RECAP: Sea Dogs win 7-0

FINAL: Saint John 7, Cape Breton 0

Kevin Chambers | SN Staff

SYDNEY, NS – In a much different outcome than their last meeting, the Saint John Sea Dogs dominated the Cape Breton Screaming Eagles on Saturday afternoon at Centre 200, winning 7-0 to extend their winning streak to seven games.

Their last meeting was also high scoring but ended in a 7-6 Screaming Eagles victory.

The goal scorers for the Sea Dogs were Mathieu Joseph (two), Joe Veleno, Jakub Zboril, Simon Bourque, Julien Gauthier and Samuel Dove-McFalls. Callum Booth picked up his second shutout as a Sea Dog, stopping all 17 shots he faced.

Taking the loss for the Screaming Eagles was Kevin Mandolese who was certainly the busier of the two netminders, making 26 saves in the loss.

To the notes…

• Veleno would get the Sea Dogs on the board first at 6:50 of the opening period by banging home a rebound just as a power play was about to expire.
• The Sea Dogs extended their lead to 2-0 at 17:07, capitalizing on a five-on-three opportunity when Zboril hammered one time shot past Mandolese.
• Bourque notched the only goal of the second period, putting a wrist shot on goal that found it’s way past Mandolese at 4:17. That made it 3-0 Saint John.
• The Sea Dogs got off to a quick start in the third period when Gauthier tipped a shot past Mandolese just 1:21 in, making it 4-0 Sea Dogs.
• Joseph would then pick up his first of the night, jumping on his own rebound and firing it past Mandolese to make it 5-0 at 4:41.
• Joseph would find the back of the net again at 11:50 after weaving his way through three Eagle. That would make it 6-0 for the Dogs.
• Dove-McFalls would cap off the seven-goal night by finishing off a two-on-one rush with Veleno at 12:18 of the third.
• Thomas Chabot (upper body) and Joseph (suspension) returned to the lineup.
• A couple notables missing for Cape Breton were former Sea Dogs captain Olivier LeBlanc who was injured last night and Drake Batherson who was very good when the Eagles visited Saint John recently. 
• Joseph extended his franchise record point streak to 26 games. Joseph also picked up his 30th and 31st goals of the season while picking up his 100th career assist.
• Gauthier scored a goal and picked up three helpers on the night.
• Thomas Chabot picked up two assists and has moved past Simon Despres into third all time in franchise scoring for defencemen.
• With 7:34 to play in the second period, Chase Stewart attempted to lower the boom on Kyle McGrath. The Eagles' winger avoided the hit but Stewart destroyed the glass at the Sea Dogs penalty box. Kudos to the Centre 200 staff for only taking about 10 minutes to clean up and replace the glass.

Game Day 49: at Cape Breton

Winners of six straight, the Saint John Sea Dogs (32-12-3-1, 1st Maritimes, 2nd QMJHL) are in Sydney this afternoon to take on the Cape Breton Screaming Eagles (29-18-2-2, 3rd Maritimes, 6th QMJHL). Game time is 4 p.m. at Centre 200.

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

Last games: The Sea Dogs are coming off a 7-4 win in Halifax last night. Cole Reginato scored twice while singles came from Joe Veleno, Spencer Smallman, Jakub Zboril, Samuel Dove-McFalls and Bokondji Imama. Callum Booth made 15 saves in the win. The Screaming Eagles are coming off a 6-4 loss to the Acadie-Bathurst Titan last night at Centre 200. Olivier LeBlanc, Giovanni Fiore, Mathias Laferriere and Phelix Martineau all scored for Cape Breton. Kyle Jessiman made 26 saves in the loss.

2016-17 head-to-head: The Sea Dogs are 4-2-0-0 against the Screaming Eagles this season while Cape Breton is 2-4-0-0 against Saint John.

Last meeting: Jan. 15 at Harbour Station where the Screaming Eagles defeated the Sea Dogs 7-6. Giovanni Fiore had a hat trick for Cape Breton while singles came from Drake Batherson, Olivier LeBlanc, Adam McCormick and Declan Smith. Matthew Highmore, Joe Veleno, Alexandre Bernier, Julien Gauthier, Samuel Dove-McFalls and Mathieu Joseph all scored for Saint John. Kevin Mandolese made 32 saves in the win. Alex D'Orio was pulled after allowing five goals on 23 shots. Callum Booth allowed two goals on seven shots in relief.

