Sunday, May 1, 2022

Game Day 68: at Moncton

MONCTON - The regular season comes to a close this afternoon for the Saint John Sea Dogs.

After a less-than-amazing first half, the Sea Dogs have been one of the best teams in the Canadian Hockey League since the Christmas break (and the extended COVID pause). The team carries a 14-game winning streak into today's regular season finale and can secure third overall in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League standings with a victory.

The Sea Dogs know they will finish third in the Eastern Conference, meaning they'll be keeping an eye on Rimouski and Halifax scores today. The Sea Dogs will face whichever team finishes sixth overall in the opening round of the playoffs.

We do know that Saint John will be playing the Moncton Wildcats this afternoon. It's a mismatch on paper, but you never know what's going to happened on the final day of the regular season.

Game time at Avenir Centre is 4 p.m.

TV/Radio/Webcast: None/93 CFBC/CHL TV

Capacity/Proof of Vaccination/Masks: 100%/None/Not mandatory

Records: The Sea Dogs are 46-17-1-3 for 96 points (second Maritimes/third Eastern/third QMJHL) while the Wildcats are 28-30-6-3 for 65 points (fifth Maritimes/seventh Eastern/12th QMJHL).

Last games: The Sea Dogs are coming off a huge 14-2 victory over the Cape Breton Eagles on Friday night. Peter Reynolds scored four goals; Philippe Daoust, Jeremie Poirier and Marshall Lessard each scored twice; and Brady Burns, William Dufour, Vincent Sevigny and Raivis Ansons added singles. Nikolas Hurtubise made 18 saves in the win. The Wildcats are coming off a 3-2 shootout loss to the Charlottetown Islanders (which featured a 19-round shootout). Brooklyn Kalmikov and Mathis Cloutier scored for the Wildcats. Jonathan Lemieux made 31 saves in the win.

2021-22 head-to-head: The Sea Dogs are 6-2-0-0 against the Wildcats this season while Moncton is 2-6-0-0 against Saint John.

Last meeting: April 23 in Moncton where the Sea Dogs defeated the Wildcats 5-3. Peter Reynolds scored a pair of goals while Olivier Picard, Josh Lawrence and William Dufour added singles. Brooklyn Kalmikov, Mathis Cloutier and Anthony Hamel scored for Moncton. Nikolas Hurtubise made 19 saves in the win. Vincent Filion made 37 stops in the loss.

Ex-Sea Dogs on the Wildcats: Goaltender Jonathan Lemieux.

Wildcat to watch: Brooklyn Kalmikov has three goals and five assists in eight games against Saint John this season.

Random stat: Peter Reynolds has scored in three straight games, collecting seven goals during that stretch.

Notes: William Dufour leads Saint John in points with 115 and goals with 55... Josh Lawrence leads the team in assists with a nice 69 on the year... Brooklyn Kalmikov leads Moncton in points (75), goals (37) and assists (38)... the Sea Dogs are 23-8-1-1 on the road... the Wildcats are 14-13-3-3 at home... Philippe Daoust has assists in eight straight games... the Sea Dogs have won eight straight road games... the Wildcats have lost four straight home games.

Out of town:
Halifax at Cape Breton - 3:00 PM ADT
Acadie-Bathurst at Charlottetown - 3:00 PM ADT
Blainville-Boisbriand at Drummondville - 3:00 PM EDT
Shawinigan at Gatineau - 3:00 PM EDT 
Québec at Rimouski - 3:00 PM EDT
Val-d'Or at Sherbrooke - 3:00 PM EDT
Chicoutimi at Baie-Comeau - 4:00 PM EDT
Rouyn-Noranda at Victoriaville - 4:00 PM EDT

Next game: The Sea Dogs begin the playoffs against a to-be-determined opponent on a to-be-determined date.

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