Victoire Vibe Vol. 2.4

The Victoire had a CBA-mandated week off, then played three games in five days before taking another week off for the international break. Despite the unusual schedule, they took away five of a possible six points and extended their lead at the top of the PWHL standings with a game still in hand. What's keeping them on their roll, and what do we have to look forward to?

What hasn’t been working?

There has been something of a learning curve for the Swedish players newly signed to the Victoire this season. Lina Ljungblom has been playing consistently in the top six, but has only two points on the season; she’s in the bottom four on the team in points per 60 minutes. She had what was, to my eye, one of her best games of the season this week against Toronto: she was a +3, only her second game in the plus column this season, and had an assist and quality scoring chances while playing alongside Laura Stacey. Stacey had this to say about playing next to Ljungblom: 

"I think Lina's been awesome for our team this year, just the way she stuck with it. There's so many times in hockey that there's ups and downs and highs and lows and I think she's been consistent… She has a ton of potential and it's really starting to show out there and I'm happy for her.”

Ljungblom has been playing on the top power play unit, but has been shifted to the fourth line in a few games recently. She will be playing through the international break as Sweden competes for an Olympic berth, and on her return, the Victoire will continue to look for the right situation to bring out the 2024 SDHL MVP’s potential in the PWHL.

On the blue line, Anna Kjellbin has shown definite improvement in her spacing and speed over the season, but she has also been relegated to seventh defender as other players returned from injury. With Dominka Lásková trending toward a return, it’s worth wondering if Kjellbin will stay with Montréal after the international break. The Victoire already have two defenders on reserve status who are locals. Even if it were to be feasible on an import player’s visa, would Kjellbin be willing to stay in North America on a reserve contract, which does not receive a housing stipend or other benefits?

What has been working?

The stars are shining bright in Montréal. Marie-Philip Poulin had a hat trick against Ottawa and added two more goals in New York. Laura Stacey had three points coming back from injury against Toronto. Both players scored in the shootout to earn the win against the Sceptres. Although they have each been playing well, this offensive kick signals even better times ahead.

Prior to this week’s three games, the Victoire’s leading scorers were Abby Boreen and Erin Ambrose with eight points each. Poulin had five goals and seven points, and Claire Dalton, Jennifer Gardiner, and Mikyla Grant-Mentis all had six points. 

After this week’s games, Poulin leads the team with 12 points and the league with 10 goals. Her current linemates, Boreen and Gardiner, each have ten points. Ambrose is up to nine assists, while Cayla Barnes and Laura Stacey have hit seven points apiece, Stacey in three fewer games. All that is to say that Montréal’s top line, the ‘offensive’ defenders on their top two pairings, and the best thirteenth forward in the league are finally leading the team’s offensive output.

You need your big players to be big players, and you need your big players to be producing offense in proportion to the minutes they play. Montréal was a top team in the league before this week, but they got there thanks to a system that worked for the players and consistent offensive contributions from across the lineup. Although they have seen production from their top players, a lot of those points came on individual efforts: skilled players breaking through rather than true cohesion. If the turn-around of the power play has made Montréal look like a beast, Poulin and Stacey developing real offensive chemistry with separate lines makes the Victoire look like a behemoth.

Against the Sirens, a team that the Victoire may look forward to facing in the playoffs, Poulin’s two goals were the difference. But when she took a major penalty that put her team down a skater for five minutes, the Victoire were able to get through it unscathed. That’s a testament to the strength of Montréal’s updated penalty kill and the roster as a whole.

Vibe check

"Last year, it just sucked when we would lose against Toronto..." Cheverie joked after the shootout win over the Sceptres. "To play against Toronto, and to be on that side, it's a one goal game almost every time, or an empty net or whatever that looks like. They bring it, and we bring it, and tonight it was back and forth the whole time, but yeah, definitely satisfying."

What’s next?

The Victoire’s next game will be on February 15 back home at Place Bell against the Sirens. They should prepare as though they will have to face Alex Carpenter back from injury; they will also be aware of the possibility that it will be their turn to play without their top line center.

Should Poulin miss a game or more in a review of her charging penalty, how would the team fare? Last year, Poulin missed three games with an injury and Montréal lost all three. It was the only time all season they lost back to back games.

I have a lot of confidence in the ability of this season’s Victoire to fill in for Poulin should the need arise. When she wasn’t scoring as often as one would expect from her early in the season, other players found the back of the net. This is a team that’s playing as a whole, not as parts, and should they have to play without their captain, they could weather the storm.

And at the very least, they will be in good spirits when they do.

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