Laval Rocket Clinch Playoff Berth With 5-1 Win Over Wilkes-Barre

The Laval Rocket are headed back to the Calder Cup Playoffs, and this time they arrive with reinforcements on the way.

Laval clinched a postseason berth Wednesday evening at Place Bell with a 5-1 dismantling of the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins, becoming the first team out of the North Division to secure a playoff spot this season. It is the fourth time in five years the Rocket have qualified for the Calder Cup Playoffs, a run that includes Eastern Conference Finals appearances in both 2022 and 2025.

Sitting at 38-19-2-3 and 81 points, Laval owns a six-point lead atop the North Division and is chasing a second consecutive division title. The regular season runs through April 19, leaving plenty of time to lock up one of the top three seeds that come with a bye into the division semifinals. The North Division sends five teams to the playoffs; the fourth- and fifth-place finishers will meet in a best-of-three first-round series before the bracket widens.

The clinch capped a dominant recent stretch: Laval entered Wednesday's game 8-2-0 over its last ten, with Cayden Primeau anchoring the goaltending picture.

What makes this playoff push particularly intriguing is what Montreal Canadiens general manager Kent Hughes has signaled about the roster. According to reporting from Awinninghabit, Hughes indicated the team could receive meaningful reinforcements for the Calder Cup run. Chief among the potential arrivals is Oliver Kapanen, currently playing for Timrå IK in the Swedish Hockey League. A contract clause blocked Kapanen from joining Laval at the start of the season, but that restriction lifts once the SHL campaign concludes. Since returning to Europe, Kapanen has posted 35 points in 36 games for Timrå, a sharp uptick from the 34 points he managed in 51 Liiga games the prior season. Given how closely the SHL and AHL are aligned in competitive quality, Kapanen could arrive as a near-point-per-game contributor if his European production carries over.

Beyond Kapanen, two other players could bolster the Rocket's depth. A goaltender identified as Dobes went 9-3-1 with a .910 save percentage and a 2.44 goals-against average across 14 games in Laval earlier this season. A rookie identified only as Beck has recorded 36 points in 50 games. Awinninghabit also noted the possibility of a goaltender turning professional once the Boston College Eagles' season concludes, though no name has been confirmed.

The Montreal organization has a layered interest in how deep this Laval run goes. If the Canadiens fall short of the NHL playoffs, top prospects will get their postseason seasoning in the AHL instead. That experience has proven meaningful and sometimes humbling. Rookie goaltender Jacob Fowler, who has been part of Laval's postseason journey, spoke to the daily grind of staying sharp through a playoff run. "I'd say the biggest part is just every single day like just coming to the rink and knowing that you have more to give and you know something to learn," Fowler said.

Last spring provided a vivid lesson in just how steep that learning curve can be. Forward Florian Xhekaj, coming off a 24-goal regular season, managed just one goal through the Calder Cup Playoffs. Defenseman Mailloux had, as one account put it, his share of defensive misadventures. Rochester pushed Laval the full distance in the North Division Finals, and after that grind, the Checkers arrived in Laval's building just three nights later for the next round.

That battle-tested core, potentially supplemented by Kapanen, Dobes, and Beck, gives Laval a ceiling that few North Division rivals can match heading into April.