Coming off a weekend sweep in Pennsylvania, the Laval Rocket returned home to the confines of Place Bell for one night before they would head back out on the road to end the week. Waiting for them was the Atlantic Division-leading Providence Bruins, who had compiled an impressive 16-3-0 record on the season. The Bruins and Rocket met just a few weeks ago, with Jacob Fowler posting a shutout win in one of the most complete showings by the Rocket all season.
Pascal Vincent opted to keep his lines and pairings the same as the weekend after a pair of wins, and the only change from Sunday night was Fowler getting the start in place of Kaapo Kähkönen.
The opening minutes of the first period showcased why both sides led their respective divisions as they snuffed out chances at both ends of the ice and let their goalies make the easy saves that were available to them. While the Bruins had a slight shot advantage, it was the Rocket with the best chance in the early going, as Owen Beck nearly chipped a shot over Mikey DiPietro while falling over at the back post.
Laval slowly began to find their legs. As they worked the puck out of their own end of the ice, they drew the game’s first power play with a chance to take an early lead. The Rocket’s struggles on the power play continued from the weekend as they managed to put zero shots on net with their man advantage. However, shortly after the power play ended it was a long-range effort by Marc Del Gaizo that just barely squeaked through DiPietro to give Laval the game’s first goal.
Following Del Gaizo’s goal you could see the Rocket’s confidence growing shift over shift as they attacked more aggressively and began to put the pressure on Providence. The Bruins also were not going away easily, but like their previous matchup it was Fowler making the key saves when called upon.
As the period entered its final minute it was Beck putting his body on the line to defend the Rocket’s lead. He blocked one shot from the point off his skate, forcing the puck to the corner and then moments later was called upon again as he took a puck off the leg to clear the zone. Beck’s pair of blocks ensured that Laval entered the first intermission with the lead over Providence by just one goal.
The Rocket came out in the second period with the same effort they ended the first with, hemming Providence in its own end with the fourth line battling for every loose puck. However, after Luke Tuch took a hard fit from behind, Tyler Thorpe came together with a Bruins player and found himself in the box afterward. On their first penalty kill of the night it was again Fowler making some crucial saves to keep the Rocket in the lead.
After Thorpe exited the box it was the Rocket who found themselves back on the power play. Compared to their first one, the Rocket were far more aggressive and directed plenty of chances towards DiPietro. The Bruins’ netminder was there matching Fowler save for save, and forcing a suddenly cold Rocket power play off the ice once again.
Much like in the first period, coming off the power play there was another goal, only this time it came from Frederic Brunet. The Bruins defenceman took a feed from Fabian Lysell and blistered a shot by Fowler to tie the game.
With the game tied, it was the red-hot Rocket top line that went out and made a difference when it mattered most. Del Gaizo fired a quick leading pass that missed everyone, but Laurent Dauphin got on his horse to beat out the icing and grabbed the puck. Dauphin wheeled around to fire a pass into the slot where it was Alex Belzile who beat DiPietro to restore the Rocket’s one-goal lead.
The period ended under a bit of pressure as David Reinbacher was called for hooking, putting a dangerous Bruins power play back on the ice. Again it was the combination of Fowler and Beck who helped steer the Rocket into the intermission with their lead intact.
With the third period under way, the Rocket killed off the final seconds of Reinbacher’s penalty and went right back to work inside the offensive zone. Beck made a great play to start a rush, cutting across the slot and just narrowly missing a goal as he whistled a heavy shot wide of the net. While the Rocket continued to take their chances as they came, they soon found themselves back in the box after Lucas Condotta was called for delay of game.
With one of their top penalty-killers in the box the Rocket again put forth an incredible effort to hold off the Bruins’ man advantage for a third time on the night. Not to sound like a broken record, but the tenacity of Fowler in net made a huge difference, even after being run over by Patrick Brown without a call.
The Rocket continued to make their own lives more difficult as both Xavier Simoneau and Fabian Lysell went off for roughing, and then Simoneau soon found himself joined by Laurent Dauphin who was called for tripping. Once again, Fowler made the difference as he flashed the glove through traffic to deny the Bruins a sure goal.
The efforts did not go unrewarded as the Rocket penalty-killers increased the lead thanks to one of the few errors made by DiPietro. A dump-in behind the Bruins’ net got him tied up with his teammate, allowing Simoneau to swoop in and tuck the loose puck into the empty net for a 3-1 lead.
To add an exclamation point on the game, the Rocket refused to give up the puck and allow the Bruins to pull their goalie for an extra attacker late in the third period. With an offensive-zone draw, the Rocket’s third line continued their excellent night as Simoneau wheeled around before setting up Sammy Blais for his third goal of the season.
Despite a kerfuffle at the horn it was an otherwise quiet ending to the game as the Rocket pushed their winning streak to five games and kept their place atop the AHL North Division.
Final Score: Laval 4, Providence 1
The Rocket will now head out on the road for a key Friday and Saturday series with their hated rivals, the Belleville Senators. It is unclear if there will be any lineup changes, and may depend on possible NHL recalls.