Club de Hockey Canadien
The Laval Rocket have lost games this year. They’ve lost in regulation, they’ve lost in overtime, but on Monday night they lost everywhere on the ice in Ottawa. The Rocket never found a gear outside of neutral, and a Belleville side hungry for their second win of the year picked them apart without much issue. It was a harsh loss, one that the entire team and coaching staff took to heart.
Luckily, they didn’t have to wait long for their rematch, clashing with the Sens again on Wednesday night. Joël Bouchard opted to re-insert Arsen Khisamutdinov and Jan Myšák into the lineup over Jake Lucchini and Michael Pezzetta. Cayden Primeau once again got the nod, looking to bounce back from a difficult showing as well.
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Club de Hockey Canadien
On a tumultuous Wednesday that saw the Laval Rocket promote assistant coach Alex Burrows to the NHL team, the Rocket had to focus on their game against the Manitoba Moose. Their previous meeting saw the Rocket hammer Mikhail Berdin with 41 shots, but still lose the game on an overtime power-play goal by Ville Heinola.
After a physical contest on Monday, head coach Joël Bouchard opted for a heavier lineup, inserting Michael Pezzetta and Brandon Baddock on the fourth line, while Joël Teasdale drew in for Arsen Khisamutdinov. The defensive group remained the same, with Kaiden Guhle and Gianni Fairbrother keeping their spots for the time being, while Josh Brook was a healthy scratch. In net Bouchard turned to Charlie Lindgren, who was starting his first game since March 7 and was in Laval after his season-long stay on the Montreal Canadiens’ taxi squad.
Club de Hockey Canadien
After two weeks and four games against the Belleville Senators, the Laval Rocket finally had the chance to face a new team early in the AHL season. They put together an impressive 3-1-0 run against a pesky Senators team to start their season, and their four-game series was a coming-out party for a number of young players.
While Jordan Weal and Lukas Vejdemo are pacing the team offensively, Rafaël Harvey-Pinard and Jesse Ylönen are more than holding their own as a pair of rookies making their North American professional debuts. The Moose were bolstered by the arrival of 2021 first-round pick Cole Perfetti, who had just one goal in his first four games, while Tyler Graovac lead Manitoba in scoring.