While the Montreal Canadiens attempt to even up their second-round series against the Buffalo Sabres, their AHL affiliate, the Laval Rocket, have been pushed to the brink in the AHL playoffs.
As things stand, Laval is tied 2-2 in their series against the Toronto Marlies, and considering this is the second round of the Calder Cup playoffs, it’s a best-of-five situation. In other words, Game 5, scheduled for 3 pm ET on Saturday, will decide the winner of the series.
It’s a less-than-ideal scenario for the Rockets, a team that has endured spectacular adversity in a season that has seen many of its best players make their way to Montreal.
Luckily for Laval, defenseman Adam Engstrom was recently returned to the AHL, but the fact remains that they are playing without their starting goaltender Jacob Fowler, who is currently serving as Jacob Dobbs’ backup in the NHL.
Even when we take into account the losses of players like Engstrom, David Rickenbacker, Jared Davidson, Florian Czekaj, Joshua Roy and Owen Beck at various stretches of the NHL, it’s worth noting that Laval has managed to overcome long stretches of tough spots to capture the North Division title, which means they’ll have home-ice advantage in Game 5 on Saturday, a significant advantage given the NHL-like environment for the Rockets. Fans form at the Place Bell on any game day.
This is extremely important in this particular case, as the Rockets are facing a can’t-lose situation against the Marlies in what can only be described as a physical series.
oh my bake pic.twitter.com/yD7k9OQ0ak
– xy – Rocket de Laval (@RocketLaval) 29 April 2026
If the Rockets lose, their encouraging season will be quickly forgotten, and labeled another failed playoff push.
If they win, as expected, they will advance to the next round, but they will receive little praise from analysts and fans. More than anything, this would be described as loss aversion.
It’s not an easy scenario to face, but it’s one filled with adversity, a recurring theme in both Montreal and Laval.
And like the Habs, the Rockets perform best with their backs against the wall.
Florian 🚨 1-0 pic.twitter.com/SxI6DRC2NO
– xy – Rocket de Laval (@RocketLaval) 29 April 2026
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