HabsWorld.net -- 

Laval’s long stretch of home games came to an end last week on a bad note but they were nonetheless able to clinch a playoff spot and hold onto first overall heading into a long road trip.

The Week That Was

Mar. 28: Laval 4, Toronto 1 – The second period in this game was the real difference-maker.  The Marlies pounded 20 shots on Cayden Primeau but he turned aside all of them.  Meanwhile, the Rocket picked up two power play goals in the frame, giving them a three-goal lead heading into the third, one they wouldn’t relinquish to officially clinch them a playoff spot.

Mar. 29: Lehigh Valley 3, Laval 1 – This one got off to a tough start as the Phantoms scored in the opening minute and did well to largely keep Laval’s offence in check for most of the game, something that was a bit surprising given that they’re a team that struggles a lot defensively.  Nonetheless, they had a three-goal lead heading to the third and while Sean Farrell scored to make it interesting, they couldn’t get any closer than that.

StatPack

Skaters:

Goalies:

Team Leaders:

Goals: Laurent Dauphin (24)
Assists: Alex Barre-Boulet (34)
Points: Alex Barre-Boulet (54)
+/-: Laurent Dauphin (+22)
PIMS: Florian Xhekaj (159)
Shots: Joshua Roy (164)

News and Notes

– Laval added a second forward from the college ranks, inking Mark Estapa to a tryout agreement.  He had a dozen points in 35 games in a fourth-line role for Michigan this season, playing on the same team as 2024 first-rounder Michael Hage.

– With that addition, Jakov Novak was returned to ECHL Trois-Rivieres.  Additionally, Alex Beaucage was cleared to return from his injury and was also sent to the Lions.

– Logan Mailloux is in a bit of a slump offensively.  He has just two assists in his last 10 games, resulting in him now being on pace for fewer points than his rookie season.  Granted, more of the focus for him this year has been on the defensive side of things but they’re still counting on him to be a difference-maker offensively.

Last Game’s Lines

Farrell – Dauphin – Barre-Boulet
Kidney – Condotta – Simoneau
Davidson – Beck – Mesar
Arseneau – Xhekaj – Dineen

Wotherspoon – Lindstrom
Hoefenmayer – Engstrom
Trudeau – Mailloux

The Week Ahead

Tuesday/Wednesday at Manitoba – This has not been a particularly strong season for the Moose who entered this back-to-back set as the lowest-scoring team in the league.  On top of that, they’re without starting goaltender Chris Driedger who was recently brought up to Winnipeg with Eric Comrie on baby watch.  Manitoba largely has veterans leading the way in scoring but 2022 first-rounder Brad Lambert is second on the team in points with 33 but only five of those are goals.

Saturday/Sunday at Abbotsford – The Canucks are the hottest team in the AHL entering the week with nine straight victories.  However, Laval could be catching them at the right time as five of their top-ten scorers (including leading scorer Aatu Raty) are up with Vancouver.  They will, however, have their starting goalie back with Arturs Silovs being sent down last week with Thatcher Demko back in Vancouver’s lineup.

Final Thought

In his first two seasons with Laval, Xavier Simoneau proved that he could be an effective player, bringing plenty of energy to the table along with being a quality secondary scorer.  His first year helped earn him an entry-level contract and he picked up 37 and 38 points in those first two years, respectively.

This year, the offence has dried up.  Heading into the week, he had just four goals and 15 assists in 49 games.  Granted, Simoneau hasn’t been much of a scorer in the minors; even in those first two seasons, he didn’t reach double digits in that regard.  But at a time when Laval is getting a relatively balanced attack, Simoneau seems to be an outlier in that his point total has largely dried up to half of what it was a year ago.

Looking ahead to the playoffs, Laval will need some consistent production from their second line, a unit that Simoneau has been part of for a while now.  As the one with the longest history of offensive success (granted, that’s not saying a lot), he needs to find a way over these final few weeks to become more impactful in that regard.  As someone whose style of play is conducive to the playoffs, he could be a real wild card heading into the postseason.