HabsWorld.net --
Laval faced a busy stretch of three games in as many days to wrap up 2023 but after dropping their first contest, they won two straight against a tough division rival to get back within striking distance of a play-in spot.
The Week That Was
December 28: Belleville 4, Laval 1 – It doesn’t seem to matter when the Rocket face the Senators, it’s not going to have a happy ending and that trend continued. They were down 3-0 early in the second and while Emil Heineman got one back late in the middle stanza, Belleville picked up their play in the third, eliminating any hope of a comeback.
December 29: Laval 3, Syracuse 2 – Kasimir Kaskisuo was put to the test early and often in his first game of the 2023-24 season (at any level), especially as the game progressed. However, some of Laval’s top forwards (Philippe Maillet and Joshua Roy) gave the Rocket the lead through 40 minutes and Nathan Legare added one early in the third that eventually stood up as the winner after Laval went into a defensive shell for most of the final frame.
December 30: Laval 4, Syracuse 1 – This time, it was the youngsters that made the difference on special teams. Laval’s first three goals were all scored on a man advantage (two of theirs, one of Syracuse’s) while Roy added one in the final minute of the second to put it out of reach. Jakub Dobes was sharp between the pipes to pick up the win.
StatPack
Skaters:
| # | Player | GP | G | A | +/- | SOG | PIMS |
| 4 | Tobie Bisson | 3 | 0 | 1 | E | 4 | 9 |
| 10 | Joshua Roy | 3 | 2 | 1 | +1 | 12 | 0 |
| 14 | Jan Mysak | 2 | 1 | 0 | E | 3 | 2 |
| 15 | Sean Farrell | 3 | 1 | 1 | -1 | 9 | 0 |
| 17 | Nathan Legare | 3 | 1 | 0 | E | 2 | 4 |
| 19 | Emil Heineman | 3 | 1 | 1 | -1 | 10 | 0 |
| 20 | Gabriel Bourque | 2 | 0 | 0 | -2 | 2 | 2 |
| 21 | Riley Kidney | 3 | 0 | 0 | +1 | 7 | 10 |
| 23 | Nolan Yaremko | 1 | 0 | 2 | +2 | 0 | 0 |
| 24 | Logan Mailloux | 3 | 0 | 1 | E | 3 | 4 |
| 25 | Brady Keeper | 1 | 0 | 0 | -2 | 0 | 10 |
| 28 | Lias Andersson | 2 | 0 | 0 | -2 | 3 | 0 |
| 29 | Mattias Norlinder | 3 | 0 | 0 | E | 1 | 0 |
| 37 | Brandon Gignac | 3 | 0 | 1 | E | 3 | 0 |
| 42 | Lucas Condotta | 3 | 0 | 0 | -3 | 3 | 2 |
| 44 | Olivier Galipeau | 2 | 0 | 0 | -1 | 5 | 2 |
| 61 | Philippe Maillet | 3 | 1 | 2 | +1 | 5 | 0 |
| 68 | Riley McKay | 2 | 0 | 0 | -1 | 1 | 22 |
| 72 | Arber Xhekaj | 3 | 1 | 3 | +1 | 5 | 5 |
| 81 | Xavier Simoneau | 3 | 0 | 2 | +1 | 3 | 2 |
| 84 | William Trudeau | 3 | 0 | 1 | -1 | 1 | 4 |
Goalies:
| # | Player | Record | GAA | SV% | SO |
| 71 | Jakub Dobes | 1-1-0 | 2.04 | .922 | 0 |
| 73 | Kasimir Kaskisuo | 1-0-0 | 2.00 | .947 | 0 |
Team Leaders:
Goals: Gignac/Roy (10)
Assists: Brandon Gignac (18)
Points: Brandon Gignac (28)
+/-: Mitchell Stephens (+7)
PIMS: Riley McKay (73)
Shots: Joshua Roy (96)
News and Notes
– When the Habs activated Jordan Harris off injured reserve, they sent Emil Heineman back to Laval to clear up the roster spot. He made a good first impression back with the only goal in Belleville.
– Nicolas Beaudin was injured in Canada’s final game at the Spengler Cup when they fell to Pardubice in the semi-final. There’s no word on if he’ll miss any time upon his return to the Rocket.
– Nolan Yaremko was a signing last year that went well under the radar but he finished up the year strong and has been similarly productive in limited minutes this season. Going back to last season, he has 11 points in 23 games with the Rocket despite playing almost exclusively on the fourth line.
Last Game’s Lines
Farrell – Gignac – Heineman
Andersson – Condotta – Bourque
Simoneau – Maillet – Roy
Kidney – Mysak – Legare
Xhekaj – Mailloux
Trudeau – Paquette-Bisson
Norlinder – Galipeau
The Week Ahead
Friday/Sunday: at Utica – Considering how bad the first couple of months went, to even talk about the playoffs now seems crazy. But the Comets are the one team that’s actually behind Laval in the division so this is certainly an opportunity to try to gain ground. Utica took the first two matchups so this is still easier said than done, especially with them now having Akira Schmid in goal as New Jersey looks to get his game back on track.
Final Thought
Is it just me or does Sean Farrell feel like the forgotten prospect in Laval? On the back end, we hear plenty about Logan Mailloux and lately, Arber Xhekaj. Up front, Joshua Roy deservedly gets a lot of attention as does Emil Heineman. Now that Lias Andersson is healthy again, he’ll start to generate some attention as a possible recall as well.
But Farrell has done well to overcome somewhat of a slow start as he adapted to the new league. Despite missing eight games due to injury, he’s only two points out of being in sole possession of third for team scoring. He has 11 points over his last 12 games even though he hasn’t been on the top line all that frequently, just the odd game here and there.
Last season, Farrell looked a bit overmatched at times after coming in down the stretch after his college season ended. But now with more professional time under his belt, it’s possible he could be ready for another look. At a minimum, he should be in consideration for recalls moving forward.
