The Laval Rocket kicked a two-game weekend series at home against the team that's nipping at their heels in the North Division standings.
GAME RECAP | Belleville Senators: 1 vs Laval Rocket: 2 (FINAL)
Laval Rocket vs Belleville SenatorsRocket Lineup
Forward lines
15 Sean Farrell - 37 Brandon Gignac - 19 Emil Heineman
28 Lias Andersson - 61 Philippe Maillet - 34 Jacob Perreault
20 Gabriel Bourque - 27 Mitchell Stephens - 12 Filip Cederqvist
21 Riley Kidney - 42 Lucas Condotta - 68 Riley McKay
Defense pairings
84 William Trudeau - 24 Logan Mailloux
29 Mattias Norlinder - 52 Justin Barron
4 Tobie Paquette-Bisson - 64 David Reinbacher
Goaltenders
71 Jakub Dobes
73 Kasimir Kaskisuo
Out of the lineup:
Scratches: Olivier Galipeau, Arnaud Durandeau
Injuries: Brady Keeper (lower body), Jared Davidson, Xavier Simoneau (shoulder)
Game Report
The Laval Rocket returned home following a five-game road trip and kicked off a weekend series against the Belleville Senators with 2-1 victory.
Laval Rocket vs Belleville SenatorsMattias Norlinder returned to the lineup after being scratched for four games. Olivier Galipeau sat out Friday's contest. Up front, Filip Cederqvist slotted back in, replacing Arnaud Durandeau.
Laval got a break early into the game when William Trudeau was behind the goal line in the offensive zone and his pass attempt was redirected by Nikolas Matinpalo behind his goaltender. Mitchell Stephens' assist extended his point streak to four games.
Later in the period, moments after killing off a minor infraction against Nylander, Egor Sokolov found a way to get a shot from the slot behind the goal line while being covered by two players.
The home team broke the tie midway through the second period on a two-on-one as Sean Farrell setup Brandon Gignac for a one-timer goal passed Leevi Merilainen.
The Senators attempts to tie the game before the final horn were all stopped by Jakub Dobes. The 22-year-old goalie was his team's best player on the ice.
David Reinbacher played a simple game in his debut at Place Bell. The 10,290 fans inside the arena gave the defenseman a loud cheer on his first touch. Jean-Francois Houle threw him over the boards for a key role during Belleville's five power plays.
It was a good day for the Rocket's playoff picture as their direct rivals, Toronto Marlies, Belleville Senators, and Utica Comets all lost in regulation time. As a result, Laval currently has a four-point cushion over sixth place and one point behind fourth place.
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Game Statistics
Rocket (31-26-6-2)
Shots: 17
Power play: 0-for-3
Penalty minutes: 10
Senators (30-27-3-3)
Shots: 36
Power play: 0-for-5
Penalty minutes: 6
Scoring Summary
Rocket Scorers
1st period: Trudeau (7)
2nd period: Gignac (19)
3rd period: No scoring
OT: n/a
SO: n/a
Senators Scorers
1st period: Sokolov (18)
2nd period: No scoring
3rd period: No scoring
OT: n/a
SO: n/a
Goaltenders
LAV: Dobes (W) 22-15-6-1
BEL: Merilainen (L) 8-9-1-1
Players of the Game
- Jakub Dobes: Named first star after making 35 saves, 17 of them in the second period.
- Brandon Gignac: Scored the game-winning goal
- Sean Farrell: Obtained the primary assist on Gignac's goal, and had the most chances in the offensive zone.
Post-Game Interviews
Jean-Francois Houle
David Reinbacher
Sean Farrell
Jakub Dobes
Looking Back
Did you miss the Rocket's last game? Catch up on the recap here: Bitter End to Rocket Road Trip | RECAP: LAV @ UTC
Up Next
The two teams hit the ice for a rematch on Saturday.
Puck drop on Saturday, March 30th, is scheduled for 3:00 pm ET at Place Bell in Laval, QC.
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.
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