June 1st at 5 PM ET is a time of some significance in the NHL as it results in teams losing the rights to some of their unsigned prospects. This was the case for the Habs who have officially relinquished the rights to goaltender Joe Vrbetic.
Laval had a chance to even up the Eastern Conference Final on Thursday night but a total collapse in the second period was too much to overcome as they fell 5-2.
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.
In their first must-win game of the playoffs, Laval put forth their best game of the postseason. They scored early and often, defeating Rochester 5-0 to move onto the Eastern Conference Final.
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.