COMETS HOST ROCKET IN LEAP DAY SHOWDOWN
Feb 29, 2020UTICA COMETS (31-20-3-2) vs. LAVAL ROCKET (26-24-5-3)
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: Reid Boucher netted three goals and two assists to help the Comets to a 6-3 win over the Toronto Marlies Friday night at the Adirondack Bank Center. Boucher’s effort set a new Comets record for points in a single season, 63. Wacey Hamilton, Dylan Blujus, and Sven Baertschi also scored for Utica. Mikey DiPietro made 26 saves in the win.
Head to Head: This is the sixth meeting between the Comets and Rocket this season. Utica leads the season series 3-1-1-0 and won the most recent matchup 3-2 back on February 12. The Comets have outscored the Rocket 20-18 through five games.
Scouting the Rocket: Laval comes in with a record of 26-24-5-3 and sits in sixth place in the North Division. They most recently lost to the Rochester Americans 4-2 last night. Laurent Dauphin leads the offense with 25 points, followed by Alexandre Alain with 21 points. Cayden Primeau is the top netminder with a record of 15-11-3, a 2.55 goals-against average, and a .905 save percentage.
Grounding the Rocket: Carter Camper has played extremely well against Laval this season. Camper has recorded a point in every game he’s played in against the Rocket this season, tallying eight points (1-7-8). He also has nine points (2-7-9) in his last nine games overall. The forward has 35 points (8-27-35) in 43 games.
Hamming It Up: Wacey Hamilton returned to the lineup for the first time since January 11 last night and made an immediate impact. Hamilton tallied a goal and an assist in last night’s win, scoring on his first shot of the night. The veteran forward has 10 points (4-6-10) in 23 games this year.
Record Breaker: Reid Boucher’s big night last night led to him breaking another Comets record. Boucher recorded three goals and two assists to help him break his own record for points in a single season. He also tied his career high in goals and set a new career best in assists. The veteran has 63 points (31-32-63) in 49 games this season.
High Powered: The Comets power play has been running on all cylinders lately. Utica has gone 8-27 (29.6%) on the man advantage in the last eight games. They are also 9-21 (42.9%) on the power play in five games against Laval this season. The Comets power play ranks fourth in the AHL at 22.2%.
Next Game: The Comets are back in action Wednesday night on the road against the Rochester Americans. Puck drop is at 7:05 p.m. The game can be heard on 94.9 KROCK and viewed on AHLTV.