Game Story: Laval - 3 at Pittston Tomatoes - 6 (2/17/24)

Editor's Note: The Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins rebranded themselves as the Pittston Tomatoes for Saturday night's game against Laval.

WILKES-BARRE, Pa. - The Pittston Tomatoes used a three-goal outburst in the beginning of the middle to turn momentum in their favor on their way to a 6-3 win over the Laval Rocket Saturday night.

Max Cajkovic, Jagger Joshua and Justin Addamo tallied three goals in a span of 94 seconds to turn a 1-0 deficit into a 3-1 lead before Jack Rathbone added an early third period power play goal to seal the deal.

Alex Nylander and Corey Andonovski added empty net goals late to complete the 6-3 final score, while Austin Rueschhoff had a game-high three assists. Joel Blomqvist stopped 20 of the 23 shots he faced to earn the win.

Jan Mysak tallied a pair of goals, and Xavier Simoneau added a third period power play tally to bring Laval within a goal with 5:31 left to play before the Penguins persevered. Kasimir Kaskisuo stopped 25 of the 29 shots he faced in the loss.

Post-Game EXTRA!

Tomatoes head coach JD Forrest

On overcoming an early injury to Lukas Svejkovsky, grinding it out with 10 forwards

"We had contributions from everybody. And we are, you know, down in numbers up front, and we lost a guy early. And so it was a grind of a game, and I thought it was great to see Addamo and Cajkovic - everybody had to chip in. So those are... you need that on nights like this, and that was a good feeling for the team."

Tomatoes forward Austin Rueschhoff

On what led to three-goal outburst to start second period.

"We just talked in the locker and just to get pucks deep and just forecheck them. We looked at video and saw that they're a little slow on the back end, so I think we did that pretty well and it showed."

On the remaining forwards on the roster needing to up their game with all the guys out injured or up in Pittsburgh.

"It's just the next man up mentality. So it was good. Everyone did well so, it was really good."

Tomatoes forward Jagger Joshua

On the forwards upping the ante tonight.

"Yeah I mean, like you said, it was a gutsy [effort]. Next man up. And, you know, everybody maybe wasn't playing the roles they're used to, but everybody stepped up and we got the win -- that's most important."

On chipping in offensively while being in a penalty-killing fourth line role most of the season

"I mean, obviously, scoring goals and when your teammates are scoring, it's a good time, and the morale is high on the bench."

GAME STORY

The opening 20 minutes was relatively "low event" hockey with not many chances created for either team.

Laval took a 1-0 lead on a deflected point shot goal from Mysak 6:45 into the contest, and Kaskisuo stopped a Corey Andonovski power play chance from point blank range, but other than that it was a bit of a slow-go for both teams in the first frame.

For as uneventful the first frame was, the action picked up in a big time way in the middle frame.

The Tomatoes turned a 1-0 deficit into a 3-1 lead with three goals in a span of 94 seconds to begin the second period.

First, Cajkovic tallied his first goal as a Tomotoes forward just 26 seconds into the middle frame - finishing off a feed from Austin Rueschhoff on a 2-on-1 rush after Radim Zohorna got the puck up ice in a hurry to create the odd man chance.

Just over a minute later, and from a bad angle below the right-wing circle, Joshua flung one high to the short side on Kaskisuo to give the Penguins a 2-1 lead.

On the following shift, after the Tomatoes won an offensive zone faceoff, Addamo finished a play at the net front for his second of the season to stretch the Tomatoes' lead to 3-1 just two minutes into the period - prompting Laval head coach J-F Houle to take his team's timeout to settle things down.

Laval was able to get back within a goal on Mysak's second of the contest with 13:21 left in the middle frame, but that's as close as they'd get before the second period came to a close - thanks in large part to some timely saves from Blomqvist, including a big glove save with under three minutes left in the period.

Twice late in the period, the Rocket had a chance to even the game with a power play chance. Both times, they took penalties of their own and ended their power play opportunity prematurely.

Beginning the third with some carryover power play time, the Tomatoes got gifted a 5-on-3 power play when Laval defender Tobie Bisson accidentally cleared a puck from the defensive zone out of play - resulting in a delay of game penalty six seconds into the period.

The Tomatoes didn't convert on the two-man advantage, but Rathbone made a nifty move after collecting a pass from Xavier Ouellet and finished it off with a laser of a shot to extend the Tomatoes' lead to 4-2 with 18:01 left to play.

