The Montreal Canadiens AHL affiliate with a perfect weekend
by Chris G, Rocket Sports, Montreal Canadiens blogger
The Laval Rocket began a sequence of three consecutive games against the Utica Comets (New Jersey Devils) with a home-and-home on Friday at Place Bell and the following night on the road. The Comets headed into the weekend with no wins in four contests since the start of the season.
Friday: Utica Comets 3 - Laval Rocket 4
Zack Hayes opened the scoring in the first period with his first AHL goal since April 15, 2023 when he was wearing the uniform of the Comets. In the second period, Joshua Roy and Laurent Dauphin increased the lead with a pair of goals in a span of 90 seconds.
The visitors cut the deficit to two goals early in the third period, when Florian Xhekaj ripped a one-timer in the back of the net for his first career AHL goal.
“[Luke] Tuch made the play to [Riley] Kidney and Kidney found me in the slot. I just found some open area and I shot it, aimed for the top corner, and luckily it went in,” Xhekaj described the goal. The 8,975 fans inside the building gave a loud ovation as the public announcer called his name. “A couple of guys after I scored were ‘When we scored our first goal, the crowd did not act like that.’ It’s pretty cool to hear. Obviously the fans like me, and my style of play. They’re happy that I scored and I was happy.”
The Comets made it a one-goal game by scoring the next two goals, but ran out of time to complete a comeback.
“In the first period, we were dominant. In the second, our decisions with the puck weren’t as good as in the first, and that gave [Comets] momentum. In the third, it was broken plays, and I don’t want us to be a team that dumps the puck. It’s not our way to play. We did enough good actions to win the game,” Pascal Vincent evaluated the night.
Saturday: Laval Rocket 4 - Utica Comets 3
Utica took advantage of Gustav Lindstrom sitting in the penalty box to get on the board first. The Rocket turned the tide by Tuch scoring his first AHL goal and less than two minutes later, Joshua Roy buried the puck for the fourth time as in many games.
The Comets capitalized on a Kidney minor to tie the game in the middle frame and similar to the first period, Laval answered with a pair of goals by Jared Davidson and Tuch in a span of 1:13 of action. The home squad cut the deficit to one before the second intermission.
A scoreless third period allowed the Rocket to extend their win streak to four games.
Roster news
Filip Mesar did not finish Friday’s contest after heading into the dressing room during the third period following a contact. The team announced on Monday that the forward will miss 8 to 10 weeks with a lower body injury. The Canadiens prospect has had a solid start to the season, recording six in eight games, skating on a line with Owen Beck and Jared Davidson.
Following Saturday’s contest, Lucas Condotta was recalled by the Canadiens. The captain joined the NHL club in Philadelphia as an insurance policy if Josh Anderson was not able to dress after blocking a shot during a game against the St. Louis Blues. Condotta was returned to Laval on Monday.
Up Next
The three-game series against the Comets wraps up on Wednesday as they return to Place Bell, followed by a visit by the Providence Bruins (Boston Bruins) for a doubleheader beginning on Friday.
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