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Ottawa Citizen
5 days ago
- Sport
- Ottawa Citizen
Rocket fall to 0-2 after another lopsided loss to Checkers
Article content It wasn't by accident that the Laval Rocket finished first overall in the American Hockey League this season. This is a relatively young team that faced numerous obstacles over a 72-game schedule. Article content Article content But the hole the Rocket has now dug itself might be too difficult to climb out of. Article content For the second consecutive night and game Laval was overmatched, outclassed and dominated by Charlotte. The Checkers breezed to a 5-2 victory Thursday at Place Bell before 9,943 spectators, taking a commanding 2-0 lead in the best-of-seven Eastern Conference final. Article content Article content The sky indeed appears to be falling on Chicken Little, although Rocket head coach Pascal Vincent has no alternative but to remain optimistic. Article content Article content 'We're going to face it just the way we did the whole year — a day at a time,' Vincent said. 'We can't go in the playoffs thinking we have to win four games. We've got to win one. We've got win a period, then the next one and then the next one. That's how we're going to face it. That's what we've done the whole year. Article content 'This is a great opportunity for us, to show what we're made of, to see how we're going to react, how we're going to play in their building. Going there 0-2, it's not great. It's not what we wanted, but there's an opportunity there and we'll see how we're going to manage that.' Article content The series now shifts to Charlotte for the next three games — provided the Rocket can make it that far — starting Sunday afternoon (4 p.m., RDS2, BPM Sports 91.9). The odds certainly don't appear in Laval's favour, the team faced with winning four of the next five and at least two at Bojangles Coliseum if it hopes to play another home game this season. Article content Article content Through two games, Laval has been outscored 10-3. Its power play has gone 1-for-12 while allowing two short-handed goals. Goaltender Cayden Primeau has struggled in both games and was replaced by Jacob Fowler 15 minutes into the second period after allowing four goals on 18 shots. That included two in a span of 44 seconds. Article content The Rocket's defence, missing the injured Tyler Wotherspoon and William Trudeau, is in disarray. Article content Logan Mailloux, a former first-round draft choice, attempted to beat two Charlotte players in the second period while Laval was on the power play. That resulted in a John Leonard breakaway and his second short-handed goal of the series. Article content Mailloux, a minus-2 on this night, appeared to be benched in the third period, although Vincent claimed he was injured. Mailloux jumped on the ice with 4:13 remaining, during a television timeout, and was subsequently sent to the dressing room. Vincent said Mailloux was ejected by the officials, having been assessed a misconduct, although no such record appeared on the scoresheet.
Montreal Gazette
5 days ago
- Sport
- Montreal Gazette
Rocket fall to 0-2 after another lopsided loss to Checkers
Laval Rocket By It wasn't by accident that the Laval Rocket finished first overall in the American Hockey League this season. This is a relatively young team that faced numerous obstacles over a 72-game schedule. But the hole the Rocket has now dug itself might be too difficult to climb out of. For the second consecutive night and game Laval was overmatched, outclassed and dominated by Charlotte. The Checkers breezed to a 5-2 victory Thursday at Place Bell before 9,943 spectators, taking a commanding 2-0 lead in the best-of-seven Eastern Conference final. The sky indeed appears to be falling on Chicken Little, although Rocket head coach Pascal Vincent has no alternative but to remain optimistic. 'We're going to face it just the way we did the whole year — a day at a time,' Vincent said. 'We can't go in the playoffs thinking we have to win four games. We've got to win one. We've got win a period, then the next one and then the next one. That's how we're going to face it. That's what we've done the whole year. 'This is a great opportunity for us, to show what we're made of, to see how we're going to react, how we're going to play in their building. Going there 0-2, it's not great. It's not what we wanted, but there's an opportunity there and we'll see how we're going to manage that.' The series now shifts to Charlotte for the next three games — provided the Rocket can make it that far — starting Sunday afternoon (4 p.m., RDS2, BPM Sports 91.9). The odds certainly don't appear in Laval's favour, the team faced with winning four of the next five and at least two at Bojangles Coliseum if it hopes to play another home game this season. Through two games, Laval has been outscored 10-3. Its power play has gone 1-for-12 while allowing two short-handed goals. Goaltender Cayden Primeau has struggled in both games and was replaced by