AHL Playoff Preview: Charlotte Checkers at Laval Rocket with Line Combinations 5/28/2025

Game 1: Charlotte Checkers at Laval Rocket

Venue Place Bell
Date: Wednesday, May 28
Time: 7:00 pm EST
TV: FLO Sports 

Purchase tickets via Ticketmaster

Charlotte Checkers News & Notes:

The Checkers beat the Bruins in five games before sweeping the Hershey Bears to reach the Conference Finals. They enter tonight 6-1-1 in the Calder Cup playoffs, averaging 3.4 goals per game while allowing 1.9 goals per game. Kaapo Kahkonen is posting a 1.85 goals-against average, a .918 save percentage, and a shutout. The two teams didn’t meet in the regular season.

Laval Rocket News & Notes:

The Rocket went four games with the Monsters before facing the Americans in which they beat in five games to reach the Eastern Conference Finals. They are 6-3-0 in the Calder Cup playoffs, averaging 3.3 goals per game while allowing 2.3 goals per game. Cayden Primeau is posting a 2.03 goals-against average a .924 save percentage, and a shutout. Jacob Fowler is posting a 2.46 goals-against average, a .903 save percentage, and a shutout.

Charlotte Checkers Projected Lines

Skoog-Asplund-Leonard
Smith-Criscuolo-Lockwood
Okuliar-Sourdif-Steeves
Vilmanis-Chorske-Puljujarvi

Carrick-Benning
Bjornfot-Hovorka
Alscher-Cesana

Kahkonen
Appleby

Laval Rocket Projected Lines

Gignac-Dauphin-Barre-Boulet
Farrell-Kapanen-Roy
Harvey-Pinard-Condotta-Simoneau
Davidson-Xhekaj-Beck

Hayes-Reinbacher
Hofenmayer-Mailloux
Engstrom-Lindstrom

Primeau 
Fowler

Players To Watch:

Charlotte Checkers

Rasmus Asplund and John Leonard lead the team in points with six. Rasmus Asplund lead in goals with four.  Jesse Puljujarvi and Kyle Criscuolo lead in assists with four. Tobias Bjornfot leads the team in plus/minus with a plus-eight.

Laval Rocket

Alex Barre-Boulet leads the team in points with ten. Laurent Dauphin leads in goals with five. Barre-Boulet leads in assists with seven. Adam Engstrom leads in plus/minus with a plus-six. 

Next Game

Game 2: Thursday, May 29 at the Place Bell Centre.

ITR 47: Then There Was Nothing – Inside The Rink

Join Conrad and Chris as the discuss Gavin McKenna making the jump to the NCAA, Pittsburgh and San Jose making additions, and the NHL season to begin on October 7, 2025.

1. ITR 47: Then There Was Nothing 32:56
2. ITR 46: Offseason Chaos 24:53
3. ITR 45: Everything Is Happening 37:46
4. ITR 44: We Have A Champion…Again 56:17
5. ITR 43: It's Winning Time 39:10