QMJHL Preview: Quebec vs. Baie-Comeau

Two of the top three teams in the TELUS East Division face off tonight in the lone QMJHL game of the evening, as the Quebec Remparts visit Baie-Comeau Drakkar at 7:30 p.m. EST.

HOW THE TEAMS MATCH UP

• Baie-Comeau: 41-17-2-3, 87 pts, 1st in East Division, 2nd overall in QMJHL
• Quebec: 36-21-3-2, 77 pts, 3rd in East Division, 6th overall in QMJHL

Goals for: QUE: 219, BAC: 254
Goals against: QUE: 185, BAC: 177
Last ten games: QUE: 7-2-1-0, BAC: 6-4-0-0

Both teams have already clinched a spot in the QMJHL playoffs.

RECENT HISTORY

Despite having won seven of its last ten games, Quebec is on a two-game losing streak. The team’s last win came in a 5-3 victory over Chicoutimi on February 26. Since then, they dropped a 2-1 overtime decision to Drummondville on March 1 before losing 3-2 to Moncton the following day.

Baie-Comeau is on a two-game winning streak and has won four of its last five games. In March so far, they defeated Gatineau 6-1 on March 1 before coming out on top of Shawinigan 4-1 on March 3.

ON THE HORIZON

The Remparts have just six games remaining in their regular season schedule, including tonight’s matchup against Baie-Comeau. Tonight’s game is the first of three away games before the Remparts finish the regular season with a three-game homestand.

Baie-Comeau has five games remaining on the schedule – including tonight – and next up faces a pair of road games before finishing the year with two home games. After tonight, they’ll visit Blainville-Boisbriand and Sherbrooke before hosting Victoriaville and Drummondville to finish the season.

ERNE, SHAW LEAD THE WAY FOR QUEBEC

Right winger Adam Erne leads current Quebec skaters across the board in goals (26), assists (41) and points (67). He averages 1.08 points per game and has won 147 of 257 faceoffs taken this season. Erne, a ’95-born Connecticut native, is in his second season with Quebec and put up 55 points in 64 games last season.

Logan Shaw is second on the team with 24 goals, 40 assists and 64 points in 61 games. He leads the team with 217 shots. Erne and Shaw have both tallied nine power play goals this season.

Rounding out the top three for Quebec is center Mikhail Grigorenko, who hasn’t played a game in the QMJHL since January 11, shortly before he was recalled to the NHL’s Buffalo Sabres. Grigorenko leads the Remparts with 29 goals and also had 21 assists for 50 points in just 32 games. Eleven of his 29 goals came on the power play, and he averaged 1.56 points/game before making it to the NHL.

STRAKA, ZYKOV TAKE CHARGE FOR DRAKKAR

Leading the way for Baie-Comeau are right-wingers Petr Straka and Valentin Zykov. Zykov, a rookie, leads the team with 39 goals, while Straka is second with 37 goals. Straka leads the team in assists with 39, and also leads the team with 76 points on the season. Both players have scored ten goals each on the powerplay this season.

Straka, a 2010 draft pick of the NHL’s Columbus Blue Jackets, is in his first season with Baie-Comeau after spending the last two seasons with Rimouski. Last year, he had 37 points in 54 games.

Left winger Raphaël Bussières has 60 points (26-34) on the season, while rookie Gabryel Paquin-Boudreau has 57 points (21-36) this year.

Bussières is in his third season with Baie-Comeau and put up 44 points in 56 games last season with the team.

THE SEASON SERIES

Tonight’s game is the sixth and final meeting between the teams this season.

Quebec took the first meeting, a 5-0 win on September 23, before Baie-Comeau won the next game, 8-2, on October 25. The Remparts came out on top on December 2 by a score of 3-1, and Baie-Comeau won 4-2 on December 28. Finally, Quebec won the most recent meeting, a 4-3 decision on February 15.