While the Habs went out in five games at the hands of Washington in the opening round of the playoffs, they were still able to show how far along the rebuild has come. At the same time, they also showed they have a long way to go to become contenders.
After a couple of days off, Laval was back in action on Wednesday to open their series against Charlotte. After starting their last two series strong, they did no such thing in this one, falling 5-1.
With the North Division title now secured, Laval will now take aim at the Eastern Conference title as they take on Florida’s affiliate, the Charlotte Checkers. Here’s a look at the series ahead.
Laval needed to take two of three games at home against Rochester to move on to the Eastern Conference Final. One of those games was especially rough but they were sharp in the other two, allowing them to make the final four for the second time in the last four years.
Laval had a chance to move on to the Eastern Conference Final if they could beat Rochester on Friday night. Instead, they had a night to forget all around as the Americans tied the series with a 5-1 win.
After splitting the first section of the North Division Final in Rochester, Laval returned home on Wednesday to kick off the home segment. It took a three-goal third-period breakout but the Rocket took care of business with a 4-1 victory.
After a very long break between rounds, Laval kicked off the North Division Final with their two road games in Rochester. In a pair of back-and-forth affairs, they were able to split them, putting themselves in a good spot with the rest of the series being played on home ice.
Following an eventful win in Wednesday’s series opener, Laval looked to make it two straight road wins to start the series on Friday. However, a late power play goal from the Americans was the difference-maker as Rochester picked up the 5-3 win.
After a lengthy break, Laval kicked off the North Division Final on Wednesday on the road in Rochester. Despite featuring two top goalies, this was a back-and-forth high-scoring affair but Oliver Kapanen’s first goal late in the third broke a 4-4 tie to give the Rocket the opening game.
After taking care of business in their first playoff series against Cleveland, Laval now turns its sights on coming out of the North Division as they get set for a best-of-five series against Rochester, Buffalo’s top affiliate.