(Laval) The difference between a team that is fighting for the title of its division and another that is hanging on as best it can for a place in the playoffs was striking on Friday evening.
Jack Finley broke the deadlock midway through the third period and the Syracuse Crunch defeated the Laval Rocket 3-1, in front of the largest crowd in the history of Place Bell for a hockey game.
The 10,307 spectators present undoubtedly expected to see their favorites jump onto the ice with a knife between their teeth, but the Crunch (38-22-6) showed why they were only a few points away from securing a place in the playoffs.
Deploying an intensity and energy reminiscent of the bulls let loose in the streets of Pamplona, the visitors constantly applied pressure on their opponents in addition to being very tight defensively. At one point, the Syracuse team did not allow a single shot on goal for 25 minutes and 55 seconds.
And when it was time to deal a hard blow, Finley only had to redirect a pass from Gage Concalves during a power play to put the Rocket (31-28-8) in trouble.
“It’s a team that is well structured and it’s difficult to create opportunities in attack,” analyzed defender William Trudeau. These are players who are intense and fast. It’s hard to create games when they’re always in your face. We simply should have found solutions to bring the momentum back to our side. »
One thing is certain, Jakub Dobes did everything possible to give energy to his teammates. Without his brilliant performance, Laval would probably no longer have been in the game from the second start.
The 22-year-old goalkeeper made 31 saves, including several spectacular ones, and kept his team in the match until the very end. The Rocket was never really able to turn the tide, however.
“Jakub was very good tonight, as he has been all season. It’s frustrating because as a team we feel like we let him down a bit. We have to learn from it, and there are still five big games to go,” said defender Justin Barron, who was the only scorer for his team.
Find your composure
The Montreal Canadiens’ farm club will not have much room to maneuver during these five remaining games. He remained at 70 points in the standings, but was joined in fifth place by the Belleville Senators, who blanked the Springfield Thunderbirds 3-0. Additionally, the Senators (32-27-6) have two games in hand.
If he wants to stay above the fateful red line, the Rocket will have to regain his composure in attack. The team has lost three of its last four outings and has scored just six goals during that stretch.
“It’s a lot more complicated to score goals at the moment. I think we need to throw a little more at the net. Tonight, I liked our first period, but not our second. In the third, we did some good things, but we need more time in the offensive zone and generate more offense. Our cohesion was not there for three periods,” observed head coach Jean-François Houle.
“We try to find combinations with different players, but it’s not easy to score goals. We will still [rendre au Crunch ce qui lui revient] : He plays very well defensively and keeps you on the outside. »
The Laval troop will also have to have the support of everyone who puts on skates.
I think we’re looking at a few players at the moment. The players have to be ready and they have to look in the mirror.
Jean-François Houle, head coach of the Rocket
Daniel Walcott and Shawn Element, in an empty net, also moved the ropes for the Crunch, who obtained a second victory in a row. Brandon Halverson blocked 25 pucks.
The Rocket will return to action in front of its fans this Saturday afternoon, when the Thunderbirds will visit Place Bell.
Crunch Domination
Aware of the stakes, the two teams played a real game of chess in the neutral zone in the first 10 minutes.
The Rocket finally launched hostilities during a power play, with a little less than seven minutes remaining in the period. Barron tried twice to deceive Halverson’s vigilance, while Mitchell Stephens blocked his view.
Things got lively from the first moments of the second period and the two section rivals believed they had threaded the needle.
Cole Koepke first saw the puck slip between Dobes’ pads and just to the left of the post. Less than a minute later, Trudeau and Lias Andersson missed a golden opportunity with the net open.
The match changed in the last 15 minutes of the second period. The Crunch fired no less than 12 shots and managed to tie the game through Walcott, who saw the puck hit him before crossing the red line.
The visitors did not reduce the pressure in the final third and took the lead during a numerical superiority. David Reinbacher had been sitting on the bench for just 12 seconds when Finley scored.
The Rocket’s first shot in almost 26 minutes, that of Sean Farrell, started a constant push and the fans had a new lease of life. The Laval team tried to take advantage by removing their goalkeeper at the end of the match, but Element put the last nail in the coffin.