Rocket De Laval Draw Marlies in Second Round, Reinbacher Returns

rocket de laval will face the Marlies de Toronto in the second round of the Ligue américaine playoffs after Toronto beat the Americans de Rochester 4-2 on Sunday. David Reinbacher is back with Laval for the series, and the Rocket will open at Place Bell on Wednesday.

Place Bell opens the series

The first two games are scheduled for Wednesday and Friday in Laval. The series then shifts to Toronto for games on May 3 and May 5, with Game 5 set for May 8 in Laval if it is needed.

That setup favors the Rocket after a first-round bye and a regular season that ended with 90 points and first place in the North Division. Toronto finished eight points behind Laval, which gives the Rocket home ice for the first two games and a direct path into a series it has already seen plenty of this season.

Reinbacher back with Laval

Reinbacher was assigned back to the Rocket on Sunday after the Canadiens’ 3-2 loss to the Lightning de Tampa Bay. His return matters because he gives Laval another defenseman for a series that turns quickly after Toronto closed out Rochester in the deciding game.

Toronto arrives with some recent edge in the matchup. The Marlies went 3-3-2 against Laval this season and won the last four meetings between the teams, so the Rocket’s bye did not spare it from a familiar opponent that has had success against it in the regular season.

Toronto closes Rochester

The Marlies finished off Rochester with Logan Shaw scoring two goals in the deciding game. Ryan Tverberg and William Villeneuve also scored, and Dennis Hildeby stopped 29 shots as Toronto advanced with a 4-2 win.

Konsta Helenius and Olivier Nadeau scored against Hildeby, but Rochester could not force a longer series. Laval now gets Toronto next, with the opening two home games and Reinbacher available as the matchup shifts into the playoffs at Place Bell.