Laval made it a one-goal game with a power play tally of their own with 5:31 left in regulation, getting a rebound goal from Simoneau after Blomqvist made a stop on Maillet from the left-wing circle.

The Rocket pulled Kaskisuo for the extra attacker with just over two minutes left, and after a block in front by Joshua, the Tomatoes forward nudged the puck ahead for Nylander who made a deke at the defensive zone blue line before skating it to the empty net to seal the deal.

Andonovski also added an empty net tally to complete the 6-3 final score.

Laval Rocket Lineup Notes

Kasimir Kaskisuo got the start in net for the Laval Rocket Saturday, while Jakub Dobes served as the team's backup goaltender.

Rocket Scratches: Strauss Mann, Joshua Roy, Sean Farrell, Gabriel Bourque, Brady Keeper, Mattias Norlinder and Alex-Olivier Voyer

Lines/Pairings:

Xavier Simoneau - Philippe Maillet - Lias Andersson Jared Davidson - Mitchell Stephens - Nathan Legare Riley Kidney - Lucas Condotta - Emil Heineman Riley McKay - Jan Mysak - Filip Cederqvist

William Trudeau - Justin Barron Olivier Galipeau - Logan Mailloux Chris Jandric - Tobie Bisson

Kasimir Kaskisuo (Backup: Jakub Dobes)

Pittston Tomatoes Lineup Notes

Joel Blomqvist got the start in net Saturday against Laval. Magnus Hellberg served as the Tomatoes' backup goaltender.

With forwards Jonathan Gruden, Vinnie Hinostroza and Valtteri Puustinen all called up to Pittsburgh combined with the injuries to Matt Filipe, Avery Hayes, Sam Houde, Marc Johnstone and Sam Poulin, the Pittston Tomatoes forward core is depleted.

The Tomatoes called up forwards Justin Addamo and Max Cajkovic from Wheeling (ECHL) and fielded an 11-forward, seven defensemen lineup for the second straight night.

Tomatoes Scratches: Marc Johnstone, Joona Koppanen, Sam Poulin, Matt Filipe, Sam Houde, Owen Headrick and Avery Hayes

Lines/Pairings

Alex Nylander - Peter Abbandonato - Andonovski Austin Rueschhoff - Radim Zohorna - Lukas Svejkovsky Dillon Hamaliuk - Raivis Ansons - Jagger Joshua Justin Addamo - Max Cajkovic

Ty Smith - Xavier Ouellet Ryan Shea - Jack St. Ivany Jack Rathbone - Dmitri Samorukov Taylor Fedun

Joel Blomqvist (Backup: Magnus Hellberg)

GAME SUMMARY

1st Period

6:45: LAV - Mysak (12) - Galipeau, Mailloux 8:19: LAV - (PP) Jandric, minor (tripping)

2nd Period

0:26: WBS - Cajkovic (2) - Rueschoff, Zohorna 1:34: WBS - Joshua (4) - Hamaliuk, Rathbone 2:00: WBS - Addamo (2) - Rueschhoff, Fedun 6:39: LAV - Mysak (13) - Trudeau, Galipeau 7:23: LAV - Mailloux, minor (cross-checking) 7:23: WBS - Cajkovic, minor (roughing) 14:13: WBS - (PP) Addamo, minor (hooking) 15:10: LAV - (PP) Simoneau, minor (holding) 17:53: WBS - (PP) Andonovski, minor (high-sticking) 19:13: LAV - (PP) Condotta, minor (slashing)

3rd Period

0:06: LAV - (PP) Bisson, minor (delay of game) 1:59: WBS - PPG Rathbone (7) - Ouellet, Rueschhoff 9:15: LAV - (PP) McKay, minor (slashing) 13:32: WBS - (PP) Smith, minor (interference) 14:29: LAV - PPG Simoneau (8) - Maillet, Mailloux 18:18: WBS - ENG Nylander (16) - Joshua 19:35: WBS - ENG Andonovski (4) - Ansons, Abbandonato

BOXSCORE

Laval Rocket  1 - 1 - 1 = 3 Pittston Tomatoes  0 - 3 - 3 = 6

Shots

Laval Rocket  6 - 11 - 6 = 23 Pittston Tomatoes  7 - 10 - 14 = 31

Goalies

LAV: Kasimir Kaskisuo (25 saves - 29 shots) WBS: Joel Blomqvist (20 saves - 23 shots)

Power Play

LAV: 1-for-3 WBS: 1-for-5

Penalty Kill

LAV: 4-for-5 WBS: 2-for-3