Game Thoughts: Statement Win Sends Laval to East Final
The Laval Rocket eliminated the Rochester Americans in Game 5 of the North Division Finals on Sunday, dispatching the Americans 5-0 at Place Bell. Laval will move on to face the Charlotte Checkers in the Eastern Conference Final beginning on Wednesday.
Coach Pascal Vincent made multiple lineup changes, mostly due to injury and health. Xavier Simoneau returned to the lineup after missing the last two games. He slotted back onto the third line, replacing Luke Tuch, who came out of the lineup after a lacklustre performance in Game 4.
All three defensive pairings were switched up, with Zack Hayes making his playoff debut, pencilling in for the injured William Trudeau. He’s on the first pairing with David Reinbacher, Adam Engstrom was dropped to the third pairing with Cayden Lindstrom, and veteran Noel Hoefenmayer moved up to the second pairing with Logan Mailloux. Cayden Primeau got the start in net, breaking the pattern created by Vincent by playing his second game in a row.
Gignac – Dauphin – Barre-Boulet
Farrell – Kapanen – Roy
Harvey-Pinard – Condotta – Simoneau
Davidson – Xhekaj – Beck
Hayes – Reinbacher
Hoefenmayer – Mailloux
Engstrom – Lindstrom
Primeau
Game Thoughts
1) Primeau got the nod and I think it’s the right decision; it’s the one I would have made. He looks great early on. He looks calm; it’s what the Rocket needs. It was a quick start for both squads, with the Rocket and the Americans getting quality chances early on. Brandon Gignac has looked good on the first line so far. His game is much more hustle-focused than Sean Farrell’s. He’s creating more offence than he has on the second line. SImoneau’s snarl replaces Tuch’s physicality excellently.
2) The Rocket got their first power play seven minutes into the first. The first unit created a good chance in front but couldn’t finish. Beck was working the right side instead of the left on the second unit, with Davidson on the right. This means that the second wave lost both one-timers. The second unit gave up a big chance to the shorthanded Americans at the end of the man advantage, but Primeau made a huge save. Laval got another shot at the power play just a minute after the first ended. The first unit converted on the second attempt, Mailloux to Barre-Boulet and #12 made no mistake, wiring a shot past Devon Levi to make it 1-0 Rocket.
3) Laval was buzzing after the goal. The ice was certainly tilted in favour of the Rocket, and they took a 2-0 lead with just under six minutes left in the first. This time, it was Sean Farrell tipping a Zack Hayes point shot from the high slot. Laval continued to push the pace after the goal. Simoneau was a welcome presence; his consistent feistiness is a gift to the Rockets’ third line. After dominating for the majority of the period, the Rocket ended it on their heels, with Primeau making two big stops in the final 30 seconds of the frame. Primeau stood out all period; more than a couple of his 10 stops were quality saves.
4) Laval tripled down on its lead just 20 seconds into the second period. Simoneau and Harvey-Pinard got tangled up in the offensive zone, but Simoneau managed to squeeze a pass into the slot for Lucas Condotta, who beat Devon Levi five-hole for his third of the postseason. It wasn’t a goal Levi should have allowed, but the Rocket aren’t complaining. Laval got another by Levi just under five minutes into the frame, but it would be called back for goalie interference. I’m not going to comment on the call, but that fourth goal probably would have been it for Levi had it stood.
5) Primeau made a huge save just minutes after the overturned goal, stuffing Konsta Helenius on the breakaway. Primeau would have to be solid for the next few minutes as Rochester mounted its first sustained attack of the period just over a quarter into the period. A missed icing call would put a stop to the action and interrupt Rochester’s momentum, allowing Laval to return to the attack. I’m not sure if Farrell was the right addition to Kapanen-Roy. The line is missing a true forechecking presence and Farrell is as far as you can get from that. It’s created some good offence but is too opportunistic for my liking (I’ll eat these words later).
