Following a heartbreaking OT loss to the Utica Comets on Wednesday night, snapping their four-game winning streak, the Laval Rocket were back on home ice Friday night. Starting a back-to-back with the Manitoba Moose, currently occupying the last place spot in the central division, they had an opportunity on their hands to start an entirely new winning streak if they could bring a solid effort in both games.
They certainly got out to a strong start, as they began to impose themselves after a pair of early chances for the Moose. Lias Andersson would get the puck low in the offensive zone, throw it back up to the point for Logan Mailloux, and the ensuing shot was perfect, finding its way into the net and opening the scoring for the Rocket.
Very shortly after the Mailloux marker, the Rocket were right back to work in the offensive zone, and found some more production from their blue line. This time it was William Trudeau putting a wrister on net, and Olivier Galipeau appeared to get a piece of it on the way, doubling the lead as well as the excitement inside of Place Bell.
Unlike their NHL counterparts, the Rocket continued trying to score even after gaining the two-goal lead. The Moose were fighting back, however, so Laval needed to keep their foot on the gas and try to extend that lead further. A ping off the post saw Mailloux come within centimeters of doing exactly that for his second of the game, and few key saves from Jakub Dobes were necessary to keep the Moose off the board.
Then, inside the final four minutes of the opening frame, the Rocket got the opportunity they were looking for. A roughing penalty to Nikita Chibrikov gave them a power play, and Emil Heineman pounded an offering from Arber Xhekaj top shelf, making it 3-0 Rocket.
The Rocket started to run away with the shot clock a little in the first half of the second period, but couldn’t find their way to a fourth goal. Then Logan Mailloux took an interference penalty just past the midway point, and it ended up costing them. Jakob Dones was able to make a fantastic initial save, but C.J. Suess found the rebound in the crease and reduced the Rocket lead back to two.
Later, Joshua Roy was called for an extremely questionable “slashing” penalty, and that ended up costing the team. Brad Lambert would score on the ensuing power play, and all of a sudden the Rocket lead was down to just one. But they didn’t hand their heads for a second, and went right back down the ice. Brandon Gignac was able to set up Lias Andersson in tight, restoring the two-goal lead and some breathing room before the end of the period.
The key for the third period was clear; stay out of the box. The Moose, to that point, had only been able to get through with their power play, and even-strength play belonged to the Rocket. They managed to play nearly the entire period at that strength, and it was unsurprisingly to their benefit. Xavier Simoneau stopped up along the wall in the offensive zone, had a look, and hit Philippe Maillet in stride. The latter ripped one top shelf, putting the Rocket up 5-2, a score they would hold through the end of the game.
Final score: Manitoba 2, Laval 5
This is a back-to-back, and a very quick turnaround for both teams. They’ll face off again this afternoon at 3PM EST at Place Bell.
Thoughts
- I’ve seen Logan Mailloux many times in junior, but it is still shocking at times to see how much velocity he can get on wrist and snap shots. The scary thing is that his accuracy appears to be improving gradually, without sacrificing an ounce of that velocity. Parts of his game are surely not ready for the next level, but with how bad the Habs’ power play is, it is worth wondering if he gets an audition at some point this season, if only to find out how they could use his absolute weapon of a shot.
- That being said, the first call from the Habs if they need a defender should be Arber Xhekaj. With every outing in Laval he appears to be smoothing out wrinkles in his game. With how the Habs have played lately, it honestly wouldn’t be surprising to see them make that move sooner than later.
- Speaking of weapons, Emil Heineman’s shot is something as well. I’m not sure what his path to NHL regular looks like, but if he can figure out some better defensive responsibility, he could carve out a permanent NHL role one day.
