Recap: Sea Dogs lose 6-2

FINAL: Saint John 2, Charlottetown 6

CHARLOTTETOWN, PE - The struggles continue.

The Saint John Sea Dogs had another forgettable performance against the Charlottetown Islanders on Thursday night, falling 6-2 at Eastlink Centre. The result comes after the Isles defeated the Dogs by the same score on Sunday at TD Station.

The Sea Dogs have had a dreadful season series against the Islanders this year, losing seven of the eight meetings. Fortunately Friday night's game - the third straight between the two - will be the final meeting of the regular season.

Much like Sunday's game, the Islanders outplayed the Sea Dogs in all aspects of the game. Charlottetown led 3-0 after just one period with Saint John only recording four shots in the opening frame.

With Zachary Bouthillier still nursing a lower body injury, Noah Patenaude allowed six goals on 34 shots. The goals certainly weren't all on the Sea Dogs rookie goaltender though, with his team struggling defensively in front of him.

Gaetan Jobin scored a pair of goals for Charlottetown while singles came from Cedric Desruisseaux, Thomas Casey, Nikita Alexandrov and Justin Gill. Matthew Welsh made 27 stops in the win.

Jeremie Poirier and Brady Burns scored for Saint John.

Game Day 62: at Charlottetown

CHARLOTTETOWN - The Saint John Sea Dogs and Charlottetown Islanders play the second of three straight games tonight at Eastlink Centre.

The Islanders defeated the Sea Dogs 6-2 at TD Station on Sunday. The season series has been rather lopsided with two meetings left; Charlottetown has won six of the seven games the Dogs and Isles have played against each other.

Game time tonight is 7 p.m.

TV/Radio/Webcast: None/Sea Dogs Radio Live/QMJHL Live

Records: The Sea Dogs are 30-30-1-0 for 61 points (fourth Maritimes, sixth Eastern, ninth QMJHL) while the Islanders are 31-25-5-0 for 67 points (third Maritimes, fifth Eastern, seventh QMJHL).

Last games: The Sea Dogs and Islanders met on Sunday at TD Station where Charlottetown won 6-2. Noah Laaouan scored twice for the Isles with singles coming from Cédric Desruisseaux, Nikita Alexandrov, Gaetan Jobin and Brett Budgell. Jeffrey Durocher and Jeremie Poirier scored for Saint John. Matthew Welsh made 28 saves in the win. Noah Patenaude made 43 stops in the loss.

2019-20 head-to-head: The Sea Dogs are 1-5-1-0 against the Islanders this season while Charlottetown is 6-1-0-0 against Saint John.

Last meeting: This past Sunday. See above.

City closer to dealing TD Station

SAINT JOHN - The City of Saint John is one step closer in handing over the keys of TD Station to a private organization.

According to multiple media reports, including Huddle, four groups have come forward and expressed interest in buying or leasing TD Station. Among the four groups is Scott McCain's JSM Sports Entertainment Inc., further confirming the Saint John Sea Dogs' interest in operating the facility.

Here's a look at the other three groups:

• ASM Global: One of the largest arena management companies in the world, ASM manages a number of CHL buildings, including Moncton's Avenir Centre and Quebec City's Videotron Centre.
• Spectra: Another big name arena management company, Spectra manages CHL buildings in London, Everett, Hamilton, Windsor, and a few others.
• Nustadia Recreation Inc.: The group has more smaller, recreational type arenas on their management list compared to ASM and Spectra. Their roster includes Moncton's Superior Propane Centre (where the Wildcats hold their pre-season games) and Dartmouth's RBC Centre (which houses the Mooseheads' practice rink).

By the sounds of it, a decision from the City on how to move forward could take some time. Either way, it's good to see some reputable organizations showing interest in TD Station.

We wrote more about the possible changes to TD Station ownership and management in January.

Sea Dogs clinch playoff spot

SAINT JOHN - The Saint John Sea Dogs are officially headed back to the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League playoffs.

It's the first time since 2017 that the Sea Dogs will take part in the President Cup post-season. The team failed to qualify for the playoffs in each of the past two seasons, recording just 14 wins in 2017-18 and 13 last year.