Ex-Sea Dogs on the Screaming Eagles: Defenceman Olivier LeBlanc.

Random stat: Saint John has won four straight road games.

RECAP: Sea Dogs win 7-4

FINAL: Saint John 7, Halifax 4

HALIFAX - Make it six straight wins for the Saint John Sea Dogs.

Cole Reginato, who has been one of the hottest Sea Dogs offensively of late, scored twice to lead the team to a 7-4 road win over the Halifax Mooseheads on Friday. Joe Veleno, Spencer Smallman, Jakub Zboril, Samuel Dove-McFalls and Bokondji Imama also scored while Callum Booth made 15 saves.

Halifax goals came from Jake Coughler, Nico Hischier, Arnaud Durandeau and Otto Somppi. Alexis Gravel made 24 saves in the loss.

Despite the Sea Dogs outshooting the Mooseheads by a wide margin for most of the night, the game stayed close. Halifax opened the scoring and had a couple leads in the first period but simply couldn't contain the much older Saint John squad.

The Mooseheads are heading in the opposite direction of the Sea Dogs it seems, now dropping their third straight game.

To the notes...

• Coughler opened the scoring at 3:16 of the first. After Nathan Noel turned the puck over, Coughler fired a backhander past Booth to give Halifax an early 1-0 lead.
• Saint John tied the game at 6:03. Simon Bourque fired a point shot that produced a rebound off Gravel's glove. Veleno was on the doorstep, making it 1-1.
• Halifax went up 2-1 at 10:01. Durandeau fed a streaking Hischier in the slot and then the talented forward deked past Booth, putting Halifax back in front.
• Smallman tied the game at 2-2 at 11:40, banking the puck off Gravel and in.
• Saint John headed to a long five-on-three power play late in the first. At 18:39, Zboril connected to give the Sea Dogs their first lead of the night.
• Not long after Imama exited the box for serving a minor penalty, Durandeau redirected a Jared McIsaac point shot past Booth, tying the game up at 3-3 at 3:09 of the second period.
• Reginato put Saint John up 4-3 at 10:40, driving to the net and putting his own rebound past Gravel.
• While on a power play at 12:37 , Dove-McFalls fired a rebound past Gravel, giving Saint John their first two-goal lead of the game.
• Reginato netted his second of the night at 8:53. On a long breakaway, the gritty forward made a nice move to his forehand and slid the puck past Gravel to make it 6-3 Sea Dogs.
• On a Mooseheads power play at 16:56, the puck flopped onto the back of Booth. The Dogs goaltender caught the puck in his glove while crossing the goal line, giving Somppi a goal and cutting Saint John's lead to 6-4.
• Imama hit the empty net at 18:22, making it a 7-4 final.
• Dove-McFalls has two goals and two assists in his past three games.
• After scoring in his first three games as a Sea Dog, Julien Gauthier has not scored in five straight.
• Reginato now has four goals and four assists in his past seven games.
• Chase Stewart returned to Saint John's lineup, playing in his first game since Dec. 17 (upper body).
• The Sea Dogs and Mooseheads still have four meetings remaining this season.
• The Mooseheads honoured Saint John's Team Canada world junior players - Thomas Chabot, Mathieu Joseph and Gauthier - in a ceremony before the game.

Alumdate: Huberdeau returns tonight

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The Florida Panthers just got a massive boost for their playoff push.

The team announced today that former Saint John Sea Dogs captain Jonathan Huberdeau has been cleared to play. Huberdeau is expected to make his season debut tonight after fully recovering from an Achilles injury he suffered in the pre-season.

The Panthers are also getting forward Aleksander Barkov back from injury tonight.

Florida, who fired former Sea Dogs head coach Gerard Gallant earlier this season, sits four points out of the Eastern Conference's second wild card spot with a record of 22-19-10.

The Panthers host the Anaheim Ducks this evening at 8:30 p.m.

In other Sea Dogs/NHL news, Charlie Coyle is having a career year with the Minnesota Wild.

The former Sea Dogs power forward put up excellent numbers in the NHL's first half and now has 13 goals and 38 points in 50 games. The 24-year-old had 21 goals and 42 points all of last season.

