Moose sock it to Rocket with 3-2 shootout win

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This article was published 21/11/2017 (2955 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

There’s an old adage that you don’t mess with a winning lineup. But don’t hold Manitoba Moose coach Pascal Vincent to that – he continues to mix things up despite a recent run of success for his club.

Manitoba’s 3-2 shootout win over Laval Tuesday night at Bell MTS Place was their fourth victory in a row and eighth in the past nine games. The team has only lost twice in regulation in their past 14 games (10-2-2) and are among the American Hockey League’s top teams so far this season with an overall record of 12-5-2.

It’s an impressive start, especially for a team that was well out of the playoff picture the past two seasons. But Vincent said they can’t lose sight of the fact the Moose are a developmental club looking to get players ready to take the next step, namely a promotion to the National Hockey League.

“The organization is trying to find ways to get better. learning your game, learning your team, the combination and the synergy between players. We’re still early in the season. It’s the right time to do it,” Vincent explained of his line juggling.

Nic Petan would be a prime example. Demoted by the Jets earlier this season, Petan has seen time playing different positions with different players. Last week he was on the left wing with Patrice Cormier as his centre. On Tuesday, he was in the middle of a line with fellow top prospects Jack Roslovic and Brendan Lemieux.

Roslovic, the team’s leading scorer, has played both centre and right wing recently.

Mason Appleton, named the AHL’s player of the week on Monday, hasn’t been slowed by the fact he’s bounced around playing both left and right wing over the past week. His linemates have included Michael Spacek (who has also rotated between different lines playing both centre and right wing), Chase De Leo (who has played left wing and centre in recent games), J.C. Lipon, Buddy Robinson and Michael Sgarbossa.

“When things are going well, you’re winning some games, you can’t be standing still. Once you start doing that, I don’t think its the right way to approach success or failure. So it’s just trying to find different ways to get better and find synergy between players,” said Vincent.

He said the fact there are so many players on his roster who have played centre in their careers gives him more flexibility. And another piece of the puzzle is trying to figure out where a prospect might fit in with the Jets. For example, Roslovic’s quickest path to the NHL is likely on the wing rather than at centre, which means it’s probably in everyone’s best interest to give him as much seasoning at that position as possible.

Vincent has also been trying to balance out the offence, and the result these days is four Moose lines which are all capable of scoring and defending — not unlike the parent club.

Cormier, the veteran captain of the club, thinks Vincent is also trying to ensure complacency doesn’t enter the room.

“We talked about it in the room after our last game. We were winning, but far from our best. So changing the lines a little bit, I think it keeps us on our toes a little bit,” said Cormier.

In Tuesday’s game, Sgarbossa scored a pair of second period goals 40 seconds apart to turn a 1-0 deficit into a 2-1 lead. His first, on the power play, came on a beautiful pass from Spacek. His second was a deflection of a point shot by defenceman Peter Stoykewych. Sgarbossa is now up to eight goals on the year, second only to Roslovic’s 10.

Laval tied the game on their own power play late in the second period.

After a scoreless third, the teams traded chances in three-on-three overtime. Moose goalie Eric Comrie stopped Daniel Audette on a breakaway, then had another Laval shot go off the post seconds later. However, neither team could score, setting the stage for a shootout.

Petan and Lemieux scored in the skills competition, while Comrie shut the door on three of the four Laval shooters to give his team a sweep of the four-game homestand. Coupled with the Jets going three-for-three at home over the past week, the two clubs just won seven times in eight days in their home rink.

Manitoba will look to continue their winning ways as they hit the road for a three-game trip beginning Friday night in Grand Rapids against the defending Calder Cup champions.

mike.mcintyre@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @mikemcintyrewpg