The Sea Dogs moved to within one point of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League's final playoff spot with a 5-1 victory over the Acadie-Bathurst Titan on Friday night at Harbour Station. While the Sea Dogs would not have been eliminated from playoff contention if they had lost, the game was essentially a must-win given that it was the team's "easiest" matchup the rest of the way.
The Sea Dogs have five regular season games remaining. The Shawinigan Cataractes, who currently hold the final spot, also have five games left.
Saint John was led by its youngsters on Friday with two goals coming from Josh Lawrence and singles from Charlie DesRoches, Filip Prikryl and Jeremie Poirier. Mikhail Denisov earned his first win since Jan. 12, making 32 stops.
Liam Leonard scored Bathurst's lone goal. Mark Grametbauer made 28 saves in the win.
The victory ended an 11-game losing streak for the Sea Dogs and erases some of the memories of Thursday's ugly loss to the Titan. They'll look to use some of the confidence gained on Friday in the final stretch of the season.
The Sea Dogs website has a full recap.
LINEUP
NOTES: The Sea Dogs dressed a full lineup for the first time in forever... Benjamin Gagne and William Poirier both returned from injuries... affiliate Carson Gallant was in the lineup again... Filip Prikryl had a goal and two assists... this was the most goals the Sea Dogs scored in a game since Jan. 12... this was Mikhail Denisov's first game action since Feb. 15... Liam Leonard had three goals in this two-game set against Saint John.
HIGHLIGHTS
NEXT GAME: The Sea Dogs host the Halifax Mooseheads on Sunday at 2 p.m.
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