(Cleveland) Faced with a scenario where they could have been excluded from the playoff picture in the North section of the American Hockey League, the Laval Rocket players reacted by signing an important and convincing 5-1 victory against the Cleveland Monsters Saturday night at Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse.
Lias Andersson (2 goals 1 assist) and Philippe Maillet (1 goal 2 assists) were the pillars of this victory for the Rocket, who came within two points of the Belleville Senators, beaten 8-2 by the Rochester Americans more early in the day.
“We are still alive,” Andersson said in the locker room after the game. ” We are very happy. We’ll take things one day at a time. »
Lucas Condotta, in the first period, and Emil Heineman, midway through the third period, scored the other goals for Jean-François Houle’s squad. Heineman added an assist and Matthias Norlinder had two.
Goaltender Jakub Dobeš blocked 21 pucks and only conceded to Owen Sillinger in the second period.
I liked our match. I thought our players played with pride tonight. They made a good push, and when we took the lead, we played smart and didn’t commit too many turnovers. A very good match.
Jean-François Houle, head coach of the Rocket
Sillinger’s goal then allowed the Monsters to reduce the Rocket’s lead to 2-1.
But unlike Thursday against these same Monsters, who added three unanswered goals in similar circumstances in the second period, the Rocket reacted with vigor when Andersson scored his first of the match just 76 seconds later.
“Before the game, we talked about the importance of getting a lead, and staying ahead. It’s so important,” Andersson said.
“Looking back at the game two days ago, we had a 2-0 lead going into the second period. We weren’t careful enough with the puck, and they found a way to win this period 4-0,” added Andersson, who completed his double at 7:28 of the third period.
Although it occupies sixth place in the North section and is thus, for the moment, outside the playoff picture reserved for the teams occupying the first five places, the Rocket has reason to hope to delight the Last place available.
Always hope
With two games to play, the Rocket (33-29-8) has 74 points, compared to 76 for the Senators (35-28-6), who have a game in the bank, in fifth place.
The Senators will resume this match next Wednesday evening, at home, against the Syracuse Crunch.
Then next weekend, the Rocket and the Senators will meet for a series of two games in two evenings which will end the regular season for both teams.
The two clubs will cross swords in Belleville on Friday evening and will meet again 24 hours later at Place Bell.
If the Rocket wins these two games in regulation time, they will total 78 points and will rank ahead of the Senators – even if the latter win on Wednesday against the Crunch – by virtue of a better record in games won only in regulation time, which serve as the first tiebreaker.
We will then have to see what the Utica Comets (31-27-11), who are one point behind the Rocket and who will play three games in three days next weekend, will do. The Comets can still complete the season with 79 points.
On Saturday, the Toronto Marlies (34-23-12) became the fourth team to qualify for the playoffs in the North Division.
The Rocket played Saturday’s game without the services, once again, of Brandon Gignac, but also in the absence of Mitchell Stephens.
Injured to his lower body during the April 5 match against the Crunch, Gignac therefore missed a third game in a row.
As for Stephens, he suffered an upper body injury during Thursday’s game against the Monsters.
Furthermore, Saturday’s match marked Florian Xhekaj’s professional debut.
Xhekaj, who pivoted a trio completed by Riley McKay and Gabriel Bourque, was held in check.