Sports teams sometimes need a little jolt to turn their season around. If he can take the form of the two defeats suffered during the last weekend, the Laval Rocket will not complain.
Two losses in a row don’t seem too dramatic in the world of hockey, but when they occur in the middle of the playoff race, against an immediate rival, there is reason to dwell on it a little more.
The Montreal Canadiens’ farm club was slapped by the Toronto Marlies in front of packed stands on Friday and Saturday, missing an opportunity to take a step forward in the North Division standings. After the second defeat, in particular, it would have been possible to hear a pin drop in the Laval locker room because the atmosphere was so heavy.
Sunday’s day off seemed to realign the chakras, as Rocket players and coaches had a good chat before taking part in a spirited practice at Place Bell on Monday.
“When defeats like that happen, you have to move on. We spoke face to face and we had a good meeting this morning. Now we move forward. We are still in the playoff race and we still have a lot of time left. We just have to make sure we don’t have too many defeats,” said head coach Jean-François Houle after training.
The objective is of course to avoid the same collapse as in November and December. At that time, the Laval residents suffered nine defeats in a row, but they returned to the playoff picture when everything suddenly fell into place.
Even if the two losses against the Marlies were a big blow to the morale of the Rocket, Houle kept the same mentality as during the previous failures and he did not give in to panic.
“We’re not happy with how it happened, because it’s sectional games, but we have to roll up our sleeves and be ready to work for what’s coming. Looking at the schedule, we play the Belleville Senators four times and the Marlies twice in March. It will be up to us to be better,” he said.
Is it possible that this is a turning point in the season?
“100%,” insisted forward Brandon Gignac. We had one at the start of the season and I think this is our second. This is the little kick in the behind that we are going to give ourselves. We know we have a great team, it just has to click. »
Gignac’s optimism is shared by his head coach. Houle is also convinced that the solution lies in the locker room and that he does not need reinforcements through a transaction.
“It’s up to us to find the solution in the locker room and use our young people so that they continue to develop,” he observed. Yes, we want to make the playoffs, but it’s also important that our kids develop the right way. Going for a veteran who will take the place of a young person to try to win at all costs, no. We are not there as an organization. »
The opportunity to get back to winning ways will take place against the Islanders in Bridgeport on Wednesday evening. The Islanders have the worst record in the American Hockey League (16-28-7).
The two teams crossed swords in Bridgeport a little over a week ago, in the last match of a series of three in three days. The Rocket showed good results despite fatigue, but lost 2-1 in overtime.
“We made almost no mistakes and almost no scoring chances. If we play the same way, we still have a chance to win, expressed Houle. We have to make sure we play well defensively and be responsible. »