COMETS BATTLE ROCKET IN CRUCIAL DIVISIONAL SHOWDOWN
Feb 12, 2020UTICA COMETS (27-18-3-2) vs. LAVAL ROCKET (23-20-5-2)
Adirondack Bank Center, 7 p.m.
Watch Live: AHLTV | Listen Live: 94.9 K-ROCK
Follow and Interact Live: Twitter | Hashtag: #LAVvsUTI
Today’s Game: The Utica Comets square off against the Laval Rocket. Puck drop is at 7 p.m.
Last Game: It was punch, counterpunch all night long Saturday night but the Utica Comets prevailed 5-4 in a shootout over the Syracuse Crunch at the Adirondack Bank Center. Carter Camper, Jonah Gadjovich, Lukas Jasek, and Reid Boucher were the goal scorers for Utica. Mikey DiPietro made 27 saves in the win.
Head to Head: This is the fifth meeting between the Comets and Rocket this season. The two teams have split the season series with two wins apiece, with Laval winning the most recent matchup 5-4 in overtime last Wednesday. The Comets have outscored the Rocket 17-16 through four games.
Scouting the Rocket: Laval comes in with a record of 23-20-5-2 and sits in fifth place in the North Division. They most recently fell to the Toronto Marlies 5-2 Sunday afternoon. Jake Evans leads the team with 34 points, followed by Charles Hudon with 31 points. Cayden Primeau is the top netminder with a record of 12-7-3, a 2.71 goals-against average, and a .899 save percentage.
Chasing History: Reid Boucher is starting to play his way into the Comets history books once again. Boucher is nine points shy of tying his own record for points in a single season. He is also five goals away from tying his own record for goals in a single season. Keep an eye on Boucher tonight as he has scored in back-to-back games. The forward has 53 points (26-27-53) in 43 games this year.
Going Camping: Carter Camper has been playing some good hockey lately. Camper is riding a three-game point streak into tonight, picking up four points (1-3-4). He also has nine points (3-6-9) in his last 10 games and seven points (1-6-7) in four games against Laval. The veteran forward has 30 points (7-23-30) in 37 games this season.
Power Surge: The Comets power play is starting to heat up. Utica has scored at least one power play goal in four straight games, going 5-18 during that stretch, which includes a 2-4 performance last Wednesday against Laval. The Comets are also operation at 42.9% on the man advantage against the Rocket this season. Overall, Utica’s power play ranks fifth in the AHL at 21.7%.
Czech Him Out: Lukas Jasek has been on fire lately. Jasek is on a four-game point streak where he’s picked up five points (2-3-5) and has six points in his last seven games. The second year forward has 24 points (14-10-24) in 49 games this season.
Next Game: The Comets are back in action Friday night on the road against the Syracuse Crunch. Puck drop is at 7 p.m. The game can be heard on 94.9 KROCK and viewed on AHLTV.