Jacob Fowler 15 minutes into the second period after allowing four goals on 18 shots. That included two in a span of 44 seconds. The Rocket's defence, missing the injured Tyler Wotherspoon and William Trudeau, is in disarray. Logan Mailloux, a former first-round draft choice, attempted to beat two Charlotte players in the second period while Laval was on the power play. That resulted in a John Leonard breakaway and his second short-handed goal of the series. Mailloux, a minus-2 on this night, appeared to be benched in the third period, although Vincent claimed he was injured. Mailloux jumped on the ice with 4:13 remaining, during a television timeout, and was subsequently sent to the dressing room. Vincent said Mailloux was ejected by the officials, having been assessed a misconduct, although no such record appeared on the scoresheet. During the pregame warm-up, players from both teams mingled at centre ice, with Mailloux and MacKenzie Entwistle, 6-foot-3 and 193 pounds, the apparent ringleaders. Laval, the league's most-penalized team this season, took 68 of the 116 penalty minutes assessed. Eight misconducts were meted out — five to the Rocket, including two alone to Florian Xhekaj. Referees Morgan MacPhee and Graedy Hamilton arguably lost control of the game — something that has occurred more than once when MacPhee's involved. Numerous apparent calls went unpenalized, including Marek Alscher's vicious check on Laurent Dauphin in front of the bench. Vincent and his players, predictably, were loath to comment on the officiating. 'It's pretty frustrating what we're doing to ourselves,' captain Lucas Condotta said. 'We're not playing our best and have to regroup here and get back on track. We just didn't have it tonight. They're a good team but we're just not playing our game. The games have been emotional. We have to do a better job of keeping our emotions in check. 'It hasn't been our best. We've given them our worst two games probably of the playoffs. It's a seven-game series. It's not a best-of-five. We've got some time to regroup here. We've got to be ready to go.' Defenceman Trevor Carrick paced Charlotte with a goal and two assists. Michael Benning, Will Lockwood and Riley Bezeau also scored. The Checkers are now on a six-game winning streak. Both of Laval's goals came from defencemen — David Reinbacher and Noel Hoefenmayer. Reinbacher, another former Canadiens first-round draft choice, committed a turnover on Charlotte's fifth goal. Oliver Kapanen is the only Rocket forward with a goal in the series. 'It's on us,' Hoefenmayer said. 'At the end of the day we control our destiny when it comes to that. We have to be more disciplined and stay out of the box. In the playoffs ... it's one game at a time. They came into our building and got two games but now we have the chance to go into theirs and do the same. 'We all believe. We know how good of a team we are.'
Vancouver Sun
6 days ago
- Sport
- Vancouver Sun
Does Abbotsford's success mean Malhotra will outskate the Canucks?
Manny Malhotra's remarkable first season as a head coach has brought positivity to an otherwise flailing organization. But it has also raised the likelihood his positive influence will end up benefiting a rival organization. This season with the Abbotsford Canucks , Malhotra took over a squad that most expected to be workmanlike but not much else. He pushed them well beyond expectation and built them into a Calder Cup contender. In a league where your lineup is in flux nearly every night because of call-ups to the big club, where talent varies greatly from player to player — you have grinding ECHL call-ups playing alongside future NHL snipers — putting together the kind of consistency that Malhotra's team has can be elusive. Start your day with a roundup of B.C.-focused news and opinion. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. A welcome email is on its way. If you don't see it, please check your junk folder. The next issue of Sunrise will soon be in your inbox. Please try again Interested in more newsletters? Browse here. Leave no doubt: What Malhotra has done with the Baby Canucks, landing them in the final four of the American Hockey League playoffs, has drawn notice around the NHL. Under the former Canucks centre, Abbotsford had a 13-game win streak late in the regular season, even while missing a number of the team's stars to NHL call-ups and injury. And in the playoffs, his team has only got better — after their 44-24-2-2 regular season, Malhotra's crew is 8-4 in the playoffs, having dismissed Tucson, Coachella Valley and Colorado. Game 1 of the Western Conference final against the Texas Stars begins Thursday at the Abbotsford Centre. The defeat of Colorado is especially impressive given the Eagles were the AHL's best team on home ice and Abbotsford won two of three games at Blue Arena, home of the Eagles. There's buzz around Malhotra, but how quickly will all this buzz add up to an NHL opportunity? There are up-and-coming coaches who get noticed every year, but in the end