Demoted by the Montreal Canadiens a week ago, Primeau allowed his team to stay in the match on several occasions. It was his first start since December 1, in Boston, and his first appearance in front of the net since he replaced Samuel Montembeault on December 12.
Primeau had not worn the Rocket uniform (19-10-2) since April 21, 2023, but his brilliance allowed Pascal Vincent’s men to end their short streak of two losses.
In overtime, Owen Beck saw his shot flirt with the red line before being caught by goalkeeper Nikita Tolopilo. Moments later, Laurent Dauphin took his own comeback to end the debate.
Xavier Simoneau also hit the mark for the Laval team.
Aatu Raty responded for the Canucks (14-14-2), who lost a fifth straight game. Tolopilo surrendered twice in 29 shots in a losing cause.
The Rocket lost all four games against the Canucks last season. The two teams will cross swords again at Place Bell on Saturday evening.
Back to basics
Primeau was quickly tested and he reserved his first good save of the game on Tristen Nielsen, after about four minutes of play. Nielsen had been patient in the slot, letting Joshua Jacobs compromise, but his shot was well repelled by the right shoulder.
After the Rocket came within inches of opening the score, Primeau made sure that his team returned to the locker room with at least a tie on the scoreboard.
The young goalkeeper first closed the door at the expense of Jonathan Lekkerimaki, who had positioned himself in front of William Trudeau, before stopping Ty Mueller and Nils Aman in quick succession, a few minutes later.
The Laval residents did not shoot many shots towards Tolopilo during the second period, but they still scored the first goal. And again, we cannot say that it was a real shot.
On the right wing, Sean Farrell overwhelmed an enemy defender before passing the disc into the slot. Hooked, Simoneau redirected it from the skate into the top corner to hit the target in a second consecutive game.
The Canucks’ insistence finally paid off before the end of the period. Cole McWard took a point shot that Primeau blocked, but Raty, who won his battle against Jared Davidson, barely slipped the puck behind the red line to tie the game.
Even with a player less in the first seconds of the third period, the visitors had the opportunity to take the lead, but the Rocket goalkeeper made a good save against John Stevens. The fans reacted by chanting the first “Primeau, Primeau, Primeau”, recalling the team’s long playoff run in 2022.
The Habs’ farm club slowly gained confidence and increased the pressure, without however propelling themselves ahead. The best opportunity came from the stick of Joshua Roy, who tried to return to the net after being left alone at the goal.
