The Laval Rocket saw their post-season dreams slip away on Tuesday, falling 3-2 to the Charlotte Checkers in Game 4 of the Eastern Conference Final. It was another lacklustre performance from the Rocket, with many individual players struggling. That being said, three players stood out amongst the rest to be featured in the final report of the season.
Joshua Roy
Joshua Roy was Laval’s best player on Tuesday, something many fans would have had trouble believing a week ago. Roy turned up his intensity in this series, and the results were noticeable. He finished Game 4 with a goal and four shots, and he had (to my count) six high-danger scoring opportunities.
Roy instantly turned into a very acceptable forechecker in his last three games. I thought he was one of the few Rocket players who didn’t throw in the towel on Tuesday. Roy turned up his play when it mattered.
Owen Beck
Owen Beck scored the Rocket’s second and final goal on Tuesday and had a solid game to go alongside the tally. I thought he worked really well on the second line with Roy. Beck seems to spark more intensity in Roy, who doesn’t play a hustle-first style like Beck. This wasn’t actually Beck’s best performance effort-wise, but after Charlotte’s third goal, pretty much every Rocket player looked sapped.Â
He is really on the verge of being one of the best forwards in the AHL. He’s extremely dangerous when he has space, and his puck control is a step above his peers. He does a good job of leveraging his size along the boards, making him an effective forechecker and penalty-killer. The Habs almost certainly have a bottom-six gem here.
Oliver Kapanen
Kapanen had another solid game. He plays consistently from game to game, but it doesn’t always look like it on a shift-to-shift basis. During some presences, he was legitimately the best player; during others, he was merely effective instead of brilliant.
I really like the edge in his game. I didn’t get to watch him as much as I would have liked this season, but I’m happy to see that his snarl is a constant in big moments. Kapanen is a gamer, and I don’t think he’ll have too much trouble adjusting to the NHL.
