COMETS LOOK TO END FOUR-GAME LOSING SKID AGAINST LAVAL
Nov 21, 2018UTICA COMETS (6-10-1-1) vs. LAVAL ROCKET (7-9-1-1)
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 do battle with the Laval Rocket for the fourth time this season. Puck drop is at 7 p.m.
Last Game: A strong first period wasn’t enough for Utica as they surrendered five unanswered goals in a 6-3 loss to the Hartford Wolf Pack Saturday night at the XL Center. Reid Boucher, Ashton Sautner, and Lukas Jasek found the net for the Comets. Connor LaCouvee made his first AHL start, stopping 23 shots in the loss.
Head-to-Head: This is the fourth meeting between the Comets and Rocket this season. Laval leads the season series 2-1-0-0 and won the most recent contest 4-3 back on November 7. Utica is 6-4-1-0 in the past two seasons against the Rocket.
Scouting the Rocket: Laval comes in with a record of 7-9-1-1 and sit in sixth place in the North Division. They most recently fell to the Syracuse Crunch 6-4 on Saturday. Jake Evans and Alex Belzile lead the offense with 13 points apiece. Charlie Lindgren is the top netminder with a 6-6-2 record, a 2.30 goals-against average, and a .898 save percentage.
Not Missing A Beat: Reid Boucher has picked up right where he left off before being hurt. Boucher has three points (1-2-3) in three games since his return. The team has felt a trickle-down effect as with as the Comets have scored five power play goals in those three games. The forward leads the team with 15 points (10-5-15) in 11 games this season and is two goals shy of 100 career AHL goals.
Power Surge: The Comets power play is back on track. Utica is operating at 37.5% on the man advantage over their last three games, including a four-goal performance last Wednesday. The Comets power play ranks seventh in the league at 22.8%.
Dishmaster: Jonathan Dahlen has been setting up goals left and right over the past few games. Dahlen has six assists in his last six games, including two multi-assist nights. The rookie forward has three points in three games against Laval this year and 11 points (2-9-11) in 17 total games.
Milestone Watch: Carter Bancks is approaching a pair of career milestones. Bancks is three assists shy of 100 career AHL assists and 11 games away from 500 career AHL games. Additionally, Bancks is six points away from 100 career points with the Comets. The captain has two points in 17 games this season and 94 points (34-60-94) in 265 games with Utica.
Next Game: The Comets are back in action Friday night when they hit the road to take on the Rochester Americans. Puck drop at Blue Cross Arena is at 7:05 p.m. The game can be heard on 94.9 KROCK and viewed on AHL TV.