A late-season hot streak allowed Laval to come back from the bottom of the North Division and get into the four-five matchup. They’ll be taking on New Jersey’s affiliate in Utica in a best-of-three series. Here’s an overview of the matchup.
Schedule
Wednesday in Laval
Friday in Utica
Saturday in Utica (if necessary)
Season Series
Nov. 11: Laval 5, Utica 4 (OT)
Nov. 30: Laval 3, Utica 2 (OT)
Dec. 14: Laval 5, Utica 2
Feb. 11: Laval 6, Utica 2
Mar. 17: Utica 3, Laval 2
Mar. 18: Laval 4, Utica 1
Team Comparison
| Category | Utica Comets | Laval Rocket |
| Record | 35-27-6-4 (80 points) | 33-29-7-3 (76 points) |
| Division Rank | 4th | 5th |
| Conference Rank | 10th | 11th |
| League Rank | 17th | 22nd |
| Home Record | 18-11-3-4 | 18-10-5-3 |
| Away Record | 17-16-3-0 | 15-19-2-0 |
| Goals Scored | 215 | 258 |
| Goals Allowed | 222 | 247 |
| Power Play | 37/234 (15.8%) | 68/302 (22.5%) |
| Penalty Kill | 161/208 (77.4%) | 211/279 (75.6%) |
| PP vs Opponent | 2/24 (8.3%) | 5/19 (26.3%) |
Top Scorers – Head-To-Head
| Utica Comets | Laval Rocket |
| Samuel Laberge – 5 GP, 3-1-4, 4 PIMS, +3 | Anthony Richard – 4 GP, 4-6-10, 14 PIMS, +8 |
| Reilly Walsh – 4 GP, 2-2-4, 4 PIMS, +1 | Mitchell Stephens – 5 GP, 5-1-6, 2 PIMS, +3 |
| Brian Halonen – 6 GP, 1-3-4, 2 PIMS, E | Corey Schueneman – 6 GP, 1-4-5, 2 PIMS, +4 |
| Arnie Talvitie – 5 GP, 1-3-4, 0 PIMS, +2 | Brandon Gignac – 5 GP, 3-1-4, 2 PIMS, +1 |
| Andreas Johnsson – 3 GP, 1-2-3, 12 PIMS, -1 | Gabriel Bourque – 6 GP, 1-3-4, 2 PIMS, +1 |
Johnsson is no longer with Utica having been moved to San Jose as part of the Timo Meier trade. Stephens has been ruled out for the series due to an injury.
Top Scorers – Season
| Utica Comets | Laval Rocket |
| Graeme Clarke – 68 GP, 25-33-58 | Anthony Richard – 60 GP, 30-37-67 |
| Reilly Walsh – 71 GP, 9-32-41 | Peter Abbandonato – 66 GP, 11-35-46 |
| Nolan Foote – 55 GP, 20-17-37 | Mitchell Stephens – 68 GP, 20-21-41 |
| Joe Gambardella – 59 GP, 10-25-35 | Joel Teasdale – 58 GP, 23-15-38 |
| Ryan Schmelzer – 68 GP, 6-29-35 | Xavier Simoneau – 62 GP, 6-32-38 |
Top Goaltenders – Head-To-Head
| Utica Comets | Laval Rocket |
| Isaac Poulter – 3 GP, 1-0-2, 3.20 GAA, .894 SV% | Cayden Primeau – 3 GP, 2-1-0, 2.03 GAA, .935 SV% |
| Mackenzie Blackwood – 1 GP, 0-1-0, 4.09 GAA, .818 SV% | Kevin Poulin – 3 GP, 3-0-0, 2.55 GAA, .927 SV% |
Top Goaltenders – Season
| Utica Comets | Laval Rocket |
| Nico Daws – 33 GP, 16-14-3, 2.70 GAA, .904 SV% | Cayden Primeau – 41 GP, 19-15-6, 3.04 GAA, .909 SV% |
| Akira Schmid – 23 GP, 11-7-4, 2.62 GAA, .905 SV% | Kevin Poulin – 28 GP, 12-12-3, 3.18 GAA, .890 SV% |
Schmid is currently up with New Jersey and is expected to remain with them to start the NHL playoffs.