Rocket Weekly: All Winning Streaks Eventually End

Laval had a pair of games against division rival Belleville last week, a team they’ve struggled with in the past.  They were able to come back to win the first game but were unable to hold the lead in the second one as their eight-game win streak came to an end.

The Week That Was

Nov. 8: Laval 4, Belleville 3 (SO) – The Rocket got off to a sluggish start in this one and trailed for the majority of the opening 40 minutes.  Brandon Gignac tied it up early in the third but Belleville took the lead with 6:32 to go.  Laval pulled the goalie with a couple of minutes left and managed to get one as Luke Tuch tied it up, beating Malcolm Subban who came on late in relief of an injury Leevi Merilainen.  Logan Mailloux had the winner in the fourth round of the shootout.

Nov. 9: Belleville 3, Laval 2 – This time, the Rocket were the better team early on and were rewarded for their efforts in the second with goals from Xavier Simoneau and Owen Beck.  However, the Sens got one in the final minute of the second and the first minute of the third to turn the game around before Maxence Guenette potted the winner just past the midway point of the game.

StatPack

Skaters:

Goalies:

Shootout – Skaters:

Shootout – Goalies:

Team Leaders:

Goals: Joshua Roy (7)
Assists: Alex Barre-Boulet (8)
Points: Joshua Roy (12)
+/-: Owen Beck (+9)
PIMS: Luke Tuch (22)
Shots: Joshua Roy (38)

News and Notes

– Laval got some good news on the injury front as Jakub Dobes was able to return from his lower-body injury, meaning Luke Cavallin was sent back to ECHL Trois-Rivieres.

– Alex Barre-Boulet also returned to the lineup and made an immediate impact with three points on Laval’s three goals in their Friday victory over Belleville.

– For the third (and hopefully final) time, the Habs assigned Jacob Perreault to Laval.  The first two attempts were overturned after he was ruled as still injured; he has been working his way back from a late-season shoulder injury.

– It wasn’t all good news on the injury front, however.  Jared Davidson’s lower-body injury will keep him out on a week-to-week basis.

Last Game’s Lines

Barre-Boulet – Gignac – Roy
Farrell – Beck – Simoneau
Kidney – Dauphin – Beaucage
Arseneau – Xhekaj – Tuch

Wotherspoon – Mailloux
Trudeau – Lindstrom
Hayes – Engstrom

The Week Ahead

Wednesday/Saturday: at Rochester – The Amerks are a middle of the pack team in the division in the early going this season despite having the top offence in the North, a group that was recently bolstered by the return of Jiri Kulich from Buffalo.  Isak Rosen leads the way offensively while Konsta Helenius, picked at the draft back in June, has five goals already.  Goaltender Felix Sandstrom was injured over the weekend in a bit of a strange collision with Ben Harpur with the big blueliner going out of his way to run him (earning a four-game suspension in the process).

Friday: at Syracuse – Laval started their recent winning streak with a pair of victories over Syracuse, one a game where they had some offensive control and another that was a goalie battle.  The Crunch have been stingy defensively so far with Brandon Halverson off to a stellar start with a GAA below 1.00 in his first five games.  But offensively, they’ve struggled mightily; their leading scorers have just seven points in 11 games.  Jesse Ylonen is off to a slow start so far with just three assists in 11 contests.

Final Thought

With the Habs struggling as of late, we’ve seen suggestions that it’s time to pull someone up from Laval.  It’s certainly understandable, they’re playing well so rewarding someone for a strong start makes some sense.

But while Joshua Roy and Alex Barre-Boulet have probably been the most suggested options, I wonder about Luke Tuch getting an opportunity sooner than later.  It stands to reason that if an opening comes up in Montreal’s lineup, they might be inclined to move either Emil Heineman or Joel Armia up into that spot, meaning the vacancy to fill would be on the fourth line.  That’s where Tuch’s game is probably best suited at this point.  He’s a solid forechecker, plays a physical game, and can kill penalties.  Doesn’t that sound like the prototypical fourth liner that Martin St. Louis would want to see?

Tuch has been doing well so far in the early going with Laval in that same fourth line spot.  Frankly, I’m a little disappointed he hasn’t been moved up to where Alex Beaucage is on the third line, which would him a chance to play a few more minutes and perhaps get a bit more involved offensively.  The fact they’re bringing him along slowly suggests their preference probably isn’t to recall him early on but if there’s an opening lower in Montreal’s lineup, Tuch might be their best option.