Takeaways: Fleet Fail to Clinch Playoffs in 3-2 OT Loss to Victoire

The Boston Fleet’s late third-period rally secured them a crucial point in the playoff race last night, but they ultimately failed to clinch their spot after falling to the Montréal Victoire in overtime, 3-2. They now need Ottawa to take at least one point from Minnesota on Wednesday, or their playoff dreams will again come down to the final regular season game, which is against the Frost on Saturday.

Goal Rundown

After a record-setting 63 consecutive saves across 136:47 to start her PWHL career, Klára Peslarová’s shutout streak ended. Chaos ensued in front of her, and eventually, Jennifer Gardiner corralled a rebound and fired it into a nearly wide-open cage to open the scoring for Montréal at 16:47 of the second period.

During a third-period power play, Catherine Dubois tipped a Maureen Murphy shot home from right in front of Peslarová to make it 2-0 at 4:48.

With the clock ticking, Hannah Brandt toe-dragged a Montréal defender and scored a beautiful jailbreak goal at 17:14 to bring the Fleet back within one.

Just 39 seconds later, Hannah Bilka lasered one past Ann-Renée Desbiens to tie the game at two.

For the fifth straight game, Boston and Montréal headed to overtime tied at two. The point for going to overtime clinched home-ice advantage in the playoffs for Montréal, while the Fleet needed to secure the extra point to clinch a playoff berth.

Unfortunately for Boston, Laura Stacey again played the hero for Montréal, one-timing a Marie-Philip Poulin feed past Peslarová to secure the win at 4:17.

In goal, Peslarová made 33 saves in the loss, while Desbiens turned aside 27 for the win.

Takeaways

1. The Fleet’s penalties killed all of their momentum.

It’s been a long time since I’ve had to discuss this, but penalties cost the Fleet big time against the Victoire. They went to the box six times, three of which came in the third period, and while Montréal went four times themselves, Boston’s penalties seemed particularly damaging. Their top-ranked penalty kill came in handy, killing off four full penalties and scoring a jailbreak on another, but it doesn’t take away from the fact that it’s hard to build any real offensive rhythm when you’re constantly going to the box.

2. On that note, sustained offense was again a problem.

The good news is the Fleet landed 29 shots on goal in this game, which is far better than last game’s 15. The bad news is that quality was an issue, and they still struggled to generate much sustained offense, with the shots largely coming in bursts. It’s a problem that’s plagued this team all year, and they’re just about out of time to figure it out if they want to go on another long playoff run.

3. The Fleet showed heart to come back late.

While not having to claw back would have been ideal, the Fleet did show impressive fight to come back late in the game and force overtime. 

“We seem to never have an easy game here,” Fleet head coach Courtney Kessel said postgame. “Obviously, another overtime. We found a way to come back. The game’s never over until the last buzzer goes. We’re a team that’s going to continue to battle till the end.” 

The Fleet have proven all season that they don’t mind playing from behind, and while again it is not ideal, it's a valuable skill to have, especially at this time of year. No playoff game will be easy (should they make it), so knowing how to remain calm and keep the belief alive even when trailing will come in handy.

4. That said, the Fleet have lacked a killer instinct down the stretch.

All things considered, this game was the latest disappointment in a tough stretch for the Fleet. They had all of the momentum heading into overtime after tying the game in the final three minutes, yet they allowed Montréal to control the pace instead of dictating it themselves. It's part of a concerning trend that has seen the Fleet make things difficult even when they win, while also suffering multiple easily avoidable losses. As a result, they’ve banked just four points in their past five games, and now, their playoff dreams may again come down to the final day. That’s not a position they want to or should be in, but their lack of killer instinct down the stretch has landed them there.

The Fleet are back in action on Saturday when they take on the Minnesota Frost in their final regular season game. Puck drop is set for 1 p.m. ET at the Tsongas Center in Lowell, MA, and you can find the game on NESN, FanDuel Sports Network North, TSN, the PWHL YouTube channel, and thepwhl.com.