Game Day 14: at Cape Breton

SYDNEY, NS - The Saint John Sea Dogs return to action tonight, visiting the Cape Breton Eagles for the first time this season.

The Sea Dogs are coming off a rough 7-3 loss in Charlottetown on Wednesday. Saint John has struggled on the road this season, posting a 1-4-0-1 record. They have lost five straight road games.

The Eagles, meanwhile, are coming off their first home win of the season, defeating the Halifax Mooseheads 5-3 last night at Centre 200. Cape Breton sits last overall in the QMJHL standings with a 2-8-2-0 record, placing them three points back of Saint John.

Game time tonight at Centre 200 is 7 p.m.

TV/Radio/Stream: None/93 CFBC/CHL TV

2022-23 regular season records: The Sea Dogs are 4-8-0-1 for nine points (fifth Maritimes/ninth Eastern/17th QMJHL) while the Eagles are 2-8-2-0 for six points (sixth Maritimes/10th Eastern/18th QMJHL).

Last games: The Sea Dogs are coming off a 7-3 loss in Charlottetown on Wednesday. Vince Elie, Noah Reinhart and Jared Cosman scored for Saint John. Ventsislav Shingarov made 35 saves in the loss. The Eagles are coming off a 5-3 win over the Halifax Mooseheads last night at Centre 200. Trevor Thurston, Cam Squires, Cameron Henderson, Xavier Daigle and Olivier Houde scored for Cape Breton. Nicolas Ruccia made 36 saves in the win.

2022-23 head-to-head: This is the first meeting of the season between the Sea Dogs and Eagles.

2021-22 head-to-head: The Sea Dogs were 8-0-0-1 against the Eagles last season while Cape Breton went 1-6-1-1 against Saint John.

Last meeting: April 29 in Saint John where the Sea Dogs hammered the Eagles 14-2. Peter Reynolds scored four goals; Philippe Daoust, Jeremie Poirier and Marshall Lessard all scored twice; and singles came from Brady Burns, William Dufour, Vincent Sevigny and Raivis Ansons. Peter Repcik and Cam Squires scored for Cape Breton. Nikolas Hurtubise made 18 saves in the win. Remi Delafontaine and Xavier Farrah combined for the loss in net.

Ex-Sea Dogs on the Eagles: None.

Eagle to watch: Ivan Ivan recorded four assists in Cape Breton's 5-3 win over Halifax last night. Ivan has 12 helpers in 11 games this season.

Random stat: The Eagles will retire Chris Culligan's No. 7 before tonight's game. In his final season of junior hockey, Culligan posted six points in Cape Breton's four-game sweep of Saint John in the 2009 playoffs.

Notes: Brady Burns and Peter Reynolds are tied for the Sea Dogs high in points with 13 each... Burns has a team high seven goals... Reynolds leads the team in assists with nine... Samuel Johnson leads Cape Breton in scoring with 14 points... Johnson, Cam Squires and Luke Patterson lead the Eagles in goals with five each... Ivan Ivan has a team high 12 assists... the Eagles are averaging 12.58 penalty minutes per game, the second most in the league... Cape Breton is averaging 4.77 goals against per game (17th) while Saint John is averaging 4.97 (18th)... according to the Sea Dogs, the team will be without Burns, Reynolds, Cam MacDonald, Charlie DesRoches and Nikolas Hurtubise tonight... the Sea Dogs have called up 16-year-old forwards Reid Calder and Chad Bellemare... Cape Breton's Tomas Lavoie and Thomas Desruisseaux are currently taking part in the World Under-17 Hockey Challenge.

Out of town:

Rimouski at Chicoutimi - 4:00 PM EDT

Baie-Comeau at Acadie-Bathurst - 7:00 PM ADT

Blainville-Boisbriand at Charlottetown - 7:00 PM ADT

Next game: The Sea Dogs travel to Halifax to face the Mooseheads tomorrow at 2 p.m.