On Sunday, the Laval Rocket bounced back from a disappointing performance and won the deciding game of the best-of-five series against the Rochester Americans.
“It’s a team that we succeeded against this year. [Jiri] Kulich changed things, because he’s a player that we’ve never seen. He’s talented and it made their lines more balanced. We had to make adjustments. Both teams had good games and bad games,” Pascal Vincent evaluated the series following 5-0 win against Buffalo Sabres AHL affiliate. “There’s a lot of things to learn, but what I remember the most is the most important game, the one with the most pressure on our young team, they delivered.”
The Rocket advance to the Eastern Conference finals against the Charlotte Checkers, starting on Wednesday at Place Bell. The best-of-seven series will begin with two games in Laval, followed by three games in Charlotte, and then returns to Quebec for the final two contests.
Primeau Steps Up for Rocket
The goaltending rotation continued for the entirety of the North Division finals. From the outside, there was questions whether game 3 was the last of the rotation. Cayden Primeau was named first star and given the game puck from his teammates after making 32 saves in Laval’s 4-1 win.
Despite his performance, Jacob Fowler started the next game. Things didn’t go as expected and Fowler was pulled after allowing four goals on 14 shots in 29:22 of action. Hindsight being 20/20, the coach was asked about the choice.
“He came with us to play hockey. He’s a good goalie. We don’t develop only when it suits us. It’s these games that we have to see him and how he reacts. He has to live these experiences. And that’s why we want to make the playoffs. To put the young players in these type of positions,” Vincent defended the decision.
On Sunday, Primeau recorded his first career playoff shutout and was named the first start for a second consecutive start after stopping 27 shots.
“I had the impression, he was 6-feet 11-inches tall, 450 pounds in front of the net,” the bench boss began his evaluation. “He’s a good goalie. Things didn’t go so well in Montreal early this year, and he needed to play. I’ve said it since I’m here, he’s a NHL goalie. He’s a good kid, works hard. He had a bad sequence, but the way he responded, it tells you a lot about the personality of the young man. He’s going to end up in the NHL and he’s going to be good.”
Vincent admitted that Primeau and Fowler were aware of the plan before the start of the series. No decision has been made for the upcoming series against the Checkers.
Rocket recap: Roy unblocks offensively
While Joshua Roy’s consistency is lacking, he usually finds a way to score an important goal. He reached the 20-goal mark for the first time as a pro this season in 47 games. The 21-year-old was held to three assists in six playoff games, with the coach also noting the forward’s contribution via physicality and shot blocking.
On Wednesday, he broke the ice by scoring with a rebound from the crease area to put the game out of reach.
“I think it was heavy on his shoulders. I’m hopeful that it’s going to create some momentum for him,” Vincent said. “It’s not how you do it. It’s getting the job done. It wasn’t a pretty one but it doesn’t matter. We’re in the playoffs. He was there in front of the net.”
The momentum carried over to the final two games of the series as Roy scored in both contests and added an assist.
“It was a matter of time. I was playing the right way, I was having a lot of chances and it’s just going in right now. I got to keep playing this way and good things will happen,” Roy said at the conclusion of the series. “There was a lot of pressure off my back, when I scored the first goal. It was a big goal for me.”
Engstrom Quietly Shining
The most common names mentioned when talking about the Rocket’s defencemen are Logan Mailloux and David Reinbacher. A normal reflex considering their draft selection. Both prospects are generally having a good post season.
Adam Engstrom’s name is not spoken about as much as Mailloux and Reinbacher, but he’s been consistent. He’s been Reinbacher’s most frequent partner and is a regular on the second power play unit.
On Friday, Vincent switched up the pairings in the second period to stimulate the defencemen, and the switches resulted into increased ice time for Engstrom. Laval’s only goal that night began courtesy of Engstrom keeping possession of the puck in the offensive zone.
“He was moving his feet, wanted to make a difference tonight, and tried to create momentum. He defended well and wasn’t responsible for any of our goals allowed tonight,” the coach said following game 4. Vincent did not hesitate that night to say that there was a list of players that did not perform.
In his rookie season as a professional in North America, Engstrom totalled 27 points, and plus-14 rating in 66 games. He has four points in nine playoff games.
“I don’t know his maximum potential yet, I don’t know at what point he will stop, but he’s continuing to develop,” Vincent added about the Canadiens third round draft pick, 92nd overall, at the 2022 draft.
World Championships Recap
The 2025 IIHF World Championships wrapped up on Sunday and all three Montreal Canadiens representatives returned home after playing for their respective country.
First, Emil Heineman completed the competition with three points, 11 shots on goal while averaging 9:53 ice time in 10 games. He scored his only goal with a wrist shot from the faceoff dot in Sweden’s 4-0 win against France. In the bronze medal game, he recorded an assist to help his country win 6-2 versus Denmark.
Mike Matheson finished the tournament with two assists, plus-3 rating, and 13 shots on goal in eight games, averaging 18:28 ice time. His two assists came on goals by Macklin Celebrini and Nathan MacKinnon in Canada’s 7-0 win against Slovakia. The defenceman made a highlight reel stick save during the third period of the contest versus Sweden.
Vinzenz Rohrer led Austria with four goals during their eight games in the tournament. He also added two assists, finished plus-2 rating, and took 14 shots in 15:41 average ice time. Rohrer’s impressive tournament ended prematurely when ejected for a cross-check in his country’s 6-0 loss versus Switzerland.
Lions One Win Away
The Trois-Rivieres Lions defeated the Florida Everblades 3-1 on Saturday to take 3-2 lead in the Eastern Conference Finals. A power play goal by Chris Jandric early in the third period proved to be the winner.
“Everyone contributed to the victory, starting from [Luke] Cavallin. He was really good tonight. Everyone pushed the same direction. We played with a lot of urgency,” coach and general manager Ron Choules told Le Nouvelliste newspaper post game.
Trois-Rivieres began the series with two road wins in Florida. It looked like the Everblades did not have a chance to get back into it, as they trailed 2-0 through 40 minutes of the first game at Colisee Videotron. The St.Louis Blues affiliate fought back with four goals in the final period to earn the victory.
The momentum carried over to game 4 as Florida blanked Trois-Rivieres 4-0 in front of a sold out building.
Choules’ squad looks to finish the job when they travel to Hertz Arena in Fort Myers for game 6 on Tuesday and game 7 on Wednesday, if necessary.
