(Laval) The statistics since the start of the season say it clearly: the third period is generally where the Laval Rocket has its best moments. Friday evening, the Laval team came close to achieving a small miracle.
The Rocket saw their three-game winning streak end with a 3-2 loss to the Lehigh Valley Phantoms in front of a good crowd of 9,681 spectators at Place Bell.
Facing a three-goal deficit but taking advantage of a five-minute numerical superiority with just over three minutes remaining in regulation time, the Rocket came back into the match thanks to goals from Brandon Gignac (5th) and Riley Kidney (1st), the latter with 5.8 seconds on the clock.
About four seconds later, Sean Farrell had a golden chance to tie the score but was frustrated by goaltender Cal Petersen before the green light came on confirming the end of the match.
But in reality, the Rocket had a difficult evening. In their fourth outing in six days, head coach Jean-François Houle’s young players played as if their tank was almost empty, except for a few sequences scattered here and there in the third period.
After a timid start, the Phantoms took the lead from the middle period and had it not been for an excellent performance from goalkeeper Jakub Dobes, the gap could have been greater.
“If it hadn’t been for him, we really wouldn’t have been in that game. He was really solid and if he can show that every night, that’s exactly what we need,” analyzed defender Tobie Bisson.
Dobes blocked 29 pucks and only conceded to Tanner Laczynski in the second period and Olle Lycksell early in the third period.
Lycksell added an empty-net goal with just under four minutes left in regulation.
As if the workload had not already been imposing enough for his players this week, Houle lost the services of Mitchell Stephens (lower body) and Philippe Maillet (upper body), who completed a trio with Xavier Simoneau.
“You lose two players early, you have four games in six nights, it’s hard to overcome. These are two players, two veterans, who command quite a bit of ice time,” noted Houle.
“We were really destabilized. We had to juggle the trios, juggle the numerical advantage. Basically, that’s what happened. »
The Rocket finished the game with 26 shots, including 14 in the third period.
Friday’s game was the Rocket’s last in front of their fans until December 6. In the meantime, the Laval team will play six games in a row abroad, a sequence which will begin Saturday evening against the Utica Comets.
This meeting should mark the return of defender Jayden Struble, who missed the last three games due to a suspension.
Forty-eight hours after their spectacular victory against the Belleville Senators, we could have predicted that Houle’s troops would start the match with a knife between their teeth. But perhaps that was too much to ask of a young, overtaxed team.
Not that the effort of the Rocket players was non-existent. However, the cohesion and overall play that led to a six-goal romp without response on Wednesday night was not there on Friday, even during the three numerical superiorities they took advantage of during the first period.
At least the defense called “present” during that first half.
“I liked our first (period). I found that we were correct. Yes, we could have created a little more offense, but we only gave up four shots. You can’t ask for much better than that,” noted Houle.
“But really losing those two players, it completely destabilized us. There was a loss of energy and there you have to use other guys that you usually use less,” added Houle, returning to the injuries to Stephens and Maillet.
From the start of the second period, the Phantoms moved into the Laval zone and spent most of the period there.
They imposed themselves so much that they caught up and overtook the Rocket on the penalty kill table, allowing only one shot to the Laval team during the middle period.
Dobes was solid to the point where he had possibly his best period of the young season.
But he couldn’t do anything on Laczynski’s goal, which found the back of the net with just five seconds left on a minor penalty to Jan Mysak.
To make matters worse, Laczynski’s shot deflected off the calf of William Trudeau before branching off behind the Czech goalkeeper.
The Rocket started the third period better, but Lycksell doubled the visitors’ lead by pushing the puck past Dobes, on his second attempt from the mouth of the net.
Shortly after Lycksell’s second goal, the mood on the ice turned sour when Rhett Gardner hit Dobes behind the net.
The Rocket players came to the defense of their goalie and eventually took advantage of a five-minute numerical advantage.
Gignac first denied Petersen a shutout by completing a play from Sean Farrell and Joshua Roy at 17:28.
Kidney then sowed hope among the Rocket and his supporters, helped by defenders Logan Mailloux and Trudeau.
But it was too little, too late.
