Home ice was kind to Laval last week as they picked up a pair of victories against division-rival Syracuse while continuing their strong start defensively to the season.
The Week That Was
Oct. 18: Laval 5, Syracuse 2 – After getting sent down earlier in the week, Alex Barre-Boulet made a good first impression for Laval, scoring on his first shift against his former team. The new-look top line combined for four of the Rocket’s goals (including a pair of power play markers) which gave Jakub Dobes plenty of support to help him get his second straight win.
Oct. 19: Laval 1, Syracuse 0 – This time, offence was hard to come by for both sides who looked like they were playing their second game in less than 24 hours. Owen Beck opened the scoring in the first with his first professional goal and that was it. Connor Hughes was sharp in goal for the Rocket as he picked up his first AHL victory.
StatPack
Skaters:
| # | Player | GP | G | A | +/- | SOG | PIMS |
| 5 | Gustav Lindstrom | 2 | 0 | 1 | +3 | 2 | 2 |
| 10 | Joshua Roy | 2 | 2 | 1 | +2 | 10 | 0 |
| 12 | Alex Barre-Boulet | 2 | 2 | 2 | +2 | 4 | 2 |
| 15 | Sean Farrell | 1 | 0 | 0 | E | 3 | 0 |
| 17 | Luke Tuch | 2 | 0 | 1 | E | 3 | 0 |
| 18 | Vincent Arseneau | 1 | 0 | 0 | E | 0 | 5 |
| 21 | Riley Kidney | 1 | 0 | 0 | E | 0 | 0 |
| 23 | Tyler Wotherspoon | 2 | 0 | 2 | +3 | 0 | 0 |
| 27 | Laurent Dauphin | 2 | 0 | 0 | +1 | 1 | 4 |
| 28 | Josh Jacobs | 2 | 0 | 0 | -1 | 2 | 0 |
| 37 | Brandon Gignac | 2 | 0 | 2 | +2 | 4 | 0 |
| 42 | Lucas Condotta | 2 | 0 | 0 | E | 1 | 0 |
| 48 | Filip Mesar | 2 | 0 | 1 | -1 | 1 | 0 |
| 49 | Jared Davidson | 2 | 0 | 0 | -1 | 6 | 2 |
| 56 | Adam Engstrom | 2 | 0 | 1 | E | 0 | 2 |
| 62 | Owen Beck | 2 | 1 | 0 | -1 | 2 | 0 |
| 63 | Florian Xhekaj | 2 | 0 | 0 | +1 | 6 | 2 |
| 65 | Zack Hayes | 2 | 0 | 0 | -1 | 0 | 0 |
| 81 | Xavier Simoneau | 1 | 1 | 0 | +1 | 1 | 5 |
| 84 | William Trudeau | 2 | 0 | 0 | E | 4 | 2 |
Goalies:
| # | Player | Record | GAA | SV% | SO |
| 31 | Connor Hughes | 1-0-0 | 0.00 | 1.000 | 1 |
| 71 | Jakub Dobes | 1-0-0 | 2.00 | .926 | 0 |
Team Leaders:
Goals: Barre-Boulet/Mailloux/Roy (2)
Assists: Filip Mesar (4)
Points: Filip Mesar (5)
+/-: Lindstrom/Wotherspoon (+3)
PIMS: Simoneau/Tuch (7)
Shots: Joshua Roy (19)
News and Notes
– Vincent Arseneau and Xavier Simoneau are both listed as day-to-day due to upper-body injuries. Considering Arseneau dislocated his finger in a fight in Friday’s game, I think it can be inferred that his injury relates to that.
– Laval recalled goaltender Luke Cavallin from ECHL Trois-Rivieres.
– While not announced by either team, Jacob Perreault cleared injury protocol and was sent back down by the Habs who had him on a injured, non-roster designation. Their initial demotion of him in late September was blocked by the league.
Last Game’s Lines
Barre-Boulet – Gignac – Roy
Farrell – Condotta – Dauphin
Davidson – Beck – Mesar
Kidney – Xhekaj – Tuck
Engstrom – Trudeau
Wotherspoon – Lindstrom
Hayes – Jacobs
The Week Ahead
Friday/Saturday: vs/at Utica: While it’s still very early, the Comets are the only team in the East who hasn’t won a game yet and have really struggled offensively, scoring just five times in four games. They should get a boost on that front as New Jersey sent down defenceman Seamus Casey, an undersized but offensively-gifted blueliner who is playing in his first professional season. Former Rocket winger Nathan Legare re-signed with them in the summer but has been held off the scoresheet so far.
Final Thought
Generally speaking, teams will want to put some veterans with their prospects at the AHL level. It’s not too often that you’ll see a line of three players beginning their entry-level contract playing together. But Laval’s third line of Jared Davidson, Owen Beck, and Filip Mesar qualify. (While it’s Davidson’s second season, he spent last year on an AHL deal.)
But these three are an intriguing combination. Mesar brings plenty of offensive creativity, something we’ve seen in the early going. Davidson has primarily been in the bottom six with Laval but has shown an ability to finish in junior and plays with a bit of an edge. Beck is more cerebral and is a true two-way option. Collectively, the three bring enough elements to bring a relatively complete line to the table. But again, these complete lines generally have someone older than 22 in the AHL.
From a development standpoint, I’m curious to see if head coach Pascal Vincent keeps this trio together longer-term. Laval isn’t an old team by any stretch but there are enough veterans to spread these youngsters throughout the lineup and have them in roles that would still work for them. But if they can develop some chemistry together, there’s a chance for that to carry over, at least in part, to Montreal down the road. That’s worth exploring, especially while the team is relatively healthy up front. It’s possible that a near all-rookie line could have some struggles that will necessitate them being split up but for now, this is a line to keep an eye on, even if it’s not one that isn’t necessarily going to be driving their offence a lot of nights.