The Montreal Canadiens AHL affiliate were in Cleveland to face the Monsters.
by Chris G, Rocket Sports, Montreal Canadiens blogger
The Laval Rocket were on the road to face North Division rivals Cleveland Monsters (Columbus Blue Jackets) on Friday and Saturday.
Friday: Laval Rocket 5 - Cleveland Monsters 0
After a scoreless 20 minutes, the Rocket opened the floodgates with four goals in the second period. It began when Filip Mesar set up Laurent Dauphin for a one-timer goal. Jared Davidson added to the lead with a one-timer goal and later in the period, Gustav Lindstrom beat the goalie with a shot from the blue line. Joshua Roy added a power play goal in the final minutes of the frame to add to the cushion. Luke Tuch was the only scorer in the third period with a shot that trickled behind the netminder. Cayden Primeau made 16 saves to register the win and obtain his 12th career shutout. Davidson and Alex Barre-Boulet each collected three points in the victory.
Saturday: Laval Rocket 1 - Cleveland Monsters 2 (overtime)
The Monsters got on the board on their first shot of the game, while Vincent Arseneau was serving a bench minor, when the rebound of a shot took an odd bounce and landed in the crease for a tap-in. Laval answered back with a power play goal in the final minutes of the second period, when Owen Beck bounced on a rebound from Joshua Roy. The tie was broken in overtime when Owen Sillinger went around Laurent Dauphin before beating Connor Hughes.
"The execution wasn't as good on a back-to-back. The intensity was excellent. We created chances from our forecheck, our defensive gaps were good. We played a good game, but we took too many penalties,” Pascal Vincent said following the contest where the Monsters obtained six power play opportunities.
All Star selections
The American Hockey League (AHL) announced on Wednesday that Joshua Roy and Logan Mailloux will represent the Rocket at this year’s All-Star Classic taking place on February 2-3. The rosters were determined by committees of AHL coaches.
Roy, selected 150th overall by the Canadiens in 2021, currently leads the team with 27 points in 31 games. "I've been working hard since the start of the season. I was cut from Montreal and I came to Laval with a good attitude and wanting to improve. That's what I try to do everyday when I come to the arena, and it's going really well so far,” the forward evaluated his season.
Mailloux, selected 31st overall during the 2021 NHL Entry draft, has collected 16 points in 29 games. "It's a long season, there's going to be ups and downs and you just have to ride the waves. I'm trying to find consistency in my game on both sides of the puck,” the defenceman noted. "It's an honour to be selected. I haven't been putting up points lately. I'm trying to play my game and that's going to be both sides of the puck.”
"I find him more aggressive with the puck, which we like a lot and saw at the start of the season. Logan is a good skater with good size and a long stick. We want him to improve his gap when he doesn't have the puck and he has. By doing that, he can break plays and take advantage of his offensive strengths,” Vincent expressed his satisfaction following Saturday’s contest.
Up Next
The Rocket return to Place Bell on Wednesday to host the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins (Pittsburgh Penguins) on Wednesday before facing the Utica Comets (New Jersey Devils) in a home-and-home beginning on the road on Friday, followed by the rematch in Laval on Saturday.
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