(Laval) Devante Smith-Pelly has experience. Four years ago, he lifted the Stanley Cup in a Washington Capitals uniform. During this spring of 2018, the striker even found himself in a situation identical to that of the Rocket this spring: behind 2-3 in the semi-finals.
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The Capitals eventually won Games 6 and 7 against Tampa – back when the Lightning occasionally lost playoffs – and then beat Vegas in the Finals.
Here’s the Laval Rocket trailing the Springfield Thunderbirds 2-3 after a 3-2 loss on Saturday at Place Bell. A goal by veteran James Neal, scored after 18:35 of play in the first overtime, put an end to hostilities.
The Rocket must now win its next two games to continue its season. Both of these games will take place in Springfield on Monday and, if necessary, Wednesday.
So, Smith-Pelly’s message to his teammates?
Simply play. It’s fun… not to be late in a series, but to be back in a series. Our youngsters have been incredible during our journey, and if I have one thing to say to them, it is to take advantage of it.
Devante Smith-Pelly
The Rocket have already been in peril in this tournament. In the first round, he was 39 seconds from being eliminated by the Syracuse Crunch, when Cédric Paquette scored to force overtime. The Laval residents’ season could have ended on May 17; it will continue at least until June 13.
“We have already experienced these moments, recalled the head coach of the Rocket, Jean-François Houle. We just have to show up and play hockey. We have no pressure. There is zero pressure on us. »
wear and tear
Are these beautiful words the equivalent of the cat who knows he is sick, but who purrs all the same to give himself the strength to continue? Leave the scholarly animal theories to others.
In real life, it appears that the Rocket gives its opponents too many opportunities to get back into the game. The CH school club gave themselves a 2-0 lead halfway through this fifth game, thanks to two goals from Rafaël Harvey-Pinard.
But the team seems unable to get rid of two recurring problems. The first is indiscipline. The team received seven penalties, including a double minor to Alex Belzile for roughing it. If that four-minute penalty can be defended – Belzile came to the defense of Cayden Primeau, who received a visit from Dakota Joshua – the accumulation is hard for Houle to accept. Even if his penalty kill units remain perfect in this series.
” It’s way too much. We have to control our sticks, our emotions, thundered the head coach. We are talking about it. But the disadvantage does a great job of washing away the penalties and keeping us in the game. I’m very proud of that. »
I don’t know if all the penalties are deserved, but you have to find a way to avoid the penalty box.
Xavier Ouellet
The other problem is the shots awarded. Primeau may be a 22-year-old, but he will eventually give in to volume. The hope of CH has faced 133 shots in the last three games, an average of 44.3 per game. He’s had 32 or more shots in 11 of 12 games this spring.
“He’s definitely going to start to get tired,” Houle said. tomorrow [dimanche], he’s going to take a nice little day off. »
On the other end, the Rocket was guilty of a few blunders, which prevented him from finishing off the opponent. In the middle of overtime, the team had a surplus, but Danick Martel went into the void when it came time to shoot. Jean-Sébastien Dea could have played the hero again, as he had done in overtime in Rochester, but Charlie Lindgren stopped him on the breakaway. “We had our chances, we could have won,” said Houle.
But the Rocket only shot Lindgren 27 times in nearly four periods.
Harvey-Pinard may stack the goals (he has scored five in his last four games), he will need support. He is having a great tournament. His defensive withdrawal, thirty seconds before his first goal, did not go unnoticed. “He was our best player in the playoffs,” Smith-Pelly said.
He and Primeau are the big winners of this course of the Rocket in the playoffs so far, among the hopes of the CH organization. Except that for the experience to continue, their teammates will also have to give a boost.