RECAP: Sea Dogs win 5-4 (OT)

FINAL: Gatineau 4, Saint John 5 (OT)

SAINT JOHN – Producing on the power play hasn’t been a problem for the Saint John Sea Dogs this season.

The Sea Dogs’ power play is operating at a league best 37.9% this year. The team came through on the man advantage again on Wednesday, going 4-for-5 in a 5-4 overtime victory over the Gatineau Olympiques at Harbour Station.

Jakub Zboril scored the overtime winner on a power play at 1:50. Mathieu Joseph had a hat trick in regulation time while Alexandre Bernier also scored. Alex D’Orio earned his first QMJHL win, making 10 saves.

Alex Dostie, Vitalii Abramov, Vincent Milot-Ouellet and William Basque all scored for Gatineau. Mark Grametbauer made 45 saves in the loss.

Game Day 5: vs Olympiques

The Saint John Sea Dogs (2-2-0-0) play their final home game until Oct. 19 tonight against the Gatineau Olympiques (1-3-0-0). Game time is 7 p.m.

TV/Radio/Webcast: Rogers TV/96.1 NewSong FM/QMJHL Live

Last games: The Sea Dogs are coming off a 5-0 win over the Moncton Wildcats on Saturday at home. Nathan Noel scored twice while singles came from Matthew Highmore, Spencer Smallman and Cedric Pare. Alex Bishop made 26 saves in the shutout win. The Olympiques are coming off a 5-1 loss to the Rouyn-Noranda Huskies at home on Saturday. Alex Dostie scored Gatineau’s only goal. Mathieu Bellemare and Mark Grametbauer each made seven saves in the loss.

2016-17 head-to-head: This is the first meeting between the two.

2015-16 head-to-head: The Sea Dogs were 2-0-0-0 against the Olympiques last season while Gatineau went 0-1-0-1 against Saint John.

Last meeting: Oct. 18 of last year when the Sea Dogs defeated the Olympiques 3-2 in Gatineau. Adam Marsh, Nathan Noel and Matthew Highmore scored for Saint John while Yan Pavel Laplante scored both of Gatineau’s goals. Alex Bishop made 28 saves in the win. Bo Taylor made 20 stops in the loss.

Ex-Sea Dogs on the Olympiques: Forward Daniel Del Paggio

Random stat: The Sea Dogs are 2-0-0-0 on home ice so far this season, outscoring opponents 8-2.

Del Paggio dealt to Olympiques

The Saint John Sea Dogs have made another trade, dealing Daniel Del Paggio to the Gatineau Olympiques.

In exchange, the Sea Dogs receive third- and fifth-round picks in the 2019 QMJHL Entry Draft.

Del Paggio was the odd-man-out in the Sea Dogs' overage situation. When Bokondji Imama returned from Tampa Bay Lightning camp, joining Matthew Highmore and Spencer Smallman as 20-year-old players, someone had to be moved.

The forward played in two games with Saint John this season, recording three assists. He sat out both games last weekend with Imama, Smallman and Highmore all playing.

The Thunder Bay native joined the Sea Dogs in 2014-15, recording 10 goals and 12 assists in 62 games in his first major junior season. Last year, Del Paggio registered 20 goals and 35 assists in 65 regular season games. He added another four goals and eight helpers in 17 matches.

Del Paggio will get to see his former team very soon - the Olympiques play in Saint John tomorrow night at 7 p.m.

Photo: Marc Henwood/Station Nation

Blachman traded to Oceanic

The Sea Dogs made a trade on Monday, dealing Nico Blachman to the Rimouski Oceanic in exchange for a seventh-round pick in the 2018 QMJHL Entry Draft.

Blachman played in 31 games with Saint John last season, recording one goal and 68 penalty minutes in 31 games. He was held pointless in four playoff games.

Thanks to @SJSeaDogs for all they done for me, Excited to be joining the @oceanicrimouski this weekend!

