Updated on 19 March 2026 at 13h07
This article written in french by Nicholas Pereira was automatically translated using AI
The Laval Rocket secured their place in the American Hockey League (AHL) playoffs with a 5–1 victory over the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins.
The Laval squad now holds a record of 38-19-5 with 81 points. As a result, they can no longer be mathematically caught by the bottom three teams in their division in the race for the postseason.
After a goal by Jared Davidson in the first period, Samuel Blais and Sean Farrell helped the Rocket extend their lead to three during the second frame. The Penguins responded early in the third period through Gabe Klassen, but Joshua Roy and Florian Xhekaj sealed the win.
Goaltender Kaapo Kähkönen earned the victory by stopping 29 of the 30 shots he faced.
Another Successful Season
This marks the Rocket’s fourth playoff appearance in five years.
The Laval team could even capture a second consecutive division title, as they currently sit atop the North Division with 10 games remaining. They lead the Syracuse Crunch (75 points), the Cleveland Monsters (73 points), and the Toronto Marlies (70 points).
As in previous years, the team finishing first will face the winner of a best-of-three matchup between the fourth- and fifth-place teams in the division semifinal.
Individually, Laval has two players ranked in the league’s top 10 scorers: Laurent Dauphin (59 points) and Alex Belzile (53 points). Defenseman Marc Del Gaizo leads the team with a +27 plus-minus rating.
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