GAME DAY 53: vs Wildcats

A preview of today’s game between the Moncton Wildcats and Saint John Sea Dogs…

When and where: Today at 3 p.m., Harbour Station

TV/Radio/Webcast: None/96.1 NewSong FM/QMJHL Live

Records: The Wildcats are first in the Maritimes Division, third overall in the QMJHL and ranked eighth in the CHL Top 10 rankings with a record of 34-15-0-3 for 71 points. The Sea Dogs are second in the Maritimes and seventh overall with a 27-18-1-6 record for 61 points.

Last games: The Wildcats are coming off a 9-3 win over the Sherbrooke Phoenix last night in Moncton. Taylor Burke and Will Smith each had two goals while singles came from Dominic Talbot-Tassi, Liam Murphy, Lane Cormier, Noah Zilbert and Bronson Beaton. Alex Dubeau made 25 saves in the win. The Sea Dogs are coming off a 5-2 win over the Sherbrooke Phoenix on Friday at Harbour Station. Mathieu Joseph had two goals while Justice Dundas, Samuel Dove-McFalls and Adam Bateman added singles. Sebastien Auger made 30 saves in the win.

2014-15 head-to-head: The Sea Dogs are 1-4-0-1 against the Wildcats this season while Moncton is 5-1-0-0 against Saint John.

Last meeting: Jan. 10 at Harbour Station where the Wildcats defeated the Sea Dogs 3-2. Noah Zilbert had two goals for Moncton and Taylor Burke added a solo marker. Saint John goals came from Jason Bell and Daniel Del Paggio. Alex Dubeau made 27 saves in the win while Alex Bishop made 28 stops in the loss.

Ex-Sea Dogs on the Wildcats: Noah Zilbert

Random stat: Noah Zilbert has six goals and three assists in 17 games with the Wildcats this season.

MON notes: Conor Garland leads the Wildcats and the league in scoring with 91 points in 52 games this season… Garland leads the league in assists with 67… Ivan Barbashev leads the Wildcats in goals with 29… Alex Dubeau is tied for the league lead in wins with 29… Dubeau has allowed just one shootout goal on 16 attempts this year… Jacob Sweeney is fourth in defensemen scoring with 40 points… Sweeney leads all defensemen in goals with 14… Dominic Talbot-Tassi is fourth in d-men assists with 34… 14-10-0-1 on the road… 20-4-0-2 when scoring first… 25-6-0-1 against Maritimes Division teams… Moncton has the fourth best power play in the league with a rating of 25.3%... the ‘Cats are averaging a league high 4.06 goals per game… Garland has assists in six straight games… 6-4-0-0 in their last 10 games.

SJ notes: Nathan Noel leads Saint John in scoring with 46 points in 52 games… Adam Marsh leads the team in goals with 20… Noel has a team high 27 assists… Samuel Dove-McFalls is fifth in shorthanded points with five… Marsh is eighth in rookie scoring with 38 points… Thomas Chabot is 16^th in defensemen scoring with 30 points… 17-5-1-3 on home ice… 17-7-0-1 when scoring first… 17-10-1-3 against Maritimes Division teams… the Sea Dogs have the third worst power play in the league with a rating of 16.5%... the Dogs have the league’s best penalty kill with a rating of 84.1%... 4-5-0-1 in their last 10 games.

Out of town:

Drummondville at Québec - 3:00 PM EST
Victoriaville at Blainville-Boisbriand - 4:00 PM EST
Baie-Comeau at Chicoutimi - 4:00 PM EST
Charlottetown at Rouyn-Noranda - 4:00 PM EST

Next game: The Sea Dogs travel to Bathurst to battle the Titan on Friday at 7:30 p.m.