CanucksArmy Utica Comets Post-Game: EIGHT IS ENOUGH! Comets Halt Losing Skid At Eight Games With 2-1 Shootout Win Over Laval

Game #67

Vs Laval Rocket

Friday, March 22nd, 2019

7:00 pm Eastern/4:00 pm Pacific

(First forward line/defensive pair listed were the starters. Otherwise, lines are in no particular order)

34 Carter Bancks (C) – 11 Cam Darcy – 15 Zack MacEwen

20 Tom Pyatt – 10 Tanner Kero (A) – 16 Brendan Gaunce

19 Seamus Malone – 21 Brendan Woods – 9 Lukas Jasek

18 Vincent Arseneau  – 14 Reid Gardiner – 13 Kole Lind

8 Dylan Blujus – 5 Jalen Chatfield

3 Stefan LeBlanc – 26 Jaime Sifers (A)

38 Matt Petgrave – Jesse Graham

49 Michael Leighton

33 Marek Mazanec (backing up)

We saw a pretty quick first period of hockey as it wasn’t a penalty-filled affair…though a few came later on in the frame.

Alex Belzile took a puck to the net early for the Rocket and Michael Leighton came up with a save and Zack MacEwen headed the other way with the puck. At the other end of the ice, former Comets PTO goaltender, Connor LaCouvee had to shut down a Brendan Gaunce chance from in tight.

The other Brendan, of the Woods variety, turned over the puck in the Comets end and Leighton had to come up with another save. Hayden Verbeek managed to block a shot near his own blueline before going in for a clean break. Leighton wouldn’t have to make a save, however, as Verbeek fired his offering wide of the net.

Brett Lernout would not put his point shot through traffic wide, however, as his shot beat Leighton to put the Rocket up 1-0 at the 3:27 mark with his third goal of the year. Daniel Audette picked up his 22nd assist of the season on the play, while Jake Evans grabbed his 29th.

Tom Pyatt was looking to get that one right back when he took the puck to the net with a burst of speed, only to see his backhander swallowed up by LaCouvee for a whistle. The Comets weren’t scoring, but they were throwing some hits as Jalen Chatfield dropped Nikita Jevpalovs near the Laval blueline.

Antoine Waked was sent off for charging at the 5:46 mark after crushing Jesse Graham with a nonsense hit and the Comets were off to the power play.

We saw the first unit of Kero, Darcy, MacEwen, Graham, and Malone unable to make anything happen, and the second unit of Gaunce, Pyatt, Petgrave, Jasek, and Gardiner didn’t fare a whole lot better. Reid Gardiner did have a shot denied by LaCouvee before the rebound chance was fired over the net, but the Comets came up empty.

Utica put on some pressure after their PP that forced LaCouvee into covering up for a whistle before we saw some back and forth. We also saw Vincent Arseneau head off down the tunnel with the trainer…but he would return, though that return was short-lived.

Zack MacEwen had a chance in close poke-checked off his stick by LaCouvee before Leighton stymied a backhand wraparound chance and followed up by kicking out a pad for another save.

Seamus Malone showed some sweet mitts with a nifty feed to Woods for a chance that was denied, but the Woods line kept the pressure on. Jesse Graham followed up with a chance from the slot that was turned aside before a fight broke out.

Carter Bancks and Antoine Waked threw down and each landed a couple of blows before Bancks got the takedown after a solid left. Both men were given five for fighting.

The Comets kept the pressure on as Graham and Chatfield had back-to-back chances gloved down from the left point before Cale Fleury went the other way with a shot that was redirected by Jevpalovs. Leighton was ready with the save.

David Sklenicka was dinged for tripping at the 14:38 mark and the Comets had a power play to work with. The penalty came after Sklenicka dumped Vincent Arseneau with a trip and the big winger had to be helped off the ice and his night would be over.

Reid Gardiner had an early chance denied before Ryan Culkin was sent off for a high-stick and the Comets had a two-man advantage. That two-man advantage wouldn’t last long, however, as Cam Darcy was whistled for hooking just over a minute later.

During the four aside play, we saw Jalen Chatfield showing some great use of his body to shield the puck from the Laval forward that he was wearing like a jersey in the defensive zone. The Comets would eventually have a penalty to kill out of this and kill it they did.

Bancks and Kero had back-to-back shorthanded chances denied by LaCouvee before Grenier fired a bomb from the high slot that Leighton turned aside and the Comets had a good kill.

Leighton followed up the kill with a good save on Michael Pezzetta as the Rocket put on some pressure in the late going. That was it for the opening frame as the Comets showed a 12-9 advantage on the shot clock.

