The Laval Rocket continued their push to qualify for the playoffs with another decisive game against the Bridgeport Islanders.

GAME RECAP | Bridgeport Islanders (1) vs Laval Rocket (3) FINAL

Rocket Lineup

Forward lines
15 Sean Farrell - 37 Brandon Gignac - 19 Emil Heineman
16 Arnaud Durandeau - 61 Philippe Maillet - 28 Lias Andersson
21 Riley Kidney - 27 Mitchell Stephens - 34 Jacob Perreault
12 Filip Cederqvist - 42 Lucas Condotta - 20 Gabriel Bourque

Defense pairings
84 William Trudeau - 24 Logan Mailloux
4 Paquette-Bisson - 52 Justin Barron
29 Mattias Norlinder - 44 Olivier Galipeau

Goaltenders
71 Jakub Dobes
73 Kasimir Kaskisuo

Out of the lineup:
Scratches: Chris Jandric, Riley McKay

Injuries: Brady Keeper (lower body), Jared Davidson, Xavier Simoneau (shoulder)

Game Report

The Laval Rocket extended their win streak to four games with a 3-1 victory against the Bridgeport Islanders on Friday at Place Bell. 

The day started off with some bad news as the team announced that Xavier Simoneau will undergo a left surgery incident that will force him to miss the rest of the season. 

Arnaud Durandeau made his Rocket debut in the spot of the injured forward after being acquired on Monday in exchange of Nathan Legare. 

The fans that arrived late to Place Bell missed the early action as the Rocket got on the board 1:03 into the match as Lias Andersson's wrap around attempt was stopped and the rebound landed right on Tobie Paquette-Bisson's stick for the goal. 

The Islanders needed 54 seconds to answer back when Robin Salo's shot from the blue line was redirected by Ruslan Ishkakov bar down behind Jakub Dobes.

The home team took the lead later in the period when Riley Kidney found himself behind the defence and accepted Mitchell Stephens' pass to head on a breakaway. The forward beat Jakub Sharek for his first goal since December 15th.   

The Islanders were dominating the second period until they received a costly delay of game penalty. Laval jumped on the opportunity as Philippe Maillet's shot from the top of the faceoff circle hit the post before crossing the red line. Logan Mailloux obtained a point for a fifth consecutive game with an assist on the sequence. 

The teams played a tight scoreless third period that featured a total of nine shots. Bridgeport's bid to cut the lead failed with the extra attacker in the final 3:19 of regulation. 

Durandeau made a good first impression completing a line with Maillet and Andersson. He finished the night with two shots on goal and had several quality chances throughout the match. 

The Rocket finished the homestand with an impressive nine points out of the available 10. Jean-Francois Houle's squad are hoping to carry the momentum into the upcoming important road trip. 

With 9,734 fans in attendance at Place Bell on Friday, the Rocket broke their franchise record total with 281,820 fans since the start of the season. The club has five more games to keep increasing the number.  

[embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YWl_pYULwH0[/embed]

Game Statistics

Rocket (27-24-6-2)
Shots: 26
Power play: 1-for-3
Penalty minutes: 6

Islanders (20-32-6-1)
Shots: 30
Power play: 0-for-2
Penalty minutes: 8

Scoring Summary

Rocket Scorers
1st period: Bisson (8), Kidney (7)
2nd period: Maillet (17)-PPG
3rd period: No scoring
OT: n/a
SO: n/a

Islanders Scorers
1st period: Iskhakov (16)
2nd period: No scoring
3rd period: No scoring
OT: n/a
SO: n/a

Goaltenders
LAV: Dobes (W) 19-13-6-1
BRI: Skarek (L) 6-19-5-0

Players of the Game

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Post-Game Interviews

Jean-Francois Houle

Philippe Maillet

Logan Mailloux

Arnaud Durandeau

Looking Back

Did you miss the Rocket's last game? Catch up on the recap here: Win Streak Extends To Three | RECAP: BRI @ LAV

Up Next

The Rocket head on the road for the next five games beginning in Toronto on Sunday to face the Marlies. 

Puck drop on Sunday, March 17th, is scheduled for 4:00 pm ET at Coca-Cola Coliseum in Toronto, ON.

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.