Connor Hughes made 27 saves and the Laval Rocket defeated the Providence Bruins 2-1 on Friday night at Place Bell.
Without the brilliance of Hughes, the Canadian’s farm club would probably not have signed a sixth victory in a row and it would probably not have remained undefeated in five home games either.
The 28-year-old goaltender took over for Jakub Dobes, who missed Friday night’s matchup with a lower-body injury. His case is being assessed daily and he could be available on Saturday afternoon, when the same two clubs face each other again.
Deprived of Alex Barré-Boulet, who is injured in his upper body, the Rocket (7-1-0) was more timid in attack. Jared Davidson, on the power play, and Owen Beck, on the penalty kill, threaded the needle in the victory.
Ultimately, it was Hughes and his penalty kill unit who wrote the history of the game. The Laval residents did not give up a goal in six occasions with one less player.
Georgii Merkulov scored the only goal for the Bruins (3-5-0), who were visiting Place Bell for the first time since December 17, 2021. Michael DiPietro blocked 14 pucks.
The two teams crossed swords for the second time this season. The Rocket triumphed 5-2 in Providence on October 11.
Furthermore, defender Logan Mailloux was back in the Laval team, after being demoted by the Canadian earlier this week.
Hughes distinguishes himself
The Rocket was faced with a numerical disadvantage from the first minute of the game and came within inches of quickly pulling back. Installed in the left circle, Vinni Lettieri took a shot which beat Hughes, but which hit two posts behind him.
Hughes continued to make his mark in the first half by standing in front of Lettieri and Patrick Brown, before receiving support from his teammates.
During a numerical superiority, the Habs school club weaved its web in enemy territory. Mailloux slipped the puck to Davidson, who hit the target with a powerful one-timer.
The Bruins regained momentum a few minutes later, bombarding Hughes’ net with several shots, but the Rocket goaltender closed the door. The Laval residents also limited the damage for almost a minute, during a two-man numerical disadvantage.
Pascal Vincent’s troop got off to a good start in the second period and settled into the visitors’ zone on a few occasions. DiPietro, however, has not actually been tested.
The rest of the period belonged to the Bruins, who played with much more aggressiveness and intensity than their counterparts. And by trying their luck, they finally created a tie.
Placed between two Rocket players, Merkulov recovered the puck and used Tyler Wotherspoon as a screen to deceive Hughes’ vigilance. The latter redeemed himself with less than two minutes remaining, frustrating Brown twice by stretching his right pad.
As it did in the second third, the Laval team started the third period with confidence, despite a numerical disadvantage. This time, she was able to add a goal to the scoreboard.
Brandon Gignac caused a turnover and taunted defenseman Ian Mitchell before handing the puck to Beck. The rookie forward showed patience and hit the backhand to score his second goal of the campaign.
The Bruins increased the pressure to tie the game, but Hughes and his defense gave everything to confirm their team’s victory.