The Comets had some good pressure early in the middle frame before Leighton had to kick out a shot at the other end.

Carter Bancks hit Matt Petgrave for a chance in close that was denied by LaCouvee before Chatfield showed some good feet to move the puck while taking a hit to make his play.

Cam Darcy let fly with a shot off the glove of LaCouvee before the netminder denied Lukas Jasek as well.

Alex Alain was dinged for slashing at the 3:13 mark and Utica had an early power play to work with. This power play was a bit odd as there was a board battle that seemed to last for about a week without the puck moving more than an inch at a time. The best the Comets would muster on this one was a Seamus Malone one-timer that was turned aside. The Comets came up empty.

Laval brings a strong, relentless forecheck and they were all over the Comets in this game but were unable to put any shots on the net.

Malone dished a sweet feed earlier in this game and he brewed up another beauty to find Jaime Sifers for a shot that the defender put off of the hand of Hunter Shinkaruk. I understand that some in Utica called Shinkaruk ClearBeard when he played there and that makes me giggle…just a little.

Kero kept the shots coming as he got one away that LaCouvee turned aside and the Rocket were still up by a goal. Zack MacEwen came back with another shot and LaCouvee swallowed it up for another whistle.

Just when it looked like Laval would get their first shot of the period, Alex Alain fired his offering wide of the net. Leighton had an easy period in the middle frame.

Tom Pyatt let fly with a shot off the left side and LaCaouvee chalked up another save before shutting down consecutive chances from Malone and Sifers to keep his team up by a goal.

Ryan Culkin was sent off for delay of game at the 10:57 mark when he put the puck over the glass and the Comets power play had another opportunity to pull even. The Comets had some chances during a scramble just outside LaCouvee’s crease, but they were unable to squeeze one through. Seamus Malone unloaded a hot-shot from the right circle, but LaCouvee flashed the leather for another save. The Comets had some pressure but came up empty with the extra man.

Kole Lind hasn’t been piling up points this season, but I truly believe that those will come for the young forward as he is gaining confidence in his overall game. Lind did some great defensive work to break up an Alex Grenier chance, showing once again that he is understanding what the coaches are asking of him.

There were five minutes remaining in the middle frame, and Laval had yet to register a shot on Michael Leighton.

Alexandre Alain would get the first Laval shot and Leighton made him wish he didn’t bother when he whipped out the mitt to shut him down. The Comets netminder came up with another save through traffic before Gaunce had a shot from the right circle gloved down at the other end.

Time was running out for the period as Cam Darcy showed some moves off the left side, taking the puck to the net, only to be denied once again. The Woods line finished up the period with some great pressure, but the Comets would head into the third period down a goal.

Utica showed a staggering 14-2 advantage on the shot clock for the middle frame, but Connor LaCouvee was standing tall.

The third period was not what you would call action-packed as the two clubs managed just seven shots between them. We did, however, see the Comets tie the game, so I will take it.

There was some early back and forth between the two teams before TheBigFella showed some moves to find a scoring area and unloaded with a shot that LaCouvee denied. The netminder didn’t stop there as he also shut down the Seamus Malone rebound chance that followed.

Kole Lind must have been picking up what MacEwen was putting down because the rookie winger made some room for himself, found some free space in the slot and got a wrister away that LaCouvee was ready for. The Comets were pressing for the tying goal.

Ryan Culkin, you may remember him from his earlier high-sticking and delay of games penalties in this one…well, it appears that he is the kind of dude who needs to take a penalty in each period as he was sent off for roughing at the 4:53 mark and the Comets power play would get another chance to tie this one up.

MacEwen had a chance denied by LaCouvee, but otherwise, the Comets seemed to be afraid to put their shots on the net, everything was sailing wide on this one. With five seconds left in the Culkin minor, Brendan Woods decided to join him in the box when he was whistled for slashing at the 6:48 mark.

The Comets would kill off the Woods minor and Tanner Kero would knot this game at one soon after.

Jalen Chatfield unloaded with a shot and Tanner Kero ended up picking up his 23rd of the year on the ensuing scramble. Tom Pyatt earned his ninth helper of the year on the play, while Chatfield picked up his sixth. It’s nice to see Jalen picking up a couple of points of late. It’s been a bit of a tough year for the young defender, but he is finishing strong. Sorry, folks…no gif of that goal.

Not long after the Kero tally, Cam Darcy had a collision in the Comets zone that looked to shake him up a little as he went down before heading off to the bench in obvious discomfort. The gritty pivot would return.

