The Rocket sent a strong message to the Springfield Thunderbirds on Sunday at the MassMutual Center by winning Game 2 of the Eastern Conference Finals 4-2.
A day after dropping the first game of the series in overtime, Jean-François Houle’s men wanted to make sure they built enough cushion to avoid an extra period. They thus threaded the needle four times in the first 40 minutes of play.
The “T-Birds” made the bet to change goalkeepers on Sunday, despite the prowess of Joel Hofer the day before. This bet did not pay off. Former Montreal Canadiens Charlie Lindgren flinched four times in 26 attempts.
On the other side of the rink, Cayden Primeau was once again flawless. The young goalkeeper made 33 parades in victory, despite numerous attempts by the Thunderbirds to distract him, sometimes at the limit of legality.
“Cayden made the key saves. It is sure that when a goalkeeper does [cela], they will try to disturb him. These are things that happen in the playoffs,” noted Houle after the game.
“[Primeau] was exceptional, added Jesse Ylönen. He has improved a lot this season. The more important the matches, the better it is.”
Ylönen was also one of the executioners of Lindgren, amassing three points. The Finnish winger did not wait to stand out by being an accomplice to Brandon Gignac’s fourth elimination success in the first period.
Shortly after, Ylönen roamed the entire neutral zone with the puck before beating Lindgren with a swift wrist shot. At the end of the second period, he finally allowed Rafaël Harvey-Pinard to get his first goal of the playoffs by distributing the puck to him in a two against one.
“It felt good to score a goal the same way, admitted the native of Jonquière. I will be more confident with my stick in the next games. It will take the pressure off my shoulders.”
It was veteran Alex Belzile who scored the winning goal early in the middle period. Danick Martel rounded the net before serving him a perfect pass, allowing him to double his team’s lead.
Mackenzie MacEachern and Klim Kostin hit the mark in a losing cause.
The two teams will meet at Place Bell on Wednesday for the third game of the series.
“Taking the lead is a very important thing in the playoffs, concluded the Rocket driver. Even if we can count a good crowd, we will have to control our emotions.