Rocket Weekly: Starting a New Win Streak
After seeing their franchise-record eight-game win streak end, Laval has a new one underway after they took all three of their games against division rivals to cap off their five-game road trip.
The Week That Was
Nov. 13: Laval 3, Rochester 2 (OT) – The Rocket got off to a sluggish start in this one but Jakub Dobes was sharp to allow them time to get going. Eventually, Laval picked up a pair of goals in the third period to take the lead but Anton Wahlberg got the equalizer just 13 seconds after Alex Barre-Boulet tallied the go-ahead goal, forcing overtime. In the extra session, Laval got a late power play and took advantage as Logan Mailloux fired home the winner with 21 seconds left.
Nov. 15: Laval 4, Syracuse 3 (SO) – The second period was eventful in this one, to put it lightly. Syracuse scored twice in the first 3:29 but then the Rocket got in on the fun. Jared Davidson scored twice in 32 seconds to quickly tie it up before Vincent Arseneau gave them their first (and only) lead of the game. After Milo Roelens tied it up in the third, Davidson was the only player to score in the shootout, giving Laval the extra point.
Nov. 16: Laval 4, Rochester 1 – Once again, Laval didn’t get off to a great start and this time, it was Connor Hughes keeping it close. Laurent Dauphin scored some timely goals in this one to give the Rocket the win. His first was a shorthanded marker in the final minute of the first period while his second – the game-winner – was a buzzer-beater in the second. Gustav Lindstrom and Dauphin then added empty-netters to seal the deal.
StatPack
Skaters:
| # | Player | GP | G | A | +/- | SOG | PIMS |
| 5 | Gustav Lindstrom | 3 | 1 | 0 | -1 | 1 | 0 |
| 10 | Joshua Roy | 3 | 0 | 1 | E | 10 | 0 |
| 12 | Alex Barre-Boulet | 2 | 1 | 1 | -1 | 2 | 0 |
| 15 | Sean Farrell | 3 | 0 | 1 | E | 6 | 0 |
| 17 | Luke Tuch | 3 | 1 | 0 | -1 | 8 | 2 |
| 18 | Vincent Arseneau | 3 | 1 | 3 | E | 3 | 0 |
| 21 | Riley Kidney | 3 | 0 | 1 | +1 | 3 | 4 |
| 23 | Tyler Wotherspoon | 3 | 0 | 0 | -1 | 1 | 0 |
| 24 | Logan Mailloux | 3 | 1 | 1 | E | 8 | 2 |
| 27 | Laurent Dauphin | 3 | 3 | 2 | +4 | 12 | 0 |
| 28 | Josh Jacobs | 2 | 0 | 0 | +1 | 2 | 2 |
| 34 | Jacob Perreault | 1 | 0 | 0 | -1 | 0 | 0 |
| 37 | Brandon Gignac | 3 | 0 | 0 | E | 5 | 2 |
| 49 | Jared Davidson | 3 | 2 | 0 | +1 | 6 | 2 |
| 56 | Adam Engstrom | 3 | 0 | 2 | +1 | 4 | 0 |
| 62 | Owen Beck | 3 | 0 | 1 | E | 2 | 2 |
| 63 | Florian Xhekaj | 3 | 0 | 0 | -2 | 1 | 8 |
| 65 | Zack Hayes | 1 | 0 | 0 | +1 | 0 | 7 |
| 81 | Xavier Simoneau | 3 | 0 | 2 | +2 | 5 | 6 |
| 84 | William Trudeau | 3 | 0 | 2 | +1 | 6 | 2 |
Goalies:
| # | Player | Record | GAA | SV% | SO |
| 31 | Connor Hughes | 1-0-0 | 1.00 | .962 | 0 |
| 71 | Jakub Dobes | 2-0-0 | 2.32 | .918 | 0 |
Shootout – Skaters:
| # | Player | G/ATT |
| 10 | Joshua Roy | 0/1 |
| 24 | Logan Mailloux | 0/1 |
| 49 | Jared Davidson | 1/1 |
Shootout – Goalies:
| # | Player | SVS/SF |
| 71 | Jakub Dobes | 3/3 |
Team Leaders:
Goals: Joshua Roy (7)
Assists: Alex Barre-Boulet (9)
Points: Barre-Boulet/Roy (13)
+/-: Beck/Hayes (+9)
PIMS: Simoneau/Tuch (22)
Shots: Joshua Roy (48)
News and Notes
– Jared Davidson was supposed to be out week-to-week with a lower-body injury. Instead, he only missed a week and returned to the lineup for the first Rochester game.
– Alex Barre-Boulet suffered a lower-body injury against Syracuse. There’s no word on how long he’ll be out yet but he missed the second game against the Amerks.
– Sean Farrell picked up an assist against the Crunch. That in itself isn’t noteworthy but it was his first point of the season after being held off the scoresheet in his first 11 games.
– Montreal assigned Rafael Harvey-Pinard to Laval on an LTIR conditioning loan. Those typically last up to three games and six days but can be extended by two games with league approval.
Last Game’s Lines
Tuch – Gignac – Roy
Farrell – Beck – Davidson
Kidney – Dauphin – Simoneau
Arseneau – Xhekaj – Perreault
Trudeau – Engstrom
Wotherspoon – Mailloux
Hayes – Lindstrom
The Week Ahead
Wednesday vs Rochester – After two tough games against them last week, why not one more? The Amerks have lost four straight but have played Laval tough in their first three matchups this season. They lost Jiri Kulich to a recall before the second game of the week but there’s a good chance he’ll be sent back down by this game. Former Hab Kale Clague sits second on Rochester in points by a defenceman with five through 14 games so far this season.
Friday/Saturday vs/at Belleville – Laval caps off their week with a home-and-home set against a Senators team that snapped their winning streak earlier in the month. Belleville has picked up a point in 10 of their first 12 games this season despite missing their starter Mads Sogaard for most of the season while backup Leevi Merilainen was injured earlier this month against the Rocket. Garrett Pilon is in the top five league-wide in assists with 12 while Jeremy Davies is one of the top-scoring blueliners with 10 points.
Final Thought
The play of Adam Engstrom is starting to attract some attention. He got off to a strong start before struggling for a few games but he has quickly adapted and is becoming a difference-maker quickly while playing in some different spots in the lineup. While he was playing professionally before this season, there’s still an adaptation period but evidently, it hasn’t taken long for him to go through that. Playing his off-side, though a side he often played in Sweden, makes it more impressive.
It’s not as if he’s lighting it up offensively either. One goal and six assists in 14 games is decent but nowhere near the level Logan Mailloux was at last season, for example. The impressive part is how he’s using his skating to affect the game, both in transition on the attack and on defence.
And that’s where his utility to the Habs is going to come one day. Montreal likes to attack as a wave and Engstrom’s penchant for skating should augment that while defensively, having someone who can get back and break up plays, kick-start a breakout, and has good defensive awareness can only help on a team that is, well, a little inconsistent on those fronts most nights.
The good news is that the Canadiens can be patient with him. Engstrom could probably play for them in a pinch right now but there’s no risk in letting a player like him ‘marinate’, so to speak. He’s capable of being an impact offensive player and that could come with time, especially if he’s left to continue to develop uninterrupted with the Rocket. It’s still early, of course, but Engstrom is certainly off to an encouraging start.