LAVAL – The Rocket owed one to the Springfield Thunderbirds. Not anymore.
Four months after being eliminated in seven games by the Massachusetts club in the Eastern final, the Canadiens’ school club settled their accounts on Wednesday evening by winning by a score of 2-0 at Place Bell, signing in passing his first win in his third game of the campaign.
Gabriel Bourque, who has scored a goal in every Rocket game so far, wreaked revenge early in the final period by thwarting Thunderbirds goaltender Joel Hofer with a ruthless wrist throw to the top left corner following a skilful staging by Otto Leskinen at the entrance to the zone.
“I feel good on the ice. The guy gives himself in an incredible way and that gives me opportunities. It’s the fun Modestly commented Bourque after his team’s win, confirmed by a goal from Tory Dello in an empty net.
In front of the Laval net, Cayden Primeau stopped all 34 shots of the visit to sign his ninth career shutout in the American League. The hope of the Habs notably said no to the assaults of the Thunderbirds at the very end of the meeting, when they took advantage of a power play.
“We wanted to play a full 60 minutes and I think that’s what we did. It’s a good team [les Thunderbirds] and it feels good to sign this first victory. »
“Our defenders were solid and we blocked a lot of shots. They (the Tunderbirds) had a little time in our zone, but for the most part, we kept them outside, we didn’t let them enter the enclave”, was satisfied meanwhile l head coach Jean-François Houle at the end of the game.
A scare for Primeau
Victim of a collision with former Canadian hopeful Will Bitten in the second period, as the latter converged on his net, Primeau was momentarily shaken by it, but assured that he quickly regained his senses.
“Bitten is that kind of player, so you always have to stay alert. But hockey is hockey, everyone fights and things like that happen, ”minimized the star of the meeting.
His trainer was a little less diplomatic.
“I wasn’t too happy and I thought he went to the net quite aggressively. It’s at the beginning of the year and sometimes, these games, the referees don’t look too much. »
The Rocket will play its next two games on the road, first visiting former captain Xavier Ouellet, who now plays with the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins, on Friday. The next day, the Laval residents will stop in Bridgeport to face the Islanders.
Teasdale attend son tour
While the young generation of the Canadian gets his first opportunities to assert himself in the uniform of the Rocket – Xavier Simoneau and Jan Mysak notably started the meeting on the fourth line with the player on trial Pierrick Dubé –, the forward Quebecer Joël Teasdale is waiting for his turn, victim of the offensive depth of the school club.
Having played no preseason game with the Canadiens before being cut, the 23-year-old Quebecer, who is in his third season in the organization, has still not broken the ice in the American League this year and was scratched. of Jean-François Houle’s team for the third time on Tuesday evening.
“In the conversation I had with Joël, I told him to just stay patient,” explained Houle in the morning, when he currently has 16 attackers at his disposal.
“At the beginning of the year in the American League, we have several players. Last year we exchanged [Jake] Lucchini because we were in that situation and we know that Lucchini is doing very well there in Belleville (the Ottawa Senators farm club, editor’s note). We want to be patient, they will play, all the players will play during the year. It’s just that at the beginning of the year, it’s a little harder to bring everyone in. I’m sure Joël, when he gets the chance to come back, he’s going to play well. »