Laval Rocket: Providence Bruins at Laval Rocket 1 Nov 7PM

[themilosh]

He's day to day.

Beurre -Poulet gotta be eating Indian, to stay healthy.

 

[ChesterNimitz]

We did play a pretty decent third period it's fun having a team who knows how to close out games fairly stress free.

I was able to watch the game and these are my observations.

Except for brief moments in the third period Laval was generally out played by Providence. For the first time this year, Laval looked like the slower team. Providence used a heavy forecheck and the Rocket had difficulty clearing their zone. Providence also used a strong active pressure system on Laval power play which largely neutralized Laval's power play. But for the goaltending of Hughes, this game is 4 to 5 goal loss.

As for the performance of our prospects I would report as follows:

Beck, despite his high-lite short-handed goal had one of his less productive games. I didn't find his skating as crisp as it has been in previous games and I found him being easily knocked down, at least in the first part of the game. Beck was also completely ineffective in the face-off circle. It was not surprising that the coaches didn't have him on the ice for that all important face-off in the last minute of play. On the positive side, Beck showed his one-timer in the second period and almost scored. He demonstrated his defensive commitment by blocking a dangerous shot late in the third period when Providence was pressing to tie the game. His high-lite shorthanded goal speaks for itself in addressing those who believe that Beck has a limited offensive ceiling. I am quite surprised how Laval uses Beck on the power-play where he is positioned at the other team's blueline and assumes a largely stationary position on his team's entry play. This player's game is built on his excellent mobility and to have him just stand there watching others try to gain entry and possession in the offensive zone is, in this writer's view, doing opposing teams a favour. Also, Beck needs to play with superior players who can take advantage of his explosive skating ability. With all due respect to #16, there were several times that Beck was breaking into the open ice and # 16 either couldn't read the play, or if he could, he didn't have the skill to get the puck to Beck. It was on those types of plays that you can see how much the Beck line misses Mesar and the play making he brings.

I thought Tuch, other than Hughes, was Laval's best player. Tuch skated miles tonight and was one of the few Laval players that looked like he could skate with, or even outskate, the Providence skaters. Tuch was a menace on the forecheck, backchecked furiously, was often the first on loose pucks in all zones and delivered a number of thundering body checks. Tuch continues to show that he is probably Laval's most NHL ready player. He has the size, skating and physical game to play at the next level.

Even against a fast and aggressive team, Roy, continued to show his elite hand skills and his uncanny ability to excel in close, tight quarters. He even displayed a burst of speed that allowed him to go around an opposing defenceman and get away a good shot on the goalie. Roy has a confidence with the puck that few, if any, of the other Laval players have. If he had better foot speed, Roy would be in the NHL now. But acquiring/developing that necessary skating ability may well be a bridge too far for this gifted player.

Florian Xhekaj continues to develop his game at a steady pace. You can sees this kid's improvement every game. Xhekay presents as a tall, defensively responsible player who possesses unexpected offensive creativity and above average straight-forward speed. I thought Xhekaj and Tuch were both strong on the forecheck and caused a bit of Havoc in the offensive zone. Xhekaj made a number of subtle passes that allowed Laval to exit their defensive zone and created offensive chances. Xhekaj really shone on the penalty kill where his straight-forward speed, long stick and anticipation broke up several Providence rushes and created a number of shorthanded scoring chances. Both Xhekaj and Beck were horrible on face-offs and Xhekaj, like most young players, needs to get quicker to reach the next level. If he does, this kid will be an important player for Montreal going forward. But that's a big if.

Other than displaying his NHL level shot ( a one timer slap shot from at the top of the circle on a Laval power play) Davidson had a workman-like, but quiet game. I believe Davidson may have been injured in the second period but he returned in the third period.

Both Kidney and Farrell had mediocre games. While Kidney continues to show improvement, against a very fast, aggressive opponent, Kidney was easily defended against and he was knocked off the puck regularly. Farrell continued to show bursts of energy and quickness but was physically overmatched in this game. While under pressure in his defensive zone, Farrell made a grievous turnover that quickly ended up in Laval's net. The biggest issue for Farrell is that he's not producing offensively. When you're an undersized forward who is not particularly strong or good defensively, if you are not scoring, or creating offensive chances, you have little chance of carving out a long term career in the NHL.

In his first game since being returned to Laval, Mailloux had a mixed game. The problems he had defensively in Montreal were largely repeated in Montreal. I didn't see Mailloux beat the forechecking Providence once by skating the puck out of his zone. I saw Providence forwards skate through and by Mailloux repeatedly and forced him to take a penalty on one occasion when he was beaten wide. And this is the AHL. I saw Mailloux make several misreads in the defensive zone have trouble, on occasion, controlling opposing players along the boards. And this is the AHL. On the positive side, Mailloux's stretch passing ability remains unmatched by any defensive (or for that matter any offensive) player on the ice. Its quite a talent. Also, he showed great mobility when he wasn't carrying the puck. When I first started following Mailloux in London, I opined that perhaps this player's future was as a power winger. I think that this possibility may have to be canvassed in the near future. He has several excellent skills. But defensive acumen and defensive mobility are not, at least as of now, among them.

Both Trudeau and Engstrom had challenging games as they, like all Laval defencemen, were under heavy pressure from the Providence forecheck. Of the two, Trudeau had the better all-round game as he showed his mobility and agility to largely escape and avoid the forecheck pressure he was facing. In addition, Trudeau had several good shifts in the offensive zone where his superior skating allowed him to create some offensive pressure and resulting scoring chances. As for Engstrom, he was largely unnoticeable as he was rarely was able to create the offensive plays and breakouts that we have seen in previous games. Also a factor was the team's coaching decision of having Mailloux replace Engstrom on Laval's power play unit. In previous games, some of Engstrom's best plays and moments came while he manned the point on Laval's number 1 power play unit.