— Nico Blachman (@NBlachman24) October 3, 2016

A Florida native, Blachman came to the Sea Dogs after playing seven games with the USHL's Chicago Steel earlier in the season.

Blachman has been playing with the MHL's Campbellton Tigers this season, recording one goal, one assist and 25 penalty minutes in four games.

The Oceanic, 3-1-0-0 this season, begin a three-game trip through the Maritimes in Sydney on Wednesday.

Zboril sent back to Saint John

Jakub Zboril has been reassigned to the Saint John Sea Dogs.

The Boston Bruins announced Sunday afternoon that the Sea Dogs defenceman had been sent back to junior.

Zboril, a first-round pick of the Bruins in the 2015 NHL Draft, will give the Sea Dogs some additional defensive help. The team has been without Zboril, Luke Green and Thomas Chabot this season due to NHL camps. Now, only Chabot remains away.

Last season, Zboril had six goals and 14 assists in 50 regular season games. He added two goals and eight assists in 17 playoff games.

In his QMJHL career, the 19-year-old has 19 goals and 34 assists in 94 regular season games.

The Bruins also announced on Sunday that former Sea Dogs defenceman Alex Grant has “been placed on waivers for the purpose of reassignment.”

Meanwhile, Chabot will play for the Ottawa Senators on Monday night in their pre-season game against the Winnipeg Jets.

Photo: Marc Henwood/Station Nation

RECAP: Sea Dogs win 5-0

FINAL: Moncton 0, Saint John 5

SAINT JOHN – Big things were expected from Matthew Highmore this season – and he has delivered.

The overage forward had another big night on Saturday at Harbour Station, scoring once and adding two assists in Saint John’s 5-0 victory over the Moncton Wildcats. Highmore now has three goals and four assists in just four games this season.

Highmore has been a huge driver of Sea Dogs offence so far this year. Of Saint John’s 13 goals this season, Highmore has either scored or assisted on seven of them.

Along with Highmore, Nathan Noel (two), Spencer Smallman and Cedric Pare scored for Saint John on Saturday. Alex Bishop made 26 saves in the shutout win.

Moncton’s Keven Bouchard made 26 saves in the loss.

The notes…

• Before the scoring started in the first, both teams had good chances. Joseph sped past the Moncton defence and went in alone and, not long after, Manuel Wiederer had a break but could not score.
• Noel opened the scoring at 14:29 while on a four-on-three power play. Joseph fed him the puck down low and Noel cut through the top of crease, potting the puck past the pad of Bouchard.
• There were a lot of penalties in the opening frame. Saint John went 1/3 on the power play while Moncton went 0/3.
• The Sea Dogs struck again on the power play early in the second. Joseph fed Smallman at the dot who then wired the puck past Bouchard at 1:29, making it 2-0.
• Then at 11:12, Highmore ripped a wrist shot past Bouchard to make it 3-0.
• Saint John’s fourth line got in on the scoring in the third. Cole Reginato skated behind the net and threw it in front. Pare was on the other side of the net and scored his first Q goal, making it 4-0 at 13:00.
• With 18 seconds left in regulation and the Sea Dogs shorthanded, Noel stripped Zach Malatesta of the puck in the offensive zone and then fired a shot over Bouchard’s glove, making it a 5-0 final.
• Plenty of penalties in this game: Saint John went 2/8 on the power play while Moncton went 0/6.
• Noel’s goals were his first and second of the season.
• Before Highmore’s second period goal, Joseph had been involved in the past five Sea Dogs goals.
• Alexandre Bernier has two assists in four games this year. He had three assists in 27 games last season.
• Bishop’s last and only previous QMJHL shutout came on Feb. 25 of last season against Halifax. He made 32 saves in that game.
• This was Moncton’s first road game of the season. Meanwhile, the Sea Dogs improved to 2-0-0-0 on home ice.
• Wednesday’s Sea Dogs game will be their last home contest until Oct. 19 against Bathurst.