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Laval Rocket: Hershey Bears at Laval Rocket 7:00 pm - Watch on RDS

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that wasn't pretty as Laval looked like shit until they woke up on the 3rd but credit to them for battling hard as there were lots of scrums and some big time hits. I thought Farrell's line was one of the only ones doing much out there offensively but you got to love what the 4th line brings as they put their stamp on this game.

Primeau's 1st goal was shit and the 2nd not his fault, he wasn't tested much but made some solid saves and he's now 5-0 since being sent down. Engstrom has been kind of quite for some time now so great to see him get such a huge goal.

Hope their goalie is ok, he was on the ice for a long time.
 
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montreal said:
that wasn't pretty as Laval looked like shit until they woke up on the 3rd but credit to them for battling hard as there were lots of scrums and some big time hits. I thought Farrell's line was one of the only ones doing much out there offensively but you got to love what the 4th line brings as they put their stamp on this game.

Primeau's 1st goal was shit and the 2nd not his fault, he wasn't tested much but made some solid saves and he's now 5-0 since being sent down. Engstrom has been kind of quite for some time now so great to see him get such a huge goal.

Hope their goalie is ok, he was on the ice for a long time.
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It was another uneven game by Laval. Except for a few spurts of energy in the third period, Hershey was the better team. Unless they get get Trudeau back fast or make a trade, I think this team will drop like a rock in the water as Laval's defence is way too slow. Their defence was forechecked to death as Hershey players had no respect or fear of any Laval defencemen stepping around them and creating an odd man rush. The game changed in the third period after Beck and Davidson bowled over the Hershey goaltender. He was never the same after that heavy collision.

As for our prospects, most had forgettable games. This is my very quick assessment:

Beck looked tired and played tired. While he flashed his great speed on occasion, made a few 'Beckian' rushes where he left opposing checkers behind and had a few scoring chances, it was, however, one of his weaker performances. I don't think Laval did him any favour playing him tonight after his having played so many games in such a compressed timeframe.

Davidson had a rare game where he was largely unnoticeable. Other than one or two rushes, a couple of shots, Davidson was mostly a non factor.

Mesar, similar to Davidson, had a mediocre game. He flashed some quickness on the forecheck and made some clever plays but this was a forgettable game for not only Mesar, but his two linemates (Beck and Davidson).

Farrell was easily one of Laval's best forwards tonight. He showed excellent quickness, surprising strength on the boards, good vision and playmaking ability and a great shot scoring the Rocket's first goal. His industry and speed was recognized by Laval's coaching staff when they played Farrell with Beck during a 4 on 4 situation in the third period when the game was very much on the line. The fact that they chose Farrell before either Mesar or Davidson says all you have to know about those three players' respective games. Farrell was very noticeable tonight.

I thought Florian Xhekaj had a strong game. He skated well, killed penalties, forechecked effectively causing several turn-overs, made strong offensive plays in the offensive zone and even won a couple of face-offs. Xhekaj's straight forward speed and his overall game is improving. He sees the ice much better than many think.

Tuch was another Laval forward who had a quiet game. He showed good speed and physicality on the forecheck but produced / contributed almost nothing offensively.

Mailloux had another difficult game where the negatives exceeded the positives. The 'bad' Mailloux committed several turnovers, was unable to avoid the Hershey forecheck, fell clumsily several times, was beaten wide on a couple of occasions and failed to provide his depleted and struggling team with the necessary mobility from the back end. The "good' Mailloux made several of his patented, precise stretch passes and did have a couple of rushes where he was able to transport the puck into the offensive zone including one strong rush in the overtime period. It is becoming apparent to this observer that we can't expect more from this player.

The hero of the game , Engstrom, had, in this writer's opinion, a rather non-descript game. In a game where Laval desperately needed a defenceman to grab the puck and skate it out of the defensive zone to relieve the pressure of the opponent's hard forecheck, Engstrom, like Mailloux, was largely AWOL. Engstrom's goal in overtime provided an excellent example of this young player's mobility and offensive skill. If Laval wants to remain competitive until Trudeau returns to the line-up, Engstrom is going to have to step up his game and provide Laval with the level of mobility that none of the other Rocket defensemen can. As II have repeatedly posted, Trudeau has now clearly passed both Mailloux and Engstrom on the Canadiens' depth chart of defencemen. Trudeau's absence, and the missing elements of both mobility and physicality that he brings game in and game out, is really noticeable.
 
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ChesterNimitz said:
The hero of the game , Engstrom, had, in this writer's opinion, a rather non-descript game. In a game where Laval desperately needed a defenceman to grab the puck and skate it out of the defensive zone to relieve the pressure of the opponent's hard forecheck, Engstrom, like Mailloux, was largely AWOL. Engstrom's goal in overtime provided an excellent example of this young player's mobility and offensive skill. If Laval wants to remain competitive until Trudeau returns to the line-up, Engstrom is going to have to step up his game and provide Laval with the level of mobility that none of the other Rocket defensemen can. As II have repeatedly posted, Trudeau has now clearly passed both Mailloux and Engstrom on the Canadiens' depth chart of defencemen. Trudeau's absence, and the missing elements of both mobility and physicality that he brings game in and game out, is really noticeable.
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I can guarantee you Trudeau is NOT ahead of Mailloux nor Engstrom on the depth chart.
 
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ChesterNimitz said:
Well, that settles it. Your guarantee is determinative in the matter.
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He's not wrong, though. Trudeau is an AHLer for life who might get a cup of coffee if injuries go bad. Engstrom and Mailloux are two highly prized prospects in the organization, with Mailloux having had multiple call-ups with the Habs already.
 
WeThreeKings said:
He's not wrong, though. Trudeau is an AHLer for life who might get a cup of coffee if injuries go bad. Engstrom and Mailloux are two highly prized prospects in the organization, with Mailloux having had multiple call-ups with the Habs already.
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Then you see something in Mailloux that I don’t.

I’ve watched this player closely since we drafted him. I can say with some degree of confidence that Mailloux’s skating has now plateaued. Last night he was beaten wide against AHL competition. Mailloux lacks the skating to be an effective NHL defenceman. And at this stage, I doubt anything will change.

I hope I’m wrong.
 
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WeThreeKings said:
I know that the organization has been and is very high on him. There's unlikely to be a single person in the organization who has Trudeau ahead of Mailloux or Engstrom on the depth chart.
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Well, then you must be excluding Laval’s coaching staff who have largely replaced Mailloux with Trudeau in all high leverage game situations: penalty killing, power play, 4 on 4, etc.

To me, Mailloux lacks the skating ability that will allow him to be an effective defenceman at the NHL level. I don’t think his deficit in this regardb is going to change. And I think anyone who has any understanding of this game sees and recognizes what I do.
 
ChesterNimitz said:
Well, then you must be excluding Laval’s coaching staff who have largely replaced Mailloux with Trudeau in all high leverage game situations: penalty killing, power play, 4 on 4, etc.

To me, Mailloux lacks the skating ability that will allow him to be an effective defenceman at the NHL level. I don’t think his deficit in this regardb is going to change. And I think anyone who has any understanding of this game sees and recognizes what I do.
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I'm not Mailloux's fan but the organization has him ahead of Trudeau on their depth chart. If there's an injury on defense, it won't be Trudeau who gets the call.
 
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