It was back-to-school night for the Laval Rocket. A return to school with a special flavor for Alex Barré-Boulet, who was making his first skates with the team. Under the circumstances, it would have been difficult to ask for better: two goals and four points, but above all, a 5-2 victory over the Syracuse Crunch.
Posted at 10:19 p.m.
Updated at 11:34 p.m.
From A to Z, Barré-Boulet was the best of his team on Friday evening. A balm considering that four days ago, he was ignored on waivers.
« [Barré-Boulet] It’s more than just offense. This guy supports his teammates, he speaks on the bench, he is inclusive, he says the right things. Often, gifted players cheat to get more chances on offense; This is far from being his case,” commented Pascal Vincent, a few minutes after his first home match at the helm of the Rocket.
One minute five seconds. That’s all it took for Alex Barré-Boulet to blow up Place Bell, with a breakaway goal. Four minutes later, he got an assist on Joshua Roy’s first goal of the year.
PHOTO DOMINICK GRAVEL, LA PRESSE
Joshua Roy (10)
Their chemistry grew throughout the match. But it was in the third period that it completely blossomed. Barré-Boulet made a perfect pass to Roy, who scored a goal in the slot. Roy would give him the courtesy a little later, which allowed Barré-Boulet to score again.
Race results, an evening of 4 points for Barré-Boulet, 3 points for Roy, but above all, the birth of a new and irresistible connection.
“We had never played together, so it took a little time to build our chemistry,” commented Barré-Boulet. In the end, we were easily on the ice. »
Barré-Boulet managed to detect Roy so easily that he “could have scored two more goals” during the match, considers Pascal Vincent.
PHOTO DOMINICK GRAVEL, LA PRESSE
Alex Barré-Boulet (12)
“ABB, he really has good hockey sense, he finds the passing lines,” praised Joshua Roy. You just have to be open, and he will find you. »
Soon in competition
It would be unfair to talk about the new combination without addressing the presence of Brandon Gignac, at center. Teigneux, Gignac was formidable in puck recovery. He was the one who took care of the dirty work to allow his teammates to shine. He still did well, with two assists.
It is precisely the defensive strength of this trio that allowed it to shine, considers Pascal Vincent.
“We play well defensively. The foundation is good, our attackers are coming back quickly. When we return to the defensive zone, they protect the enclave. Our players bought [le système]that works. »
“We have a bit of everything on this line,” analyzed Alex Barré-Boulet. We all know that Josh is an excellent playmaker. Brandon is probably one of the best skaters in the league. They make my life very easy at the moment. »
PHOTO DOMINICK GRAVEL, LA PRESSE
Alex Barré-Boulet (12)
The first trio will have the chance to test their new chemistry on Saturday, when the Rocket will once again host the Syracuse Crunch. If he performs like this, we can bet that Pascal Vincent will keep this unity intact over a long period.
Unless of course, Joshua Roy or Alex Barré-Boulet are recalled by the Canadian in the coming days. Because although they are teammates on the ice, in front of the Habs staff, they find themselves competing to get another chance in the big leagues.
“It’s the reality of the American League,” admits Alex Barré-Boulet. Even if two guys are fine, only one is going to go. I tasted it this year, I wish [à Roy d’être rappelé]. We can challenger for that, for sure. »
In the notebook
A costly fight
Vincent Arseneau quickly wanted to be appreciated by his new supporters. So he did what he does best, on his first appearance: fight. He attacked Kale Kessy, another American League veteran who loves the tough game, right in the middle of the ice.
Arseneau had the upper hand, but at a certain point, we felt uncomfortable. We understood what was happening at the end of the fight, when he raised his hand: his ring finger presented a right angle, going in a new direction.
That was the end of Madelinot’s evening. It is unknown if he will be sidelined for an extended period of time.
Learn the hard way
The young trio, made up of Jared Davidson, Owen Beck and Filip Mesar, had an up-and-down evening. The three skaters finished the evening at -2, despite the result being 5-2.
But the differential is not everything. Throughout the evening, Mesar and Beck used judicious passes, which could not materialize.
Overall, Mesar is off to a good start to the season, with 4 points in 3 games. “His attitude is incredible. You can really see him pushing himself in practice. He’s been playing very good hockey for three consecutive games,” considers Pascal Vincent.
The coach also praised the play of defenseman Adam Engstrom, who collected an assist on the power play. With the recall of Logan Mailloux to Montreal, Engstrom will be called upon to play important minutes during this phase of play.
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