The Laval Rocket were no shadow of themselves in their first playoff game.
A few things stood out at this meeting. The nervousness was palpable in some players. It took them a period or even two to settle down.
During that time they committed several turnovers in their zone and the Comets were opportunistic. As simple as that.
The visitors took the lead and then ended the game. Like their big brothers in the NHL, the New Jersey Devils. It’s not exciting hockey, but its effectiveness can be daunting.
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“They were more opportunistic than we were,” said Anthony Richard. They had seven or eight chances and scored three goals. We have more than ten and couldn’t score.
“I noticed that several players played with a narrow racquet. You have to play with an empty head. Don’t be afraid to make mistakes.”
Then we saw great things from Emil Heineman and Pierick Dubé on offense. However, that wasn’t enough to stage a comeback against a solid side like Utica.
Defense under the magnifying glass
There was a lot of talk in the Rocket dressing room about the inexperienced defense.
“We made a few mistakes that resulted in a majority,” Richard said with his usual frankness. It’s really not to your advantage in the playoffs.
“Our 5v5 defense needs to get tighter.”
William Trudeau, who was a pro in his first game of the playoffs, believes his team should keep things simple.
“We need to manage the puck better. We need to reduce the number of scoring chances in the slot while finding a way to score goals.
Survive Utica
The rocket now has its back to the wall. He no longer has the right to lose. Do the players still have gas in their tanks? It is possible.
On the other hand, we must not forget that they have been playing for survival for a month. It’s humanly impossible to have adrenaline pumping for that long.
Still, there is no question of giving up.
“The series is not over yet,” said Rafaël Harvey-Pinard. We can come back by working harder and winning more of our battles.
“We have to make the adjustments and get this game over with.”
The same story for Houle. He remains hopeful based on his team’s successes on the road in recent weeks.
“We’ve won our last five games away from home,” he said. We’re not in uncharted territory and we’re capable of winning abroad. It’s game after game.”