Just two minutes into the game, the Rangers captain dropped the gloves with Montreal’s Josh Anderson in a heated bout that echoed the growing frustrations around the team and Trouba in particular.

The Rangers fixed their start. They couldn’t execute a perfect ending, but they got it close enough to give the dressing room, and perhaps management, an exhale-worthy win against Montreal. Their losing streak — which felt even more dire after word leaked that Chris Drury reached out to teams about making trades and mentioned Chris Kreider and Jacob Trouba by name — is over at five games.

After their 4-3 win over the Canadiens, Rangers head coach Peter Laviolette and players talked the importance of Jacob Trouba's fight in the first period on Saturday.