6) Missing two key pieces, Laval’s defence still looks solid. Logan Mailloux specifically looked defensively responsible after a rough Game 4. Mailloux’s decision-making was sound, and midway through the game, he hadn’t made an obvious mistake. Laval entered the zone with ease all period long, creating 3-on-2 opportunities with good play through the neutral zone. The Kapanen line had two good rush chances with seven minutes left in the period, but neither created high-danger scoring chances on a rattled Levi.
7) It seems like Pascal Vincent can’t send the fourth line out without Florian Xhekaj taking a roughing penalty. The trio hasn’t seen the ice a whole lot, and Xhekaj sent the Rocket to the penalty kill after the line put together its best sequence of the day. Both the Rocket, and Primeau looked good on their first penalty kill. Laval limited the chances to the perimeter, and Primeau made a big stop on Rochester’s best chance a minute in. The third line added to their positive game with Lucas Condotta drawing a penalty in the offensive zone with 2:20 left in the frame. Laval looked good on the power play once again and converted quickly, with Roy scoring his third goal in three games thanks to an unreal feed from Farrell. Roy glided into the slot and beat Levi cleanly on the blocker side to put the Rocket up four. Rochester was obviously demoralized for the final minute of the period, and Laval was buzzing with its 4-0 lead.
8) Laval didn’t get the start it wanted, with Lindstrom picking up a weak cross-checking penalty just 20 seconds into the frame, sending the Rocket to their second penalty kill of the game. Captain Condotta created a shorthanded opportunity against Rochester’s first unit, and Dauphin created one against the second. All Hell broke loose in the final seconds of the penalty as Primeau made two huge saves before the loose rebound caused pandemonium in the crease, highlighted by Primeau, missing his blocker, dolphin diving onto the pile before the whistle was blown.
9) When the Rocket are playing like this, it’s easy to see why they finished first in the AHL. When this team is clicking, they’re unstoppable. Additionally, Cayden Primeau was the best goaltender on the ice tonight. He was all-encompassing and in complete control. With 10 minutes left in the third, Kapanen would make it 5-0 with a blast from the left circle. Roy picked up his third point of the night, and Engstrom created the opportunity with a steal at Rochester’s blue line.
10) I’ll repeat myself here: when the Rocket are clicking, they’re unstoppable. After the first five minutes of back-and-forth action in the first, Laval dominated for the rest of the game, especially in the third period. They made a statement in the final frame. Laval didn’t sit back on their heels and continued to push play, keeping Rochester on its heels. Xhekaj would pick up another penalty (this time an offsetting minor), and Jared Davidson appeared to suffer an upper-body injury blocking a shot shortly after which will be worth keeping an eye on in the coming days.
HW Habs 3 Stars
1st Star: Cayden Primeau – Primeau was fantastic all night on Sunday. He made at least ten quality stops, and this Rochester could have easily had three goals without him. Habs fans clamoured for Pascal Vincent to give the reins to top prospect Jacob Fowler for the rest of the postseason after a couple good starts. Cayden Primeau has given Vincent every reason not to. His performance in Game 5 will certainly guarantee him the start for Game 1 in Charlotte.
Stats: 27 saves on 27 shots, 0.00 GAA, 1.000 SV%
2nd Star: Sean Farrell – I have a lot of opinions about Sean Farrell’s feasibility in the NHL, but he was arguably Laval’s best forward on Sunday. On a new line with Oliver Kapanen and Joshua Roy, Farrell used his IQ to facilitate play at 5-on-5. On the power play, he was just about perfect. Farrell has a gift for one-touch plays and saving broken sequences, and Kapanen has the vision to capitalize on Farrell’s saves.
Stats: 1 goal, 2 assists, +2 rating, 2 shots
3rd Star: Joshua Roy: Roy has had an underwhelming postseason, to say the least; this was his best game so far. It wasn’t just his best on the scoresheet but on the ice as well. On Sunday, I watched Joshua Roy hit harder, hustle more, and commit to defence through the neutral zone. His last three games have all been his best, and he’s raised the bar for his play in Round 3.
Stats: 1 goal, 2 assists, +2 rating, 3 shots