most don't get hired. Just looking at the list of recent Calder Cup-winning coaches tells a story unto itself. Todd Nelson has won three of the last seven Calder Cups as a head coach, but he's had barely a sniff at the NHL — an interim gig a decade ago in Edmonton, before his AHL coaching career really took off. Since that NHL cup of coffee, he's been excellent and yet hasn't been hired by an NHL team even though many of his peers have. He won his first cup in 2017 with Grand Rapids, which you'd think would have earned him a promotion back to the show, since four of the previous five coaches to win the AHL title have all gone on to the NHL. Three of the four have found success in the NHL: Jared Bednar and Jon Cooper have both become among the NHL's best coaches, and Jeff Blashill has done enough to win a second NHL job — he was hired last week by Chicago and was Detroit's bench boss from 2015 to 2022. But Willie Desjardins' NHL time is surely over, as he had a mediocre run in Vancouver, then was essentially a placeholder figure in Los Angeles for less than a season. And in between Nelson's win in 2017 and his next win in 2023 with Hershey — he also won last year — Sheldon Keefe, Mike Vellucci and Ryan Warsofsky all won the cup. Keefe and Warsofsky are both in the NHL, but Vellucci is not. Winning, it's clear, gets you a chance in the show more often than not. There's little doubt what Malhotra has done this year is going to boost his name. 'Tough to say what it leads to in the short term, but obviously people will take notice of his success,' one league source observed. Just look at Malhotra's predecessor in Abbotsford as another example: Jeremy Colliton guided the Abby squad to two strong seasons, then got a promotion to associate coach with the New Jersey Devils last summer. Of course, he has previous NHL head coaching experience, which Malhotra does not. Still, if Malhotra has another strong season next year, there is no doubt teams will come calling. He was in consideration for the NHL Canucks' head coaching job this spring, to succeed Rick Tocchet . The Canucks' brass went with Adam Foote instead. Foote does not have a ton of experience — less NHL experience as an assistant than Malhotra — but he may yet pan out as a solid NHL bench boss. Given the positive trajectory Malhotra's career seems to be on — he was well-regarded as an NHL assistant in Toronto and Vancouver — plus this season's success, Malhotra's long-term coaching ceiling may be higher than Foote's. Will the Canucks come to rue their choice? Malhotra's boss Ryan Johnson is surely going to draw some buzz elsewhere. The former Canucks centre — ironically, it was the signing of Malhotra in 2010 that ended Johnson's tenure as a player with the Canucks — has long drawn praise from his own bosses and was handed a promotion to assistant general manager with the NHL club along with his AHL GM role last summer. He's not as well versed in the CBA or in contract negotiation as other candidates might be, but he has proven to be a loyal organizational soldier for a decade, and since the arrival of Jim Rutherford and Patrik Allvin in the 2022-23 season has finally felt strong organizational support in his role developing the next wave of Canucks in the minors. Jim Benning never really understood what it takes to develop prospects, and with the AHL club so far away in Utica, Johnson's project often felt like an afterthought. It's notable that his teams still produced some NHLers in the likes of Jonah Gadjovich, Jalen Chatfield and Adam Gaudette, although had the development program been more co-ordinated — as it seems to have become under Allvin and Rutherford — surely Johnson's Utica teams would have delivered more players to the NHL. Either way, he has developed a strong reputation as a manager. Teams do value competence more than ever. pjohnston@
Edmonton Journal
6 days ago
- Sport
- Edmonton Journal
Does Abbotsford's success mean Malhotra will outskate the Canucks?
Article content In a league where your lineup is in flux nearly every night because of call-ups to the big club, where talent varies greatly from player to player — you have grinding ECHL call-ups playing alongside future NHL snipers — putting together the kind of consistency that Malhotra's team has can be elusive. Leave no doubt: What Malhotra has done with the Baby Canucks, landing them in the final four of the American Hockey League playoffs, has drawn notice around the NHL. Under the former Canucks centre, Abbotsford had a 13-game win streak late in the regular season, even while missing a number of the team's stars to NHL call-ups and injury. And in the playoffs, his team has only got better — after their 44-24-2-2 regular season, Malhotra's crew is 8-4 in the playoffs, having dismissed Tucson, Coachella Valley and Colorado. Game 1 of the Western Conference final against the Texas Stars begins Thursday at the Abbotsford Centre.
The Province
6 days ago
- Sport
- The Province
Does Abbotsford's success mean Malhotra will outskate the Canucks?
