GAME DAY 34: vs Titan

A preview of tonight’s game between the Acadie-Bathurst Titan and Saint John Sea Dogs…

When and where: Tonight at 7 p.m., Harbour Station

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

Records: The Sea Dogs are first in the Maritimes Division, second overall in the QMJHL and ranked eighth in the CHL Top 10 this week with a record of 20-8-1-4 for 45 points. The Titan are last in the Maritimes and last overall with a record of 9-22-4-1 for 23 points.

Last games: The Sea Dogs are coming off a 4-2 loss in Val-d’Or last Saturday. Thomas Chabot and Justice Dundas scored in the loss while Sebastien Auger made 30 saves. The Titan are coming off a 3-2 overtime loss in Halifax last night. Aaron Kerr and Mark Trickett scored for Bathurst while Jacob Brennan made 26 stops in the loss.

2014-15 head-to-head: The Sea Dogs are 2-0-0-1 against the Titan this season while Bathurst is 1-2-0-0 against Saint John.

Last meeting: Nov. 30 at Harbour Station when the Titan defeated the Sea Dogs 4-3 in a shootout. Egor Popov, Alexandre Gosselin and Andrew Ryan scored for Bathurst while Spencer Smallman scored twice for Saint John and Jakub Zboril added a single. Jacob Brennan made 20 saves in the win and Sebastien Auger made 25 in the loss.

Ex-Sea Dogs on the Titan: None

Random stat: The Titan have scored a league low 97 goals this season.

BAT notes: Mark Simpson leads the Titan in scoring with 29 points in 36 games… Raphael Corriveau leads the team in goals with 13… Simpson has a team high 18 assists this year… only 2-12-1-1 on the road this season… have lost six straight and are 1-6-3-0 in their last 10 games… Jacob Brennan’s 16 losses are a league high… Jordan Maher is tied for the league lead in rookie power play goals with five… Alexandre Gosselin is 15^th in defensemen scoring with 21 points in 36 games… 5-10-3-1 against Maritimes Division teams… have the league’s third worst power play with a rating of 16.9%... Bathurst’s penalty kill of 74.2% is third worst in the league… have allowed a league high seven shorthanded goals… averaging 3.87 goals against per game, the second most in the league.

SJ notes: Adam Marsh leads the Sea Dogs in scoring with 29 points in 31 games… Marsh has a team high 15 goals… Spencer Smallman leads the Sea Dogs in assists with 17… 12-0-1-3 at home this season… coming back-to-back road losses in Quebec… Mathieu Joseph is suspended for tonight’s game… Sebastien Auger leads the league in GAA (2.47) and SV% (.920)… Marsh is seventh in rookie scoring… Marsh’s 15 goals is third most amongst rookies… Thomas Chabot is 13^th in defensemen scoring with 22 points… 13-4-1-2 against Maritimes Division teams… Saint John has the second worst power play in the league with a rating of 15.3%... the Dogs have the league’s best penalty kill with a rating of 84.6%... averaging 2.94 goals against per game, the second fewest in the league…

Out of town:

Cape Breton at Moncton - 7:00 PM AST
Shawinigan at Sherbrooke - 7:00 PM EST
Drummondville at Victoriaville - 7:00 PM EST
Chicoutimi at Baie-Comeau - 7:30 PM EST
Blainville-Boisbriand at Gatineau - 7:30 PM EST
Québec at Rimouski - 7:30 PM EST
Rouyn-Noranda at Val-d'Or - 7:30 PM EST

Next game: The Sea Dogs return to action on Dec. 28 when they travel to Moncton to face the Wildcats.