The Belleville Senators finished a mini three-game home stand on a losing note, as they fell 4-1 to the Laval Rocket, on Wednesday night at CAA Arena.
Joseph LaBate had the loan Belleville goal, with Joey Daccord making 30 saves on 32 shots in the loss.
Nikita Jevpalovs had two goals for Laval, while Charles Hudon and Laurent Dauphin also scored and Cayden Primeau stopped 27 of 28 shots to earn his first win in six games against Belleville this season.
There wasn’t much action in the first period, until the final three seconds, when LaBate capitalized on a turnover around the net and beat Primeau for his 10th of the season.
Morgan Klimchuk and Darren Archibald assisted on the goal, with Archibald notching his 200th career American Hockey League point with the helper.
The Senators took four penalties in the second period and gave up the game-tying goal on a two-man advantage.
Josh Brook fed a pass across the slot to Jevspalovs and he one-timed a shot by Daccord.
Then about five minutes later Jesperi Kotkaniemi fell in front of Daccord and slid toward the net, with the puck sitting nicely for Hudon and he fired a wrist shot past Daccord to give Laval the 2-1 lead.
Belleville Senators defenceman Jack Dougherty holds off Laval Rocket forward Jesperi Kotkaniemi, during a game at CAA Arena, on February 26, 2020. (Photo: Jason Scourse / Belleville Senators)
The Rocket would add two empty net goals late in the period, one from Jevspalovs and the other from Dauphin, to round out the scoring.
Senators Head Coach Troy Mann gave credit to Laval for playing a good road game and capitalizing on their chances.
The loss also drops Belleville to one game above .500 at home but says he’s not concerned.
The Senators hit the road for a pair of games in Cleveland this weekend, with a 6:50 p.m. broadcast time on Friday and a 12:50 p.m. start on Saturday, for Eastern Overhead Doors and Deerhaven Farm and Garden.
You can click here to see the box score from Wednesday night and watch highlights from the game below.
