Rocket Weekly: The Hot Streak Ends

All good things must come to an end and that was the case for Laval’s point streak.  While the Rocket managed to pick up a win, they ended the week by losing a pair of crucial divisional matchups.

The Week That Was

January 24: Laval 5, Utica 2 – Late comebacks have been a thing for the Rocket this season as they’ve battled back from some slow starts.  In this one, they had a decent showing through 40 minutes but were trailing.  However, they broke through in the third, beating Akira Schmid three times in less than seven minutes to secure the win while Logan Mailloux had his first two-goal game.

January 26: Syracuse 4, Laval 2 – This one didn’t get off to a good start as Laval was down by two just past the seven-minute mark of the opening period and they were never able to fully recover from there.  Philippe Maillet cut the deficit back to one late in the second period but they weren’t able to pick up the equalizer.

January 27: Rochester 7, Laval 4 – Kasimir Kaskisuo’s first four outings with Laval were quite strong.  This one wasn’t.  He allowed four goals on ten shots and didn’t make it through the first period, resulting in Laval chasing the game the rest of the way.  Emil Heineman had a pair in the losing effort while Filip Cederqvist scored in his first game against his former team.

StatPack

Skaters:

Goalies:

Team Leaders:

Goals: Gignac/Roy (12)
Assists: Brandon Gignac (25)
Points: Brandon Gignac (37)
+/-: Tobie Paquette-Bisson (+11)
PIMS: Riley McKay (94)
Shots: Joshua Roy (115)

News and Notes

– Arber Xhekaj’s time with Laval has come to an end as he was recalled.  Meanwhile, Justin Barron was sent down, giving the Rocket a second right-hand shot on the back end.

– Mitchell Stephens cleared waivers and was sent down, giving Laval a boost down the middle.  Lucas Condotta was recalled to take his place but has since been sent back down.  Next week, a centre will need to be recalled again.

– Nolan Yaremko was sent back down to Trois-Rivieres following Joshua Roy’s re-assignment to Laval.

– Logan Mailloux is now on a seven-game point streak, tying William Trudeau for the team record for the longest point streak by a defenceman.

Last Game’s Lines:

Simoneau – Maillet – Andersson
Roy – Gignac – Heineman
Cederqvist – Stephens – Bourque
Kidney – Mysak – Davidson

Trudeau – Barron
Paquette-Bisson – Mailloux
Norlinder – Galipeau

The Week Ahead

Wednesday – vs Utica – With a scheduling quirk, the Comets are in Laval for the second straight Wednesday (and third Wednesday out of the last four weeks).  They continue to sit last in the division but not by much as they picked up two straight wins after their matchup last week; they’re only three points behind the Rocket with a game in hand.  New Jersey sent three players back down recently while on their bye week so this time, the Comets will have a stronger roster.

Friday/Saturday – vs Rochester – After a rough outing against the Amerks over the weekend, Laval at least will have an opportunity to get some revenge fairly quickly.  However, they’ll likely be facing Devon Levi in one if not both of those games as Buffalo sent him down to get some game action in during the bye week.  The Rocket sit two points behind Rochester in the standings but the Americans have two games in hand.  A split, at a minimum, is needed.

Final Thought

Nicolas Beaudin cleared release waivers as expected and it appears he’s on his way to Czechia.  Instead of the Habs swinging a move to acquire a replacement (Laval’s back end is quite thin now at the moment), I’d like to see them take a different route.

Does anyone remember the Devante Smith-Pelly signing from the 2021-22 season?  Here’s a player with some NHL experience who will be content with playing a depth role while serving as a veteran mentor on a young roster.  That’s the type of player I’d like to see Laval try to target.  When everyone is healthy, the back end will be difficult to crack and if they pick up David Reinbacher for the stretch run once his season in Switzerland comes to an end, a long-term addition isn’t overly necessary.  But one who is just looking to extend his career – a lot like Kasimir Kaskisuo – could still be helpful.

This is a very young Laval roster and they’re nowhere near the veteran limit so there is room to bring this type of player in, one whose presence off the ice could be as impactful as it is on the ice.  Maybe it’s a PTO agreement, maybe it’s trying to find someone to take on a loan.  Either way, it’d be a nice short-term replacement if they can pull it off.