Rocket look to carry ‘playoff habits’ into North Division Finals

MONTREAL – The Laval Rocket aren’t reinventing the wheel, and with the way they’ve been playing, why would they?

For the second time this postseason, the American Hockey League’s regular season champions have chosen to start a playoff series on the road.

To limit travel throughout the best-of-five matchup, Laval had two options: play the first two games at home and then head to Rochester for the balance of the series; or begin with two road games before bringing the series back to Place Bell for Games 3, 4 and 5.

As they did in their second-round clash with the Cleveland Monsters, they opted for the latter — a decision that paid off then, and one they’re hoping pays off now.

The Rocket stole both games on the road against the Monsters and sealed the series in front of a raucous Laval crowd in Game 4 of the North Division Semifinals.

It’s been a minute since then — eight days, to be exact — but the Rocket are no strangers to a long layoff. Before Round 2, they benefited from a 10-day break between their regular season finale and playoff opener. We say ‘benefited’ because, clearly, it worked.

Still, the third round brings new challenges — and a clean slate. While momentum from the Cleveland series matters, so does Laval’s readiness to dig in once again. That’s exactly where head coach Pascal Vincent’s philosophy comes in.

‘Playoff habits’ isn’t just a springtime concept in Laval; they’ve been a season-long priority.

“The whole year, we’ve been talking about playoff habits, and we’re just going to keep hammering those concepts and habits until [the playoffs] start,” Vincent told the Canadiens content team in a pre-playoff interview. “We wanted to have those principles in place where playing the right way becomes normal for us, it's not something that you have to do in the playoffs, and all of a sudden, you’re not sure exactly what’s expected. So, it’s just to keep grinding down the other teams and playing the right way.”

And grind down the Americans they did during the regular season.

Laval went 6-1-1 against Rochester in 2024-25, winning all four meetings at Blue Cross Arena:

• 13 @ ROC: 3-2 LAV
• 16 @ ROC: 4-1 LAV
• 20 @ LAV: 2-1 ROC
• 11 @ LAV: 3-1 ROC
• 16 @ ROC: 5-2 LAV
• 7 @ LAV: 4-3 LAV
• 8 @ LAV: 2-1 LAV
• 11 @ ROC: 4-2 LAV

Alex Barré-Boulet played a key role in Laval’s success against Rochester this season. The 27-year-old led the Rocket with 63 points in 64 games and produced nine points across seven appearances against the Americans this year. Laurent Dauphin was also effective for the Canadiens’ affiliate, contributing six points in six outings.

The common denominator? Veterans.

While much of the spotlight in Laval has rightfully been on the Habs prospects, the Rocket — and particularly their younger players — would not be in this position without guidance from their veterans, like Barré-Boulet and Dauphin who each recorded six points in the second round of the playoffs.

“First of all, having good people is a critical component of winning in this league, and we have those people,” Vincent explained. “They're obviously good hockey players — they have an impact on the team and on the results — but they understood that at times, earlier in the season, we were putting guys on the ice that weren't necessarily ready for those responsibilities, and they still supported them and helped them stay positive.

“The [younger guys] have adjusted well to the league, and part of the reason they adjusted well was because of how the veterans brought them along. Their mindset was to be inclusive and to make sure they're part of the process, so they're very important.”

Leadership. Sacrifice. Inclusivity. Those are playoff habits.

One of the rookies Vincent spoke of is Florian Xhekaj, who was a bit of a wildcard entering the season, even in the eyes of his coach.

“We didn't know how long it would take him to adjust, and it didn’t take nearly as long as I thought. Right away he felt comfortable. He's got this confidence about himself, the way he can play and his presence on the ice. He’s the one guy that, to me, has been improving quite a bit.”

A question mark before this season, there’s no secret to Xhekaj’s game now — not for the Rocket, and certainly not for their opponents. The 20-year-old forward’s relentless north-south style makes him tailor-made for playoff hockey.

And with 24 goals in his freshman season — one of eight Rocket players to contribute double-digit tallies this year — the Americans can’t overlook his scoring touch either.

High intensity. Toughness. Depth scoring. Those are playoff habits.

Turning to the tenders, Laval has two more-than-capable weapons they plan on using in this series. Cayden Primeau, a veteran netminder who posted a 21-2-2 record, 1.96 goals-against average and .927 save percentage during the regular season, and Jacob Fowler, one of the best goalie prospects in hockey, who won all three games against Cleveland on the back of a 1.00 GAA and .953 SV%.

Reliable and consistent goaltending. Those are playoff habits.

The Rocket have used playoff habits to get here — now they’ll look to make winning in the playoffs a habit, too.

ON THE OTHER SIDE

The Americans’ path to the North Division Finals came on the strength of a 42-22-5-3 regular season record, followed by a dominant three-game sweep of the Syracuse Crunch in the North Division Semifinals.

Goaltender Devon Levi was the star of the series, posting two shutouts and continuing a strong campaign, in which he led the AHL with seven clean sheets in 42 games for Buffalo’s affiliate. The Montreal native recorded a 2.20 GAA and .919 SV% this season, but those numbers dipped to 3.16 and .888 in six starts against the Rocket.

Like Laval, Rochester has a plethora of young talent in their system, led by Jiri Kulich, who played the majority of the 2024-25 season with the Sabres before returning to Rochester for the playoffs. Isak Rosen, a 2021 first-round pick, paced the team in scoring with 55 points in 61 games, while 2023 first-rounder, Konsta Helenius, also turned heads with 35 points in his rookie campaign.

On the blue line, Erik Brannstrom, Zachary Metsa and former Hab Kale Clague are the engineers. The trio of defenseman each contributed consistently throughout the season, with Metsa and Clague combining for seven points in the Americans’ three-game series against Syracuse.

Game 1 between Laval and Rochester is scheduled for Wednesday, May 14 at Blue Cross Arena. Game 2 is set for Friday, May 16, before the series shifts to Place Bell for Games 3-5 (if necessary) on May 21, 23 and 25.