Coyle sits third on the Wild in scoring behind Mikael Granlund and Eric Staal. Minnesota has had an excellent season and sits first in the Western Conference with a record of 33-12-5.

Below is a look at how former Sea Dogs (and one current) have performed in the NHL this season.

Game Day 48: at Halifax

The Saint John Sea Dogs (31-12-3-1, 1st Maritimes, 2nd QMJHL) look for their sixth straight win tonight in Halifax. Game time against the Mooseheads (23-22-2-3, 5th Maritimes, 11th QMJHL) at Scotiabank Centre is 7 p.m.

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

Last games: The Sea Dogs are coming off a 5-2 win in Charlottetown on Sunday. Bailey Webster, Mathieu Joseph, Nathan Noel, Cole Reginato and Samuel Dove-McFalls all scored for Saint John while Callum Booth made 24 saves in the win. The Mooseheads are coming off 4-3 overtime loss to the Acadie-Bathurst Titan last night on home ice. Connor Moynihan, Nico Hischier and Frederic Aube scored for the Moose. Blade Mann-Dixon made 25 saves in the loss.

2016-17 head-to-head: The Sea Dogs are 1-2-0-0 against the Mooseheads this season while Halifax is 2-1-0-0 against Saint John.

Last meeting: Jan. 8 at Harbour Station where the Sea Dogs edged the Mooseheads 2-1. Samuel Dove-McFalls and Bokondji Imama scored for Saint John while Maxime Fortier had Halifax's lone goal. Callum Booth made 20 saves in the win. Alexis Gravel made 32 stops in the loss.

Ex-Sea Dogs on the Mooseheads: Goaltender Blade Mann-Dixon.

Random stat: Following tonight's game, the Sea Dogs and Mooseheads still have four head-to-head meetings remaining this season.

Wednesday notes: D'Orio makes Top Prospects Game start

Alex D'Orio didn't end the night with the greatest numbers - but neither did most of the goaltenders who took part in the 2017 CHL/NHL Top Prospects Game.

D'Orio, who started in net for Team Orr, allowed four goals on 19 shots in just over 31 minutes of action in what proved to be a high scoring affair. Michael DiPietro of the Windsor Spitfires played the second half of the game for Team Orr, allowing two goals on 16 shots.

Team Cherry ended up winning the back-and-forth match 7-5 over Team Orr in Quebec City. According to the CHL website, "the two sides combined for a record-tying 12 goals, equaling totals from 1996, 2005 and 2008 as offensive talent and creativity flowed freely under head coaches Simon Gagné and Guy Chouinard."

#SJSeaDogs goaltender Alex D'Orio made 15 saves in Monday's #SWTP Game. CHL.ca recap: https://t.co/ur9B2KhFoC pic.twitter.com/pQOD6ECeqC

— Saint John Sea Dogs (@SJSeaDogs) January 31, 2017

It was a decent night for the QMJHL. Halifax Mooseheads star Nico Hischier, who has seemingly cemented himself as a top-three pick in this year's NHL Draft, was named Team Orr's player of the game with one goal and two assists.

Antoine Morand of the Acadie-Bathurst Titan had a good night as well, registering a goal and an assist for Team Cherry.

Top prospect Nolan Patrick of the Brandon Wheat Kings had two assists in the contest.

The annual event features the top NHL Draft prospects from across the CHL. This year's NHL Draft takes place June 23-24 in Chicago.

Some other news and notes...

• Based on winning percentage, the Sea Dogs are currently the best team in the QMJHL (.702). They sit one-point back of the Shawinigan Cataractes for first overall in the points standings but have played one fewer game.
• Sea Dogs prospect Shane Bowers was named the USHL's Forward of the Week with three goals and two assists in three games.
• Speaking of Bowers, he was ranked 20th in Bob McKenzie's latest rankings.
• The Sea Dogs are one of the team's to beat in the QMJHL this season, explains The Hockey Writers.
• HockeyProspect.com has released its February rankings for the 2017 QMJHL Entry Draft, which will take place at Harbour Station. Alexis Lafreniere remains in top spot.
• Julien Gautheir spoke with the league website about his world junior experience.
• Also on the league website is an article on Mathieu Joseph's point streak.