Dylan Blujus has been a welcome addition since returning last game. The big defender is a steady presence on the backend and he came up with another good defensive play to shut down a chance for Alex Belzile to go in all alone. It would not surprise me in the least if the Comets were to bring Blujus back on another AHL deal next season. Another deal for veteran Jaime Sifers would make some sense as well.

Rick Dhaliwal of Sportsnet650 in Vancouver let us know today that the Canucks had informed the agent for Matthew Brassard that they would not be offering him a contract, thus sending him back into the draft. The opens up a potential spot on the right side. If Sifers and Blujus are both brought back, that would see the team potentially starting with a right side of Chatfield, Sifers, Blujus, and Mitch Eliot. Of that group, Eliot is the best bet for offence, but time will tell if his offence will translate at the pro level for him.

This game also saw some physical play and TheBigFella wasn’t going to be left out of that when he blew up Sklenicka near the defensive blueline. As time wound down we saw Jalen Chatfield come up with a good stick to force a turnover at the offensive blueline before the buzzer sounded to send this one to overtime.

The Comets showed an edge of six-shots-to-one on the third period shot clock.

Trent Cull’s first trio over the boards was Gaunce, Kero, and Chatfield and that group saw Gaunce get a shot away that was denied by the blocker of LaCouvee. Graham, Jasek, and Pyatt followed up and we saw Pyatt’s wrister kicked aside before the group of MacEwen, Petgrave, and Darcy rolled over the boards.

We would eventually see a trio of Kero with Gaunce and LeBlanc and those three managed a couple of chances. First up, was Kero ripping a shot on net that LaCouvee turned aside before the pivot dropped a pass to Gaunce for another shot that was kicked out by the former Comets netminder.

At the other end, Leighton gloved down a Belzile offering before ending the overtime period with a splits-save on Maxim Lamarche that would have many a man signing the high notes for a good week or two. The Comets showed a 4-2 advantage on the overtime shot clock and we were off to the shootout.

Laval – Hunter Shinkaruk – Nope

Utica – Reid Gardiner – Nope

Laval – Daniel Audette – Nope

Utica – Seamus Malone – GOAL

Laval – Alex Belzile – GOAL

Utica – Tanner Kero – Nope

Laval – Jake Evans – Nope

Zack MacEwen – Nope

Michael Pezzetta – Nope

Lukas Jasek- GOAL…winner, winner….big ole plate of chicken riggies!

The Comets fought back for a win in this one, and since Belleville lost to Providence today, Utica is still in the hunt for a playoff spot. They are now four points back of Belleville rather than the six that they were behind coming into today’s game. Can the CardiacComets make an appearance the rest of the way down the stretch? Find out tomorrow when they take on the Crunch in Syracuse.

Kero (23) from Pyatt (9) and Chatfield (6).

3rd Star: Brett Lernout. One goal.

2nd Star: Tanner Kero. One goal.

1st Star: Lukas Jasek. Game winner in the shootout.

3rd Star: Seamus Malone. Much like Tanner MacMaster did last season, Malone is growing on me fairly quickly in his first few games with the Comets. He showed some nifty mitts with a few plays today and scored a nice goal in the shootout. Players like Malone are the type that are good low-risk signings for the Comets. If he looks like a player that the team can use going forward, they can try to lock him up with an AHL deal for next year. He was on the wing today but played the middle in his first two games for the team, and we all know how badly the Comets could use depth down the middle. Especially the kind of depth that can make plays.

2nd Star: Tanner Kero. Speaking of playmakers down the middle…Kero’s career year just keeps on careering. The Comets first line pivot picked up his 23rd goal today and is now up to 52 points in 61 games, giving him 0.85 points/game this year. That puts Kero on pace for 60 points this season. Not bad, Mr. Kero, not bad at all. Kero is a pending RFA, (restricted free agent) which means that the Canucks still control his rights going forward and can offer him a qualifying offer for next year…or a raise if they see fit. I do wonder how that conversation might go, considering what Kero has done in Utica this year without so much as a minute of ice time with the big club.

1st Star: Lukas Jasek. Jasek scored the winner in the shootout today and his goal was a nice one. He has a sneaky release on his shot and I’d like to see him use it more often. Jasek has been hot and cold this year, but it isn’t because of a lack of opportunity. The rookie winger has been used up and down the lineup all season and has been able to pull his weight while further down the lineup while popping a few points while used on the top lines. It was nice to see him rewarded with the shootout goal today.

Game #68

At Syracuse Crunch

Saturday, March 23rd, 2019

7:00 pm Eastern/4:00 pm Pacific