'Our best game by far' against Charlotte not enough as Laval Rocket swept from Eastern Conference final
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After finishing first overall in the AHL this season, the Laval Rocket entered the playoffs like lions.
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Following an opening-round bye, Laval won the first two games at Cleveland before defeating the Monsters in four games. And while the Rocket required the maximum five contests, it still outlasted Rochester in the North Division final.
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But Laval exited the post-season like lambs, swept by the vastly superior Charlotte Checkers in the Eastern Conference final. The last blow came Tuesday night, with Charlotte edging the visiting Rocket 3-2 before 7,317 spectators at Bojangles Coliseum.
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While it was Laval's most competitive game of the series, it nonetheless found a new way to lose, squandering a 2-0 lead.
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With the teams apparently headed to overtime for the first time in the series, Jesse Puljujarvi scored the winning goal with 2:03 remaining in regulation time.
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THE GOAL THAT SENT US TO THE FINALS pic.twitter.com/QnILhSBfq3
— Charlotte Checkers (@CheckersHockey) June 4, 2025
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There appeared to be indecision on the play between defenceman Zack Hayes and rookie goaltender Jacob Fowler, making his first start against the Checkers after Cayden Primeau was removed in the second period of each of the last two games.
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Fowler hesitated coming out of his net in an attempt to clear the puck, forcing Hayes to make an errant dive. The puck went directly onto Puljujarvi's stick. With Fowler now far removed from his crease, Puljujarvi scored easily into the empty net for his second goal of the playoffs.
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'It really hurts to give up that one,' Fowler told the media in Charlotte. 'The boys played so good in front of me all night. It was just one of those plays. We knew it was going to be a sloppy break like that. I have to make the read off him. When you want to get back in the series that's something I've got to be better on, learn from it and hopefully not make that mistake again.
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'It hurts to lose but I'm really proud to have been a small impact on this group,' added Fowler, a late-season addition from Boston College. 'Being down 3-0 on the road, it's hard. We were 2½ minutes away from maybe going to overtime or scoring late. I wish I could have given them a better last 2½ minutes.'
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Puljujarvi, selected fourth overall by Edmonton in 2016, has 387 NHL games to his credit between the Oilers, Carolina, Pittsburgh and Florida. The Finnish winger played 31 games in the NHL this season, including 26 with the Penguins.
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It was Charlotte's eighth consecutive playoff victory, while Laval limped to the finish line with a 2-6 record in its last eight playoff games and 6-7 overall.
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Laval played a strong first period and had a 6-3 edge in shots through 10 minutes. The visitors nearly took the lead in the 13th minute, while short-handed. For the second consecutive game, Alex Barré-Boulet had a breakaway. And for the second consecutive game, he couldn't beat goalie Kaapo Kahkonen.
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