After shutting out the Canucks 3-0 in their home opener, the Rocket will look to complete a two-game sweep against Abbotsford
By Justin Vézina
The Rocket delivered a near-perfect performance Friday night in their home opener and will look to replicate that effort Saturday afternoon against the same Canucks.
STAYING SOLID
The Rocket put on a defensive clinic in the first half of the game. After 30 minutes of play, Abbotsford had managed just seven shots on goal. Goaltender Jacob Fowler had to come up big late in the second period to preserve Laval’s one-goal lead.
“We barely gave them anything tonight, and when they [the Canucks] did get a few chances, I just tried to give our team the best chance to win. We scored two quick goals in the third and didn’t give up anything after that,” analyzed Fowler.
On Saturday, Kaapo Kähkönen will get the start in net for the Rocket. He’ll be looking to earn his second win in as many starts with the Laval squad. If Pascal Vincent’s team delivers a similar performance to Friday’s, they’ll be in a strong position to do just that.
STAYING UNITED
Late in the second period, tempers flared on both sides following a fight in which Rocket defenseman Josiah Didier hit his head hard on the ice. Fortunately, it looked worse than it was. Didier was in good condition after the game.
The intensity and physicality ramped up from that point on, but the Rocket players stood their ground and remained united.
“We had to push back. We had to say, ‘If you want to play that kind of game, no problem, we’ll answer,’ and I think we showed that in the third period,” said head coach Pascal Vincent.
THREE STATS
- Jared Davidson and Filip Mešár each recorded a goal and an assist on Friday night.
- Jacob Fowler stopped all 19 shots he faced to earn his first professional regular-season shutout.
- Adam Engström leads the team with a +3 rating.
STRAIGHT FROM THE LOCKER ROOM
“We’re already a tight-knit group early in the season, which is really great. […] That chemistry carries over onto the ice. It’s a small sample size, but we’ve got a good team here,” said Jared Davidson, who scored the opening goal on Friday.
“We’ve shown we can come from behind, we saw that in Winnipeg last weekend. However, proving we can also hold a lead is valuable. That’s going to help us this season,” noted Xavier Simoneau.
“The way the crowd celebrated when they announced me, it really touched me,” shared Pascal Vincent about the opening ceremony.
LINEUP FROM LAST GAME (OCTOBER 17, 2025)
Forwards
Sean Farrell – Laurent Dauphin – Alex Belzile
Jared Davidson – Owen Beck – Filip Mešár
Luke Tuch – Florian Xhekaj – Joshua Roy
Xavier Simoneau – Lucas Condotta – Tyler Thorpe
Defensemen
Adam Engström – Josiah Didier
Tobie Bisson – Nate Clurman
Marc Del Gaizo – Wyatte Wylie
Goaltenders
Jacob Fowler
Kaapo Kähkönen
Extras: Vincent Arseneau, Jacob Dion, Ryan O’Rourke
Injured: Joshua Jacobs
HOW TO WATCH OR LISTEN
When: Saturday, October 18 at 3:00 p.m. ET
Where: Place Bell, Laval
TV & Streaming: RDS.ca, FloHockey
Radio: SICK Media
Tickets: Click here