Laval had an opportunity to close out March on a high note and solidify their top seed in the North Division. They didn’t do that. Instead, they lost all three games although they at least managed to pick up two points.
The Week That Was
Mar. 25: Utica 2, Laval 1 (SO) – For a team that has struggled this season, Utica has figured out how to play Laval tough. Part of it was Nico Daws having a particularly strong game but they were able to keep this one close enough to get it to the shootout. There, the Comets scored twice on their two opportunities while the Rocket came up short on both to lose the extra point.
Mar. 27: Bridgeport 3, Laval 2 (SO) – The Rocket controlled the majority of the game but struggled at the beginning and end. Bridgeport (soon to be Hamilton) scored in the opening minute and while Laval took the lead in the second period, the Islanders came back and tied it late in the third. Once again, Laval couldn’t score in the shootout. Luke Mittelstadt picked up his first career professional goal in the loss.
Mar. 28: Wilkes-Barre/Scranton 3, Laval 1 – For the third straight game, the Rocket probably deserved a better fate but Sergei Murashov played a stellar game for the Penguins while Hunter Shepard’s Laval debut wasn’t his best. Avery Hayes, sent down by Pittsburgh to play this game, was a problem for the Rocket as he scored twice and assisted on the other tally.
StatPack
Skaters:
| # | Player | GP | G | A | +/- | SOG | PIMS |
| 2 | Marc Del Gaizo | 3 | 0 | 0 | -1 | 6 | 0 |
| 3 | Luke Mittelstadt | 3 | 1 | 0 | E | 4 | 0 |
| 5 | Nathan Clurman | 3 | 0 | 0 | -1 | 3 | 2 |
| 6 | Tyler Thorpe | 1 | 0 | 0 | -1 | 1 | 0 |
| 10 | Joshua Roy | 3 | 0 | 0 | E | 10 | 0 |
| 15 | Sean Farrell | 3 | 1 | 3 | -1 | 8 | 0 |
| 17 | Alex Tuch | 3 | 0 | 0 | -1 | 6 | 4 |
| 18 | Vincent Arseneau | 2 | 0 | 0 | E | 4 | 0 |
| 19 | Samuel Blais | 3 | 0 | 2 | -2 | 8 | 4 |
| 22 | Alex Belzile | 3 | 2 | 2 | -1 | 8 | 2 |
| 26 | Will Dineen | 1 | 0 | 0 | -1 | 3 | 5 |
| 42 | Lucas Condotta | 3 | 0 | 0 | -3 | 2 | 5 |
| 48 | Filip Mesar | 3 | 0 | 0 | E | 4 | 0 |
| 49 | Jared Davidson | 3 | 0 | 0 | E | 6 | 7 |
| 56 | Adam Engstrom | 3 | 0 | 1 | -3 | 8 | 2 |
| 62 | Owen Beck | 3 | 0 | 0 | E | 7 | 0 |
| 63 | Florian Xhekaj | 3 | 0 | 0 | -1 | 4 | 2 |
| 64 | David Reinbacher | 3 | 0 | 0 | -1 | 4 | 2 |
| 84 | William Trudeau | 3 | 0 | 0 | -1 | 2 | 0 |
| 91 | Dillan Bentley | 2 | 0 | 0 | -1 | 2 | 2 |
Goalies:
| # | Player | Record | GAA | SV% | SO |
| 32 | Hunter Shepard | 0-1-0 | 3.15 | .875 | 0 |
| 34 | Kaapo Kahkonen | 0-0-2 | 1.39 | .932 | 0 |
Shootout – Skaters:
| # | Player | G/ATT |
| 15 | Sean Farrell | 0/2 |
| 19 | Samuel Blais | 0/2 |
| 22 | Alex Belzile | 1/1 |
Shootout – Goalies:
| # | Player | SVS/SF |
| 34 | Kaapo Kahkonen | 2/5 |
Team Leaders:
Goals: Alex Belzile (28)
Assists: Laurent Dauphin (44)
Points: Laurent Dauphin (59)
+/-: Marc Del Gaizo (+28)
PIMS: Florian Xhekaj (135)
Shots: Joshua Roy (161)
News and Notes
– Laval added another player from the college ranks, signing Josh Nadeau to a deal for next season plus a tryout agreement for the remainder of this season. An undersized skilled forward (his brother is in Carolina’s system), he might need a top-nine spot to open up to have a shot at getting into the lineup.
– Laurent Dauphin will miss four weeks due to an upper-body injury. That likely sidelines him for the remainder of the season.
– Alex Belzile will miss both of Laval’s games this coming week due to the pending birth of his child.
Last Game’s Lines:
Blais – Belzile – Farrell
Roy – Beck – Mesar
Davidson – Condotta – Bentley
Arseneau – Xhekaj – Tuch
Mittelstadt – Engstrom
Del Gaizo – Reinbacher
Trudeau – Clurman
The Week Ahead
Friday/Saturday vs Calgary – The first of three back-to-back sets to finish the season sees Laval finish up with the Western Conference. The Wranglers are tied for last in the Pacific Division and have lost eight straight games in regulation. Several of their players are playing out the stretch with the Flames which is a big reason for where they sit. There are still some quality veterans around, however, with Dryden Hunt and Martin Frk helping to pace the way offensively. Youngster Aydar Suniev is one to keep an eye on as he’s likely to get a recall down the stretch as well. Prospect Jonathan Castagna, acquired in the Mackenzie Weegar trade, is likely to make his pro debut in one of these games.
Final Thought
With the playoffs fast approaching, playing time for some of the youngsters could start to dry up before too long. That’s what makes Luke Mittelstadt’s situation particularly intriguing.
After just a couple of weeks of action, the coaches saw fit to move him up to the top pairing which is certainly a sign of confidence. He scored his first goal last week and is showing signs of adapting to the different level of play fairly quickly. That, coupled with Adam Engstrom’s recall, has him in a great spot to not only stake a claim to a big role but also to potentially hold onto it, even as others (such as Tobie Paquette-Bisson) return.
Looking ahead to next season, there could be a changing of the guard on the back end. Mittelstadt will be in his first full season while Owen Protz and Bryce Pickford will be joining Laval as well. That’s a lot of rookies on a roster, especially one that could still feature one of Engstrom or David Reinbacher, a recallable veteran or two, plus some guys on AHL deals. This makes these next few weeks even more important for Mittelstadt. A strong showing down the stretch will land him a chance to play in the playoffs and really get a leg up on a spot in the top six for next season. There’s a real chance for him if he can seize it. So far, so good.