After a bye in the opening round of the playoffs as a result of winning the North Division, Laval will get their postseason officially underway on Wednesday as they begin a best-of-five series against Toronto.
Schedule
Apr. 29: at Laval
May 1: at Laval
May 3: at Toronto
May 5: at Toronto*
May 8: at Laval*
*-if necessary
Team Comparison
Laval
41-23-3-5 record
233 GF
200 GA
22.0% PP
79.9% PK
Toronto
36-26-5-5 record
229 GF
228 GA
16.8% PP
83.4% PK
Season Series
Dec. 10: Toronto 5, Laval 4 (SO)
Dec. 12: Laval 5, Toronto 2
Jan. 31: Laval 3, Toronto 2 (OT)
Feb. 14: Laval 4, Toronto 2
Feb. 16: Toronto 4, Laval 3 (SO)
Feb. 25: Toronto 4, Laval 1
Apr. 18: Toronto 4, Laval 3
Apr. 19: Toronto 4, Laval 2
Team Leaders
Laval
Goals: Alex Belzile (29)
Assists: Laurent Dauphin (44)
Points: Laurent Dauphin (62)
+/-: Marc Del Gaizo (+23)
PIMS: Florian Xhekaj (182)
Shots: Joshua Roy (187)
Toronto
Goals: Benoit-Olivier Groulx (28)
Assists: Logan Shaw (31)
Points: Logan Shaw (54)
+/-: Tverberg/Webber (+18)
PIMS: Blake Smith (110)
Shots: Alex Nylander (153)
Head-To-Head Leaders
Laval
Laurent Dauphin (3-4-7)
Joshua Roy (3-3-6)
Owen Beck (3-2-5)
Samuel Blais (3-2-5)
Luke Tuch (3-1-4)
Toronto
Ryan Tverberg (2-7-9)
Jacob Quillan (4-3-7)
Benoit-Olivier Groulx (3-3-6)
Luke Haymes (4-1-5)
Noah Chadwick/Alex Nylander (1-4-5)
Marlies Players To Watch
Benoit-Olivier Groulx: It was by far a career year for Groulx offensively as he had yet to record 40 points in a season before this one. His total would have been even higher but he played in 13 games with the Maple Leafs (notching five points). A natural centre, he is currently lining up on the wing alongside former Hab Mason Shaw but his versatility could come into play this series as one of their top two-way players.
Easton Cowan: While Cowan barely played for the Marlies this season, he was eligible to be sent down as Toronto papered him down before the trade deadline to retain his playoff eligibility. He showed flashes of high-end offence in the NHL this season and currently, with Jacob Quillan, he’s helping to anchor a second line with a fair amount of firepower.
William Villeneuve: Villeneuve has been a productive blueliner for the Marlies for the past four seasons now and still averaged nearly a half a point-per-game this year despite a drop in production. He made his NHL debut down the stretch with the Maple Leafs and held his own. It will be interesting to see how big a role he gets with Toronto’s veteran back end being as healthy as it has been all season.
Key Question
Can Laval Win The Goalie Battle? Kaapo Kahkonen had a great run in the playoffs last year. Laval had a front row seat as his performance sent the Rocket packing. That was enough for Montreal to pay big money ($1.15 million) to have him on their side this time around. With Jacob Fowler up with Montreal and Hunter Shepard the backup, it’s Kahkonen’s net to start the playoffs. However, he has struggled mightily recently, turning a perceived strength into a weakness.
Meanwhile, Toronto’s tandem features a pair of promising youngsters: Dennis Hildeby and Artur Akhtyamov. Both played in their opening-round victory over Rochester. There isn’t a big drop-off from one to the other so both could see action in this series as well. Based on recent performances, both are better options than Laval’s duo. Can Kahkonen turn that around? That may be the difference in this series.
Projected Lines
Laval
Blais – Dauphin – Belzile
Farrell – Beck – Roy
Davidson – Condotta – Rohrer
Tuch – Xhekaj – Thorpe
Mittelstadt – Reinbacher
Trudeau – Del Gaizo
Paquette-Bisson – Didier
Toronto
Groulx – Shaw – Lettieri
Cowan – Quillan – Tverberg
Pare – Haymes – Nylander
Pezzetta– Johnstone – Johnson
Rifai – Thrun
Mermis – Villeneuve
Chadwick – Sharpe