences like that," Penguins defenseman Pierre-Olivier Joseph told DK Pittsburgh Sports on Tuesday. "It's definitely a bittersweet feeling after a loss like that. Redemption time is tonight." 

But Pittsburgh coach Mike Sullivan wasn’t buying into any redemption angle. 

"Last year was last year," he said. "This is a new season. This is an important game for us against a division rival that we're going to battle for a playoff spot all year." 

The Rangers, who trailed 3-1 in the series, won it on Panarin’s overtime goal in Game 7. 

By Anthony Rieber

anthony.rieber@newsday.comAnthonyRieber

Anthony Rieber covers baseball, as well as the NFL, NBA and NHL. He has worked at Newsday since Aug. 31, 1998, and has been in his current position since July 5, 2004.