The Sea Dogs (2-17-2-1) will look to snap a franchise high 13-game losing streak on Wednesday when they host the Acadie-Bathurst Titan (4-18-0-1) at 7 p.m. They'll be doing so with four key players back in their lineup - forward Josh Lawrence and defensemen Jeremie Poirier, William Villeneuve and Charlie DesRoches, all of whom have missed the last seven games due to the World Under-17 Hockey Challenge.
While Saint John has been in a major slump for a while, that slump intensified with those four rookies out of the lineup. Over the course of those seven games, the Sea Dogs were outscored 53-16, allowing six or more goals in every game.
On paper the major issue seems simple: Saint John's defense has been so depleted that it has been unable to move the puck forward, which means an increase in defensive zone time and a decrease in scoring opportunities. The Sea Dogs' problems are obviously more complicated than that, but having three of their top six defensemen back - even if they are 16-year-olds - should be a major help in both stopping goals and scoring them.
Saint John will have a prime opportunity to end their skid on Wednesday (again, on paper, at least). The Titan sit are just two points ahead of the Sea Dogs in the overall standings and have lost six straight. However... the Dogs are 0-2 against the Titan this season and have been outscored 17-2, meaning they should not take this game lightly.
Saint John will also be battling rust versus freshness. With last Friday's road game in Halifax postponed, the Dogs have not played since Nov. 9 in Sherbrooke. Wednesday's contest will also be the club's first home game since Oct. 28.
Following Wednesday's match, the Sea Dogs host the Drummondville Voltigeurs (15-6-1-0) on Friday and Sherbrooke Phoenix (12-9-1-1) on Saturday.
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