Injuries and recalls have taken their toll on Laval's roster, but the team pulled together to take care of the task at hand against Toronto.
Injuries and recalls have taken their toll on Laval's roster, but the team pulled together to take care of the task at hand against Toronto.
GAME RECAP | Laval Rocket 7 vs Toronto Marlies 1
Rocket Lineup
Forward lines
81 Xavier Simoneau - 61 Philippe Maillet - 28 Lias Andersson
49 Jared Davidson - 27 Mitchell Stephens - 17 Nathan Legare
21 Riley Kidney - 42 Lucas Condotta - 20 Gabriel Bourque
68 Riley McKay - 14 Jan Mysak - 12 Filip Cederqvist
Defense pairings
84 William Trudeau - 52 Justin Barron
44 Olivier Galipeau - 24 Logan Mailloux
29 Mattias Norlinder - 4 Paquette-Bisson
Goaltenders
73 Kasimir Kaskisuo
71 Jakub Dobes
Out of the lineup:
Scratches: Strauss Mann
Injuries: Sean Farrell (upper-body), Brady Keeper (lower body), Emil Heineman (upper body)
Game Report
For 40 minutes, the Laval Rocket looked to play a decent game against the Toronto Marlies on Friday night. There were mistakes, but the team managed to keep the score even at 1-1 for most of the game. But in the span of about eight minutes, all that work was for naught as Toronto hammered the visiting team with five unanswered goals.
Adjustments would be needed for Jean-Francois Houle's squad on Saturday afternoon for the rematch. Jakub Dobes saw his four-game start streak come to end when Kasimir Kaskisuo was tapped to protect the net. Kaskisuo's former AHL experience came with the Marlies, meaning emotions would likely be high for the goaltender on a PTO.
Additionally, Lucas Condotta returned to the lineup after being sent back to Laval by the Canadiens on Friday, and Riley McKay drew in for an injured Emil Heineman. In a surprising move, just minutes before puck drop, Joshua Roy was recalled by Montreal due to the injury to Rafael Harvey-Pinard, leaving Houle without another of his top-six forwards.
The first half of the opening period was relatively quiet in terms of shots and scoring, but not so in the physicality department. Both teams played with an aggressive edge before Laval quieted the building with two quick goals.
First up came an even-strength goal by Filip Cederqvist after he fought to shovel a rebound past Keith Petruzzelli. Not long after that, while on the power play, Xavier Simoneau managed to jam the puck over the line as well to make it 2-0 for the Rocket. Jan Mysak extended his team's lead to three goals just over a minute before the end of the period when he was left all alone to the side of the crease.
Toronto opted for a change in goaltenders to start the second period, with Dennis Hildeby replacing Petruzzelli between the pipes. Hildeby had been in net on Friday night for the Marlies' win against Laval.
Once again, the first half of the frame was quiet on the scoring side, but then Nathan Legare added another goal to the Rocket's tally to bring the score to 4-0 with 8:42 left in the second period. Two quick goals by Simoneau and Logan Mailloux turned the game completely upside down, with a 6-0 score before the end of the middle period.
If Kaskisuo was starting to hope that maybe he could blank his former team at this point, the Marlies had different ideas. Roni Hirvonen tipped in the puck off of Robert Mastrosimone's shot to finally get Toronto on the board.
A shorthanded goal in the third period by Legare boosted the Rocket's score even more,
[embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-_qb9LqEGlg[/embed]
Game Statistics
Rocket (20-19-4-2)
Shots: 31
Power play: 2-for-3
Penalty minutes: 12
Marlies (20-15-6-2)
Shots: 29
Power play: 1-for-4
Penalty minutes: 20
Scoring Summary
Rocket Scorers
1st period: Cederqvist (3), Simoneau (6)-PPG, Mysak (11)
2nd period: Legare (5), Simoneau (7), Mailloux (11)
3rd period: Legare (6)-SHG
OT: n/a
SO: n/a
Marlies Scorers
1st period: No scoring
2nd period: Hirvonen (1)-PPG
3rd period: No scoring
OT: n/a
SO: n/a
Goaltenders
LAV: Kaskisuo (W) 5-0-0-0
TOR: Petruzzelli (Hildeby) (L) 6-6-2-0
Rocket Players of the Game
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Looking Back
Did you miss the Rocket's last game? Catch up on the recap here: Rocket Watch Third Period Unravel | LAV @ TOR
Up Next
The Rocket continue their road trip in New England next week, with a three-in-three that starts with a visit to the Hartford Wolf Pack.
Puck drop on Friday, February 16th, is scheduled for 7:00 pm ET at XL Center in Hartford, CT.
Be sure to bookmark THN.com/Montreal for year-round coverage of the Montreal Canadiens, Laval Rocket, and Habs prospects playing in leagues around the world.
