David Reinbacher belongs in Laval

If you had nothing to do tonight, I hope you found a way to watch the Rocket game, which wasn’t broadcast on RDS.

Why not? Because David Reinbacher was making his LAH debut.

Did he do well? Yes, he did. He scored a goal.

Another angle
Another angle https://t.co/RXVRDQb0zG pic.twitter.com/fCqFzSPi3k

– Rocket de Laval (@RocketLaval) March 23, 2024

And he got a nice hug from Lias Andersson, who had scored moments earlier.

In addition to his goal, Reinbacher had some shorthanded opportunities.

He wasn’t necessarily “protected” in his first game on North American ice, especially with the loss of William Trudeau (a defenseman) in the first period.

As a result, Laval played with five defensemen for most of the game.

It was another of the team’s defensemen, Logan Mailloux, who gave the club victory in overtime. Victory 3-2.

Jean-François Houle’s team trailed 2-0 early in the third period.

Lane Hutson also contributed to his team’s 4-1 victory.

He scored this beautiful goal in a game with no aftermath.

Big night for the team’s young backs.

The future on the blue line looks bright.

Getting back to Reinbacher, Simon Boisvert said it on the most recent episode of Processus: the defenseman’s first game is to be taken with a grain of salt, because if he does well, it’s because he’s playing on adrenaline, and if he does badly, it’s because he’s just arrived and needs time to familiarize himself with North American rinks and his new environment.

Despite this rather logical statement, we can be quite encouraged by his performance. It’s not easy playing on a smaller rink against much better opponents than in Switzerland.

And on top of his goal, he was excellent defensively. He didn’t look lost and, according to many, the size of the ice favored him.

After 40 minutes of play, it’s funny to say, but: it’s as if the North American rink helped David Reinbacher. Less distance to the opponent or to the puck.

Result: very good. Excellent game readings, and we’re seeing his proactivity again. #GoHabsGo

– Podcast La Relève (@PodcastLaReleve) March 23, 2024

Grant McCagg and a scout agree that he belonged in the AHL.

But the real challenge will be tomorrow. I don’t want to sound pessimistic and disregard his excellent first game, but a second game in two nights will be an excellent test of his mettle.

One thing’s for sure, Reinbacher was an eye-opener tonight.

Extending

For the team – it’s still relevant to talk about it – it’s an extremely important victory. I’m sure it would have been nice not to give a point to the Senators, who are ahead in the standings, but under the circumstances, it’s two big points.

Laval are still three points out of the play-offs, as the Marlies also won.

Here are the latest North Division standings:

Tomorrow and Sunday, the Rocket will be in Belleville and Toronto. Two more big games to keep an eye on.