Fast Facts: Moose vs. Laval – March 29

The Moose are back on home ice for the first time since March 12. The team is coming off a seven-game road swing during which Manitoba posted a 3-1-2-0 record. Despite a strong start to the swing, the Moose finished with three straight losses including Saturday's 4-0 defeat in Rockford. Tonight's opener of a four-game home stand is the Spring Break Stay-cation game, bringing tropical vibes and a bucket hat giveaway for the first 3,000 fans in attendance.

So We Meet Again

Manitoba and Laval, while only playing twice so far this season, remain familiar foes. Last year saw both clubs participate in the AHL’s Canadian Division and find success through the abridged season. Manitoba finished second in the division with a record of 18-13-3-2 which was good for a winning percentage of 0.569. The club also scored the third-most goals with 109 tallies in 36 games. Not to be outdone, Laval finished first with a record of 23-9-3-1 and a  0.694 winning percentage. Their 113 goals were tops in the division as well. Laval went 5-1-1-1 against Manitoba last season, with the Moose falling to a record of 3-5-0-0. Laval won both previous meetings between the clubs this season, both games were decided by a single goal.

Home Sweet Home

The Moose are back on home ice for the first time since March 12 when they captured a 6-1 win over the Belleville Senators. Manitoba has points in four straight home games (3-0-0-1) while outscoring the opposition by a 21-9 margin. The Moose kick off this four-game home stand with an impressive 19-6-0-2 record at Canada Life Centre. That mark is good for the fourth-best points percentage (.741) in the AHL. In fact this two-game set features two of the best home teams in the league as Laval ranks fifth with a .717 points percentage at home by way of a 20-7-2-1 record.

O Brother Where Art Thou?

Courtesy of the NHL’s trade deadline, the Winnipeg Jets and Montreal Canadiens organizations both made deals to acquire Morgan and Justin Barron from New York and Colorado respectively. Morgan was assigned to the Moose and has suited up in three games for the new club. The forward previously recorded 15 points (9G, 6A) in 25 games with the Hartford Wolf Pack at the time of the trade. Justin, who is on recall with Montreal, tallied 20 points (5G, 15A) in 43 games with the Colorado Eagles this season. The defenceman made his Canadiens debut March 27 against New Jersey and has yet to suit up for Laval.

Working Late on Tuesday

Tonight’s game marks the fourth and final Tuesday outing for the Moose. Manitoba holds a 2-1-0-0 record on Tuesday this season, but all three previous contests were decided past 60 minutes. The most recent occurrence was March 15 in Abbotsford where the Jeff Malott scored the winner in a 2-1 victory. Manitoba’s only Tuesday game at home so far saw the team fall 4-3 to Iowa in a shootout. Forward Mikey Eyssimont leads the Moose with four points (4A) in three Tuesday games this season.

Who's Trending?

Mikey Eyssimont has been on a tear through the month of March. The forward leads the squad with six goals and 12 total points over the 11 games the Moose have played this month. Eyssimont leads the Moose with 32 points (14G, 18A) in 46 games. Those numbers are new career highs for the forward, who also owns two game-winning tallies this season.