In a surprising twist, Laval Rocket coach Pascal Vincent decided to end his alternating goaltenders system in the second game of the opening back-to-back of the Eastern Conference final. Cayden Primeau was in the net for a second game in a row, despite not being overly efficient in the first game of the series.

The Florida Panthers’ farm team, the Charlotte Checkers, dominated the Montreal Canadiens’ farm team for the second time in as many nights. Since the start of the playoffs, the Checkers haven’t lost a single game on the road, and that statement remained true on Thursday night as they won 5-2.

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In two games, they’ve scored 10 goals, and unless the Laval goaltenders wake up, this could be a short series. Dominating shots 31-25, the Checkers took the lead late in the first frame and added three goals in the second frame. Once it was 4-0, Vincent pulled Primeau and replaced him with Jacob Fowler. The former gave up four goals on just 18 shots, resulting in a .778 save percentage for the night. As for the latter, he surrendered a single goal on 12 shots, which works out to a save percentage of .917.

It was another physical game; each team had six power plays but could only convert once with the man advantage. The Checkers were assessed 48 penalty minutes, while the Rocket received 68. Laval’s power play goal came with just one minute to go in the game when David Reinbacher scored his second of the playoffs with assists from Adam Engstrom and Sean Farrell.

Reinbacher had two points on the night, grabbing a secondary assist on Noel Hoefenmayer’s goal, and Oliver Kapanen delivering the primary helper. One of the best players for the Rocket since the start of the playoffs was rocked by a big hit and had to leave the game. This is concerning for Laval, as Dauphin is the team’s third scorer in the playoffs with nine points in 11 games.

Vincent and his men have two days to regroup and find a way to bounce back as the series now moves to Charlotte for the next three games (if a fifth game is necessary). Game three will take place on Sunday at 4:00 PM and is a must-win for the Rocket.

Mandatory Photo: James Guillory-Imagn Images

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