Fast Facts: Moose at Laval – Jan. 12

The Manitoba Moose play the middle contest of their three-game road trip. Tonight they face off against the Rocket in Laval. It's the third meeting of the season between the two clubs after Laval won a pair of games in Winnipeg back in mid-November. The Moose are coming off a 4-0 loss in Belleville on Wednesday. There was considerably more offence in Laval's game in Utica on Wednesday as the Comets outlasted the Rocket in a 6-5 overtime thriller. Coverage of tonight's game begins at 5:45 p.m. CT on CJOB.com/sports, the Winnipeg Jets App and AHLTV.

All-Star Selection

Rookie forward Brad Lambert will represent the Moose at the 2024 AHL All-Star Classic. He is the second-youngest player named to the annual showcase. Lambert is tied for the Moose lead in scoring with 24 points (11G, 13A) in 27 games this season. His 0.89 points per game average and 11 goals also lead the club. Lambert is tied for sixth among AHL rookies in points, and is tied for eighth among the group in power play goals. The Lahti, Finland product leads the Moose with seven multi-point games this season. Lambert was a first round pick (30th overall) of the Winnipeg Jets in the 2022 NHL Draft.

Ville to the Moose

The Winnipeg Jets announced Thursday the team assigned defencemaan Ville Heinola to the Moose. The Honkajoki, Finland product posted 37 points (4G, 33A) in 48 games with the Moose during the 2022-23 season, as well as one assist in 10 NHL games with Winnipeg. Heinola has appeared in 111 career AHL games, all with Manitoba, while recording 75 points (13G, 62A). He ranks 12th in franchise history in points for a defenceman. Heinola also has 11 points (1G, 10A) in 35 games of NHL experience with Winnipeg. The Jets selected Heinola 20th overall in the 2019 NHL Draft.

Start the Engine

The Moose do some of their best work in the first period of games. The team has scored 24 goals in the first frame. That is marginally lower than the second period’s 26 and third period’s 28. However, the Moose have allowed 30 goals in the opening frame, compared to 41 in both the second and third periods. Getting off to a good start is crucial for the Moose, who are 7-5-0-0 when scoring first and 11-8-0-0 when leading or tied after the first period. Jeff Malott leads the Moose with four goals and nine points in the first period, accounting for 43 percent of his production this season.

Pucks to the Net

The line of Parker Ford, Jeff Malott and Brad Lambert combined for 13 of Manitoba’s 27 shots on goal on Wednesday. Malott and Lambert have recorded multi-shot games in nine consecutive games, while Ford has at least three shots on goal in seven of his past 10 outings. The trio lead the Moose in shots with Malott pacing the group at 84, Ford second with 76 and Lambert hot on his heels with 73. Nikita Chibrikov (68) and Jeffrey Viel (61) round out the top-five. Kyle Capobianco leads Moose defencemen on the current roster with 47 shots on goal.

Who's Trending?

Parker Ford led the Moose with five shots on goal against Belleville on Wednesday. The forward, who is currently in the midst of his AHL rookie season, ranks sixth on the Moose with 14 points (7G, 7A) through 30 games. Ford’s seven goals over the campaign places him fifth on the squad and third among the organization’s rookie skaters this season.