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Last week was a light one on the schedule for the Rocket with only two games.  They took care of business in both of them, officially securing a playoff spot in the process although there’s still lots to play for seeding-wise down the stretch.

The Week That Was

Mar. 18: Laval 5, Wilkes-Barre/Scranton 1 – The Penguins have been one of the top teams in the league this season but have struggled lately, meaning Laval was catching them at the right time.  It was a close game for a while but a pair of Rocket goals in a span of 1:25 midway through the second made it a three-goal advantage for Laval which was more than enough for them to work with from there.  The win officially clinched them a playoff spot.

Mar. 20: Laval 4, Springfield 1 – In a game that featured more chippiness than expected, a last-minute goal from Samuel Blais in the first period got things tied up and the Rocket took over from there.  Jared Davidson’s second in as many games stood as the winner in the second period while Florian Xhekaj added his second straight empty-net tally in the third period.

StatPack

Skaters:

# Player GP G A +/- SOG PIMS
2 Marc Del Gaizo 2 0 0 +3 2 0
3 Luke Mittelstadt 1 0 0 -1 1 0
5 Nathan Clurman 2 0 1 -1 2 2
6 Tyler Thorpe 2 0 0 E 2 0
10 Joshua Roy 2 1 2 +2 6 0
15 Sean Farrell 2 1 2 +2 4 0
17 Alex Tuch 2 0 0 +1 1 5
18 Vincent Arseneau 2 0 0 E 1 5
19 Samuel Blais 2 2 0 E 4 2
22 Alex Belzile 2 0 1 +2 4 2
28 Josh Jacobs 1 0 1 +2 0 0
42 Lucas Condotta 2 0 0 -1 2 0
48 Filip Mesar 2 1 1 +1 3 6
49 Jared Davidson 2 2 0 +1 4 2
56 Adam Engstrom 2 0 0 +2 3 0
62 Owen Beck 2 0 3 +3 5 0
63 Florian Xhekaj 2 2 0 +3 5 0
64 David Reinbacher 2 0 1 +2 2 4
84 William Trudeau 2 0 0 +3 4 0

Goalies:

# Player Record GAA SV% SO
34 Kaapo Kahkonen 2-0-0 1.00 .966 0

Team Leaders:

Goals: Alex Belzile (26)
Assists: Laurent Dauphin (44)
Points: Laurent Dauphin (59)
+/-: Marc Del Gaizo (+29)
PIMS: Florian Xhekaj (133)
Shots: Joshua Roy (151)

News and Notes

– Jared Davidson scored in both games this past week, ultimately snapping a career-worst 15-game goalless drought.

– Adam Engstrom returned earlier than expected from his injury, giving the back end a big boost. 

– Goaltender Hunter Jones was sent back down to ECHL Trois-Rivieres.  With Hunter Shepard in the fold now, Jones likely won’t see much more time with the Rocket barring injuries or Kaapo Kahkonen getting recalled to Montreal.

– Winger Jake Chiasson was recalled from the Lions at the beginning of the week but that is for medical evaluation purposes.

Last Game’s Lines:

Farrell – Belzile – Roy
Davidson – Beck – Mesar
Blais  – Condotta – Thorpe
Arseneau – Xhekaj – Tuch

Del Gaizo – Reinbacher
Trudeau – Engstrom
Mittelstadt – Clurman

The Week Ahead

Wednesday vs Utica – It’s the final game of the season that isn’t a part of a back-to-back set.  The Comets beat Laval by three earlier this month but have struggled since then, losing three straight.  They’re eight points out of the final playoff (play-in) spot and have struggled offensively, scoring nearly three-quarters of a goal per game less than the Rocket.  Brian Halonen has moved into a share for the team lead in scoring with eight points in nine March contests.

Friday at Bridgeport – In the final game in Bridgeport between these two teams (they move to Hamilton next season where the Rocket I’m sure will play them a whole bunch of times), Laval catches an Islanders team right in the thick of the playoff race.  They’re a veteran-laden team, led by Matt Luff who was brought in at the trade deadline.  Former Hab farmhand Chris Terry is also on the team but he’s in the middle of a tough year and has just 18 points in 49 games.

Saturday at Wilkes-Barre/Scranton – It’s the rematch of Wednesday’s game in Laval.  The Penguins have won two straight since then, clinching a playoff berth for themselves along the way.  Wilkes-Barre/Scranton will have some reinforcements for this one, however, as Avery Hayes and Ville Koivunen were both sent down by Pittsburgh recently and they’re two of their top scorers.

Final Thought

Right now, Laval is clearly opting for a development-first approach considering that Samuel Blais has been one of their hottest scorers whenever he’s been with the Rocket yet has predominantly been mired on the third line in recent weeks.  While that fits the physical checking makeup of the third trio at the moment, that’s also probably not the best role for him offensively. 

During the regular season, this makes sense and really, they can get away with it down the stretch as well.  But at some point, it stands to reason that Pascal Vincent may need to flip the switch to more of a win-now approach and move Blais into the top six. 

That’s going to make these next few weeks particularly interesting for the current second line, all prospects on their entry-level deals.  Filip Mesar has picked it up as of late but can he keep up this pace and show that he’s a legitimate top-six player heading to the playoffs?  We know Jared Davidson fits on the third line but will snapping his drought get him going enough to stay up there?  Owen Beck seems like a safer bet to remain on that line but he’ll want to finish strong as well.

If you’re like me and think that Blais will be moving up come playoff time (along with the hopeful return of Laurent Dauphin), two players are probably losing their spots and will be heading for a much more limited role.  The battle to see who stays up on the second line is an interesting subplot to follow over these next few weeks.