The Laval Rocket lost the second game of their North Division Final series 5-3 on Friday. Several big names stood out for the Rocket.
David Reinbacher
Reinbacher bounced back from a below-average performance on Wednesday with a solid game in Friday’s affair. Finishing with three shots and an assist, it was probably his best game of the post-season, on and off the scoresheet.
Reinbacher showed that he could play a shutdown role in Game 2. His skating and IQ make him a formidable force defensively, and it seems that whenever he focuses on defence, offence follows. He was strong heading into the boards, and his decisions with the puck in the defensive zone were mostly sound. I’d say he looked a little fatigued by the end of the game, but remember he missed most of the season with a knee injury.
Logan Mailloux
I’m finding new things to like about Mailloux’s play every game. On Friday, it was his awareness. He understands his surroundings, something that he was criticized for early in his career. He looked great defending the rush in Game 2, which has been one of his weaknesses. He’s a ferocious defender, fast, big, and mean with a long reach; all tools that will translate to the NHL.
He’s incredibly dangerous offensively. At five-on-five, he can dominate through the neutral zone, and once he’s crossed the offensive blue line he operates with a calmness that makes him even more daunting to defenders.
In addition, I’d like to paint a picture for those who have watched some Rocket games this season. You see the connection between Mailloux and Alex Barré-Boulet on the power play? Imagine Ivan Demidov sitting in that right circle instead. Between Hutson and Mailloux, the Canadiens could have a seriously dangerous pair of power-play quarterbacks.
I do need to add a negative to this report because, as awesome as his game was, it wasn’t flawless. Mailloux was not excellent on the penalty kill at any time on Friday. He consistently over-committed to his man, leaving passing lanes open and creating odd-man attacks within the defensive zone. In my opinion, he was Laval’s fourth-best penalty-killing defenceman in Game 2.
Owen Beck
Without the feisty Xavier Simoneau in the lineup, I thought Beck had an opportunity to stand out in his place on the third line and show that he can drive the energy of a line himself. The Lucas Condotta-Rafaël Harvey-Pinard-Simoneau trio has probably been Laval’s worst line this post-season. I thought adding Beck to it may give it a nice spark.It looks like the theory was correct. Beck was the most noticeable player on that line on Friday. He drove play for the trio, and the three players looked effective.
He played a couple of shifts in his usual spot on the fourth line on Friday. In those shifts, that line shone among the rest (and created Laval’s third goal to boot). His tenacity in the neutral zone creates a number of turnovers. This tendency will translate very well to the NHL.
Jared Davidson
This is the first time I’ve mentioned Davidson in one of these articles, and it’s for a reason. He doesn’t play like a prospect. On a line with Florian Xhekaj and Beck, he looks closer to a veteran than a rookie on the ice. His game is steady, that’s the key word. In his first full season in the AHL, he looks like he’s been in the league for five.
None of his skills necessarily stand out amongst the pack, but his effort and persistence are consistent forces that let his linemates shine. In the NHL, bottom-line players survive by finding and committing to a role. At 22, Jared Davidson has already learned to do that.
His goal on Friday was the result of a good rush and calm passing amongst scrambling defenders, something the Davidson-Xhekaj-Beck line has been excellent at. Those three have serious chemistry. You wonder if, with some growth, the trio would work in the big leagues.
One thing to note about Davidson is that there are some serious lapses when he’s faced with a broken play in the defensive zone and the neutral zone. He had three brutal turnovers on Friday, but they were all in situations that are harder to train for; broken plays that he should learn to anticipate with experience. If he doesn’t, I would say this hole in his game is big enough to prevent him from cracking an NHL lineup.
Adam Engström
Engström had another solid performance on Friday. I thought he was noticeable in the offensive zone, particularly in his skating and decision-making. The Rocket’s first goal, which he assisted on, was a good distillation of his offensive play throughout the game. He got into a bit of trouble when handling the puck at the point, but he created space with his feet and pulled off a fairly accurate pass.
He finished with an assist, and, in my estimation, three blocks and a handful of hits. He played hard and with an offensive eye. I think he played a complete two-way game. For a player who was criticized for his “poor” offensive instincts in his draft year, his offensive play has seemed pretty instinctual these past few games.
Jacob Fowler
Fowler lost his first career playoff game on Friday and didn’t play the game he would’ve liked. Despite it not being his best game, it’s hard to look at his performance and place the blame on him (four goals on 35 shots will never be considered a “bad” game to me).
I don’t think any of Fowler’s goals were his fault. The first was a screened blast from the point; the second was a wobbler from the point, deflected in the crease. The third was a weird rebound, compounded by a missed assignment from William Trudeau (this one in particular, I think he would have liked back), and the fourth was a laser that beat him cleanly top shelf on which he had no chance through a screen.
I’m not going to say the loss was Fowler’s fault, but I wouldn’t say he was the solid presence Laval needed. Fowler’s rebound control needs work, especially because he has trouble with second chances. Juuse Saros, Jonathan Quick, and Dustin Wolf are all shorter than Fowler’s 6’2″ frame and have found success, but all of those goaltenders have elite lateral movement, something Fowler lacks. Regardless the compete is there, and I’ve still yet to see him be fazed mentally.
Luke Tuch
I figured I should add a little blurb on Tuch, since he’s been the odd man out for the last few games. He was extremely noticeable on Friday. He played a very heavy game and showed good offensive upside. His forechecking gave Laval its second goal of the game. If Xavier Simoneau returns for the next game, I’d much rather see Tuch in the lineup than Joshua Roy.
Laval will look to take a 2-1 lead as the series comes to Quebec on Wednesday, May 21. Puck drop is scheduled for 7:00 PM ET at Place Bell.
