GAME DAY 53: vs Sagueneens

Before the Saint John Sea Dogs (34-14-4-0, 72 points, 1^st Maritimes, 3^rd QMJHL) head out for the toughest road trip in the history of sports (yes, all the sports and all the history), they host the Chicoutimi Sagueneens (24-21-3-5, 56 points, 4th East, 11^th QMJHL) this afternoon at 3 p.m. at Harbour Station.

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

Last games: The Sagueneens are coming off a 6-4 loss in Charlottetown last night. Jake Smith, Dmitry Zhukenov, Nicolas Roy and Jonathan Bourcier scored for Chicoutimi while Julio Billia made 26 saves in the loss. The Sea Dogs are coming off a 5-1 victory over the Baie-Comeau Drakkar last night at Harbour Station. Adam Marsh scored twice while Sam Povorozniouk, Spencer Smallman and Mathieu Joseph added singles. Alex Bishop made 27 stops in the win.

2015-16 head-to-head: The Sea Dogs are 1-0-0-0 against the Sagueneens this season while Chicoutimi is 0-0-0-1 against Saint John.

Last meeting: Nov. 21 in Chicoutimi where the Sea Dogs defeated the Sagueneens 4-3 in a shootout. Thomas Chabot, Kyle Ward and Adam Marsh scored for Saint John while Chicoutimi goals came from Antoine Marcoux, Jonathan Bourcier and Gabryel Paquin-Boudreau. Mathieu Joseph netted the shootout winner. Alex Bishop made 23 saves in the win. Julio Billia made 26 stops in the loss.

Ex-Sea Dogs on the Sagueneens: Forward Julien Tessier

Player to watch: Sags forward Nicolas Roy, the first overall pick in the 2013 QMJHL Entry Draft, has been held pointless in just two games since the beginning of December. He has two goals and three assists in his past three games. In 48 games this year, the Carolina Hurricanes prospects has 34 goals and 36 assists.

Three Things to Know

1.The Sea Dogs traded forward Julien Tessier to the Sags during the trading period, getting a 2018 second-round pick in return. Tessier, who played in just 14 games with Saint John during the first half due to health reasons, has yet to appear in a game for Chicoutimi.

2. A win today will give the Sea Dogs a five-point lead over the Moncton Wildcats for first place in the Maritimes Division – and that’s with two games in hand. That lead could come in handy with the Dogs hitting the road for an extremely tough road trip later this week.

3. Nathan Noel extended his point streak to 18 games last night. Matthew Highmore and Sam Povorozniouk have points in 13 straight.

Notes: Julio Billia has the sixth best GAA (2.69) and best SV% (.918) in the league… Dmitry Zhukenov is sixth in rookie scoring with 46 points in 49 games… Frédéric Allard is third in defensemen scoring with 13 goals and 46 points in 51 games… the Sags are 5-3-0-2 against Maritimes Division teams… Chicoutimi has the third best power play in the league with a rating of 25.9%... Mathieu Joseph has goals in five straight home games… Nicolas Roy has goals in six straight road games and points in 13 consecutive road contests... Joseph is tied for the league lead in shorthanded goals with six.

Out of town:

Gatineau at Blainville-Boisbriand - 3:00 PM EST
Québec at Sherbrooke - 3:00 PM EST
Cape Breton at Victoriaville - 4:00 PM EST

Next game: The Sea Dogs play a huge game in Shawinigan on Wednesday night at 8 p.m.