After getting a bye for the first round of the AHL playoffs, the Laval Rocket will finally start its quest for the Calder Cup on Wednesday night. At the same time, the Montreal Canadiens will try to avoid elimination against the Washington Capitals in D.C., with Rocket’s number one goaltender, Cayden Primeau, acting as backup for the big club.
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Pascal Vincent’s men will take on the Cleveland Monsters in the best-of-five division semi-final. In four meetings during the regular season, the Rocket had a 2-0-2 record against the Ohio-based franchise. The Rocket was the regular-season champion, while the Monsters finished fifth in the North Division.
The Rocket elected to play the first two games away and the last three in Laval. With Primeau being with the Canadiens, newly signed goaltender Jacob Fowler will be tasked with manning Laval’s net, and he’ll be facing one of the hottest goaltenders down the stretch, Jet Greaves.
The 24-year-old netminder was a big reason the Columbus Blue Jackets almost qualified for the playoffs, winning seven of his last NHL games. In 11 games with the Jackets this season, he posted a 7-2-2 record with a 1.91 goals-against average and a .938 save percentage.
Meanwhile, the Rocket can rely on a fully healthy David Reinbacher. The right-shot defenseman had a tough year, sustaining a knee injury that cost him most of his season in a preseason game against the Toronto Maple Leafs.
The young defenseman didn’t lose his season, though. In an interview with RG.org, he explains that he became a student of the game, learning the team’s system and attending meetings usually reserved for players who are in the lineup.
Game one of the series between Laval and Cleveland is set for 7:00 PM on Wednesday night, game two on Friday at 7:00 PM, and game three on Sunday at 3:00 PM. You can catch all the action and a glimpse of the Canadiens’ future on RDS.
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