Somewhere, An AHL Team is Missing It's Jaskin

The guy in the picture above is currently the best player in the QMJHL. He is immensely talented at both ends of the rink, he sees the ice like a pro and has a shot selection that's second to none. Oh, and he's super duper exciting to watch.

And today, he helped do something the Moncton Wildcats haven't done at home in over seven seasons - beat the Quebec Remparts.

Both teams were on the back end of a three-in-three. Usually, those games can get pretty sloppy, not to mention boring. In addition, les Remps were coming off an emotional, revenge-type win in Halifax last night. How would that affect their play today?

For the most part, it wouldn't. Patrick's boys are always hard skating, efficient passing outfits and that was still prevalent today. However, Quebec doesn't quite have that "scary" element they had for many years. The depth isn't quite there (and if Grigorenko sticks in Buffalo, it will be a major factor from here on out). They have a few good character guys like Jason Houde, Axel Rioux, Anthony Verret, etc, but they aren't quite as capable of that all hands on deck, full court press, pressure your defense into oblivion sort of game that Quebec has been quite successful at the last number of seasons. Not to mention what may or may not be going on behind closed doors in le Vieux Capital as the recent "Erne/Duclair" affair alludes to. This isn't quite a typical "Patrick Roy era" Remparts team, and today the Wildcats took full advantage of that.

The Cats showed Quebec that they can be very effective on the rush, continuously gaining the numbers down low and keeping the Remparts guessing more often than not. This was also easily one of the best examples of consistent puck support seen at the Coliseum by the home team all year. Moncton's play without the puck was precise and patient. And the guy in the above pic? Once again, he would fit in well on some AHL lineup. His centerman is one of the craftiest players in the lineup, using an abundance of hockey sense to create something out of nothing in the offensive zone while remaining an outstanding checking center. Anybody who saw him chip the puck off the wall to himself while entering the Remparts zone in the third witnessed yet another reason why he brings a sorely needed element to this Cats team that insisted on making the run this year. In nets, Alex Dubeau would definitely like a mulligan on the second Remparts goal, but was certainly full marks on the afternoon as a whole. In fact, it was the saves he made after that goal that made him a force in this game, including a pair on an extended Quebec 5-on-3 that in retrospect was a turning point for the home squad. In a game in which he was arguably the biggest question mark, the Cats netminder made a statement of his own.

So make it eight straight for Moncton, who now head on the road next weekend to the exotic locales of Shawinigan and Drummondville for a pair of games. Next home date is just under a couple weeks from now against a fairly decent Halifax team - if you consider a team that ripped eight past the Cats last game uphere with out their top line, top dman and number one goalie "fairly decent". Guess we'll get to find out where things truly stand then.