COMETS END FOUR-GAME ROAD TRIP IN LAVAL
Feb 5, 2020UTICA COMETS (26-18-2-2) vs. LAVAL ROCKET (22-19-4-2)
Place Bell, 7 p.m.
Watch Live: AHLTV | Listen Live: 94.9 K-ROCK
Follow and Interact Live: Twitter | Hashtag: #UTIvsLAV
Today’s Game: The Utica Comets hit the road to battle the Laval Rocket. Puck drop is at 7 p.m.
Last Game: The Utica Comets had goals from David Pope and Lukas Jasek, but they could not overcome the special teams’ efficiency of the Cleveland Monsters during a 3-2 loss on Saturday at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse. Zane McIntyre made 24 saves in the loss.
Head to Head: This is the fourth contest between the North Division rivals this season. Utica leads the season series 2-1-0-0 and won the most recent matchup 5-3 back on December 20. The Comets have outscored the Rocket 13-11 through three games.
Scouting the Rocket: Laval comes in with a record of 22-19-4-2 and sits in fourth place in the North Division. They most recently fell to the Belleville Senators 5-4 in overtime this past Saturday. Jake Evans leads the offense with 31 points, followed by Riley Barber with 28 points. Cayden Primeau is the top goaltender with a record of 12-7-2, a 2.70 goals-against average, and .899 save percentage.
Lukas-hing In: Lukas Jasek has stepped up big for the Comets with the rash of injuries and callups lately. Jasek has points in back-to-back games and has set a new career high in goals. He also sits eight points back of tying his career high in points. The forward has 21 points (13-8-21) in 47 games this season.
Droppin’ Dimes: 10 skaters have recorded 10 or more assists this season for the Comets, while eight players have 15 or more assists. Additionally, seven players have 20 or more assists, led by Brogan Rafferty with 33 helpers. The Comets team record for assists in a single season is 51, held by Cal O’Reilly.
Going Camping: Keep an eye on Carter Camper in tonight’s game. Camper has racked up six points (2-4-6) in his last eight games and also has six points (1-5-6) in three games against Laval this season, leading all scorers in the season series. The veteran forward has 27 points (6-21-27) in 35 games this year.
Right the Ship: The Comets power play has struggled a bit as of late, but tonight is a great opportunity to turn things around. After going 4-29 (13.7%) in their last six games, Utica faces a Laval penalty kill that they have torched so far, converting on seven of 17 attempts (41.2%) through three games. Overall, the Comets power play ranks sixth in the AHL at 21.2%.
Next Game: The Comets return home Saturday when they play host to the Syracuse Crunch. Puck drop is at 7 p.m. Tickets are still available at the Box Office, over the phone by calling (315) 790-9070, or online at www.empirestatetix.com. The game can be heard on 94.9 KROCK and viewed on AHLTV.