Cayden Primeau made 37 saves in his pro playoff debut as Laval deadlocked the best-of-five North Division Calder Cup semifinal 1-1. Game 3 will be played at Place Bell on Thursday.
Rocket coach Jean-François Houle started the more experienced Kevin Poulin in Game 1 Friday, explaining that he was more interested in winning than in development. He decided to make a switch after Poulin gave up four goals on 30 shots in a 5-3 loss.
“Watching the first game gave me an understanding of what playoff hockey looks like,” said Primeau. “The Crunch played playoff hockey all season and we were prepared for it. They’re a fun team to play against.”
Primeau played down his performance, giving credit to his teammates for blocking shots and praising Brandon Gignac, who scored the winning goal with 1:47 remaining in the third period.
