An 'Important Game' | PREVIEW: ROC @ LAV

The Laval Rocket hit the ice on Friday morning in preparation for their rematch against the Rochester Americans at Place Bell. Adam Nicholas, Montreal Canadiens Director of Hockey Development, and Assistant Director Scott Pellerin were present and ran drills with the players not expected to dress for the evening's game.

Jean-Francois Houle plans to make several lineup changes for the rematch. Forward Riley McKay will make his season debut, while forward Jan Mysak and defenseman Gustav Lindstrom will both return to the lineup. Nicolas  Beaudin, Riley Kidney and Nathan Legare will be scratched, and Jakub Dobes will get the start in goal.

On Wednesday, Laval came back from two three-goal deficits, however ended up on losing side in overtime. A bad start was costly for the home team, being outshot 16-4 in the first period, before outshooting their opponents 38-17 in the last 40 minutes. 

"We have to score first to be able to defend a lead, which hasn't happened a lot in the first three games. We need to have a better start to the game. I really liked the character that we showed to come back into the game. We hope to bring the same energy we had in the second and third period," Houle said today following practice. 

"Obviously, we didn't have a good enough start. In the first 15 minutes of the first period, they were all over us, but after that we took the game over. We had our chances to score but their goalie made some big saves when they were needed. We got to be consistent right off the hop and play a full 60 minutes and we should get a win," evaluated defenseman Brady Keeper.

Laval has had slow starts in its last two contests, being outscored a total of 5-1 in the first period. "The work ethic needs to be higher and playing simpler in the beginning to create some offensive zone time and build momentum will be huge," noted forward Brandon Gignac.  

"They're a good team but I think a lot of things that they got, we gave them," defenseman Jayden Struble said. He added that adjustments on defense will be key for victory. "Be harder to play against. A lot of it is winning our net front and not letting people getting inside of us."

The Rocket are winless in the first three games of the four-game homestand, and Houle stressed the importance of winning at least one before heading on the road for the next three contests. 

"It would be fun to get a win before leaving for the road," he commented. "We know it's not easy playing on the road. At home, I judge that we could have picked up two wins but we didn't do it. It's an important game."

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