When you coach a winner in the AHL, NHL teams come calling. Get the latest from Patrick Johnston straight to your inbox Manny Malhotra has spent a lot of the 2024-25 season smiling behind the Abbotsford Canucks' bench. Photo by Arlen Redekop / PNG Manny Malhotra's remarkable first season as a head coach has brought positivity to an otherwise flailing organization. But it has also raised the likelihood his positive influence will end up benefiting a rival organization. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Exclusive articles by top sports columnists Patrick Johnston, Ben Kuzma, J.J. Abrams and others. Plus, Canucks Report, Sports and Headline News newsletters and events. Unlimited online access to The Province and 15 news sites with one account. The Province ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition to view on any device, share and comment on. Daily puzzles and comics, including the New York Times Crossword. Support local journalism. SUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Exclusive articles by top sports columnists Patrick Johnston, Ben Kuzma, J.J. Abrams and others. Plus, Canucks Report, Sports and Headline News newsletters and events. Unlimited online access to The Province and 15 news sites with one account. The Province ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition to view on any device, share and comment on. Daily puzzles and comics, including the New York Times Crossword. Support local journalism. REGISTER / SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account. Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments. Enjoy additional articles per month. Get email updates from your favourite authors. THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK. Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments Enjoy additional articles per month Get email updates from your favourite authors This season with the Abbotsford Canucks, Malhotra took over a squad that most expected to be workmanlike but not much else. He pushed them well beyond expectation and built them into a Calder Cup contender. In a league where your lineup is in flux nearly every night because of call-ups to the big club, where talent varies greatly from player to player — you have grinding ECHL call-ups playing alongside future NHL snipers — putting together the kind of consistency that Malhotra's team has can be elusive. Leave no doubt: What Malhotra has done with the Baby Canucks, landing them in the final four of the American Hockey League playoffs, has drawn notice around the NHL. Under the former Canucks centre, Abbotsford had a 13-game win streak late in the regular season, even while missing a number of the team's stars to NHL call-ups and injury. And in the playoffs, his team has only got better — after their 44-24-2-2 regular season, Malhotra's crew is 8-4 in the playoffs, having dismissed Tucson, Coachella Valley and Colorado. Game 1 of the Western Conference final against the Texas Stars begins Thursday at the Abbotsford Centre. Essential reading for hockey fans who eat, sleep, Canucks, repeat. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. Please try again This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. The defeat of Colorado is especially impressive given the Eagles were the AHL's best team on home ice and Abbotsford won two of three games at Blue Arena, home of the Eagles. There's buzz around Malhotra, but how quickly will all this buzz add up to an NHL opportunity? There are up-and-coming coaches who get noticed every year, but in the end most don't get hired. Just looking at the list of recent Calder Cup-winning coaches tells a story unto itself. Todd Nelson has won three of the last seven Calder Cups as a head coach, but he's had barely a sniff at the NHL — an interim gig a decade ago in Edmonton, before his AHL coaching career really took off. Since that NHL cup of coffee, he's been excellent and yet hasn't been hired by an NHL team even though many of his peers have. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. He won his first cup in 2017 with Grand Rapids, which you'd think would have earned him a promotion back to the show, since four of the previous five coaches to win the AHL title have all gone on to the NHL. Three of the four have found success in the NHL: Jared Bednar and Jon Cooper have both become among the NHL's best coaches, and Jeff Blashill has done enough to win a second NHL job — he was hired last week by Chicago and was Detroit's bench boss from 2015 to 2022. But Willie Desjardins' NHL time is surely over, as he had a mediocre run in Vancouver, then was essentially a placeholder figure in Los Angeles for less than a season. And in between Nelson's win in 2017 and his next win in 2023 with Hershey — he also won last year — Sheldon Keefe, Mike Vellucci and Ryan Warsofsky all won the cup. Keefe and Warsofsky are both in the NHL, but Vellucci is not. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Winning, it's clear, gets you a chance in the show more often than not. There's little doubt what Malhotra has done this year is going to boost his name. 'Tough to say what it leads to in the short term, but obviously people will take notice of his success,' one league source observed. Just look at Malhotra's predecessor in Abbotsford as another example: Jeremy Colliton guided the Abby squad to two strong seasons, then got a promotion to associate coach with the New Jersey Devils last summer. Of course, he has previous NHL head coaching experience, which Malhotra does not. Still, if Malhotra has another strong season next year, there is no doubt teams will come calling. He was in consideration for the NHL Canucks' head coaching job this spring, to succeed Rick Tocchet. The Canucks' brass went with Adam Foote instead. Foote does not have a ton of experience — less NHL experience as an assistant than Malhotra — but he may yet pan out as a solid NHL bench boss. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Given the positive trajectory Malhotra's career seems to be on — he was well-regarded as an NHL assistant in Toronto and Vancouver — plus this season's success, Malhotra's long-term coaching ceiling may be higher than Foote's. Will the Canucks come to rue their choice? What about RJ? Malhotra's boss Ryan Johnson is surely going to draw some buzz elsewhere. The former Canucks centre — ironically, it was the signing of Malhotra in 2010 that ended Johnson's tenure as a player with the Canucks — has long drawn praise from his own bosses and was handed a promotion to assistant general manager with the NHL club along with his AHL GM role last summer. He's not as well versed in the CBA or in contract negotiation as other candidates might be, but he has proven to be a loyal organizational soldier for a decade, and since the arrival of Jim Rutherford and Patrik Allvin in the 2022-23 season has finally felt strong organizational support in his role developing the next wave of Canucks in the minors. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Jim Benning never really understood what it takes to develop prospects, and with the AHL club so far away in Utica, Johnson's project often felt like an afterthought. It's notable that his teams still produced some NHLers in the likes of Jonah Gadjovich, Jalen Chatfield and Adam Gaudette, although had the development program been more co-ordinated — as it seems to have become under Allvin and Rutherford — surely Johnson's Utica teams would have delivered more players to the NHL. Either way, he has developed a strong reputation as a manager. Teams do value competence more than ever. pjohnston@ Read More Vancouver Canucks Vancouver Canucks Vancouver Canucks News News
