After a sloppy loss earlier in the week to the Toronto Marlies, the Laval Rocket were back on the ice in Binghamton for a showdown with the Devils: one of the few teams struggling worse than Laval this year. The Rocket were without top-line forward Kerby Rychel, while new players Adam Plant and tryout Trevor Owens drew into the lineup. Michael McNiven was given the reins as the starter as he looked to get back on track during a rough patch of his rookie season. Opposing him would be fan favourite Eddie Lack for the Devils.
The first period didn’t hold much flow in terms of gameplay, as the teams combined for a large number of penalties in the opening 20 minutes.