It's official, WE'RE IN! #SeaDogs15

Your Sea Dogs are playoff bound! Packages are on sale now at the TD Station Box Office. 8 game and 16 game packages available. Dates, times and opponent are TBA. pic.twitter.com/Z6pqP4exI7

— Saint John Sea Dogs (@SJSeaDogs) March 2, 2020

The Sea Dogs currently sit sixth in the QMJHL's Eastern Conference with 61 points, and if the playoffs started today they would face the third seeded Rimouski Oceanic. There isn't a whole lot of opportunity for movement in the standings with just seven games remaining in the regular season for the Dogs. The Charlottetown Islanders sit ahead of Saint John with 67 points while the Baie-Comeau Drakkar sit below them with 57 points.

The Sea Dogs and Islanders meet two more times this season - this Thursday and Friday at Eastlink Centre. Of Saint John's seven remaining games, six are against teams with above .500 records.

Nine of the 16 playoff spots in the league have been secured. Six of the teams that have clinched are in the Eastern Conference.

Recap: Sea Dogs lose 6-2

FINAL: Charlottetown 6, Saint John 2

SAINT JOHN - It wasn't a good day for the Saint John Sea Dogs on Sunday afternoon at TD Station.

The team looked flat and struggled in all aspects, falling 6-2 to the Charlottetown Islanders. The Sea Dogs have just one win in seven tries against the Islanders this season - and the two meet in back-to-back contests at Eastlink Centre this Thursday and Friday.

Saint John was outplayed for most of the game, falling down 3-0 and allowing over 30 shots on goal before the midway mark of the game. The team was no doubt feeling the effects of Saturday night's game, but nothing seemed to go right for Saint John on Sunday.

Noah Laaouan scored a pair of goals for Charlottetown while singles came from Cédric Desruisseaux, Nikita Alexandrov, Gaetan Jobin and Brett Budgell. Matthew Welsh wasn't tested too much, making 28 saves in the win.

Jeffrey Durocher and Jeremie Poirier scored for Saint John. Noah Patenaude made 43 saves in the loss.

The Islanders will now carry a four-game winning streak into Thursday's game in Charlottetown.

The Sea Dogs website has a full recap.

Game Day 61: vs Islanders

SAINT JOHN - In an odd scheduling quirk, the Saint John Sea Dogs and Charlottetown Islanders play the first of three consecutive meetings today at TD Station.

Following this afternoon's tilt, the Sea Dogs will travel to the Island to play back-to-back games against the Isles on Thursday and Friday. Charlottetown has won five of the six previous meetings this season.

Game time this afternoon is 3 p.m.

TV/Radio/Webcast: Rogers TV/Sea Dogs Radio Live/QMJHL Live

Records: The Sea Dogs are 30-29-1-0 for 61 points (fourth Maritimes, sixth Eastern, ninth QMJHL) while the Islanders are 30-25-5-0 for 65 points (third Maritimes, fifth Eastern, seventh QMJHL).

Last games: The Sea Dogs are coming off a 5-4 home win over the Cape Breton Eagles last night. Joona Lehmus, Ben Badalamenti, Joshua Roy, Anderson MacDonald and Jeffrey Durocher all scored for Saint John. Zachary Bouthillier made 51 stops in the win. The Islanders are coming off a 6-2 home win over the Cape Breton Eagles on Friday. Thomas Casey scored two goals for Charlottetown while singles came from Liam Peyton, Brett Budgell, Ethan Crossman and Nikita Alexandrov. Matthew Welsh made 21 stops in the win.

2019-20 head-to-head: The Sea Dogs are 1-4-1-0 against the Islanders this season while Charlottetown is 5-1-0-0 against Saint John.

Last meeting: Jan. 24 at TD Station where the Islanders defeated the Sea Dogs 2-1. Brendon Clavelle and Cole Edwards scored for Charlottetown. Anderson MacDonald scored Saint John's lone goal. Matthew Welsh made 40 stops in the win. Zachary Bouthillier made 27 stops in the loss.