Victoire Vibe Vol 2.2

Since my last vibe check, Montréal has reached and ended a four game win streak, played two Takeover Tour games, and reached the top of the PWHL standings. A lot has changed in the way this team is clicking and where it’s finding success. While there are still tweaks I’d like to see, this feels like the sort of moment where you keep doing what you’re doing and don’t mess too much with the mojo.

This may seem obvious to the point of redundancy, but what has struck me most in the last few games is that the players look like they feel good. Aside from the power play, where players look stressed both on and off the ice when the subject comes up, the Victoire have been playing like they’re comfortable with their structure, their goals for each shift, and the people they’re on the ice with. The shootout loss to Boston felt like a sludgey game, and they still took it all the way to the last second. That’s a great sign.

What isn’t working?

The power play, still and somehow. To the team’s credit, they have clearly put in a lot of work here, and it does show. Personnel has been moved around on the top unit and the second unit, and if my eye didn’t deceive me, there was even a third unit tried out in one game. The tactics have changed for the better, creating a lot of different kinds of scoring opportunities, and allowing for contributions from a wider range of playstyles.

All that being said, the Victoire power play remains the worst in the league statistically. With only one goal on the advantage across the last four games, Montréal has reached an impressively low 10% success rate, potting only three on the season across 30 opportunities. That's the most chances in the league. 

(On the bright side, you can say the team is good at drawing fouls.)

The second line isn’t quite clicking either. Abby Boreen has looked fantastic individually; her speed and slick hands allow her to create chances on offense and help out on defense. But altogether, this line isn’t looking like a dynamic force. You hope that your second line will also be a scoring line, and with the talent of Lina Ljungblom and Kristin O’Neill, it should be. Instead, it’s kind of just there.

What is working?

Nearly everything else! The silver lining is that the team leads the league in short-handed goals (2) and is second in even-strength goals (18) behind only Minnesota, who has played an additional game. Meanwhile, the Victoire’s tandem has allowed the fewest goals in the league (19), which has helped the team stay at the top of the standings while they work out the power play issues. The penalty kill has also been among the best in the league, only falling to third place after allowing two goals to Boston in Seattle.

Head coach Kori Cheverie has been quoted as saying that the underlying metrics of the team show that they’re about to break out offensively, and the eye test agrees. 

Jennifer Gardiner has looked great on the top line next to Marie-Philip Poulin and Laura Stacey, better than anyone else who’s had meaningful minutes there. It’s hard to compare her chemistry with the pair to the years of experience Poulin and Stacey have together, but Gardiner’s playmaking and attacking abilities have both been evident in the offensive zone.

The third line is on fire. Even before their offensive breakout in the January 8 game against Toronto, the combination of Mikyla Grant-Mentis and Alexandra Labelle has been powerful at suppressing other team’s scoring lines and in creating their own chances. If you want your third line to be gritty, defensively responsible, and contribute offensively, then this might be the best third line in the league. Recently, Claire Dalton has been the most common third with the aforementioned pair, and that combination has delivered offensively whenever it’s been on the ice this season.

Montréal's blueline has found its groove. With Amanda Boulier still on IR after taking a hit to the head on December 21, the defense has shuffled. Mariah Keopple and Erin Ambrose have continued their successful year 1 pairing, while Anna Wilgren and Cayla Barnes look good together. Boulier is a valuable contributor on the ice and the team will be happy to have her back, but it’s heartening to see that the depth of the Victoire defensive corps means that they’re not falling to pieces without her.

Vibe check

Ann-Renée Desbiens has looked a tiny bit shaky in her last two games, most noticeably during the shootout loss to Boston at Climate Pledge Arena. This is not a cause for panic; she recently missed a game due to illness and might still be feeling a little off, or these could be flukey moments. Still, it has been three weeks since backup Elaine Chuli’s last start, and amidst some cross-continental travel for the team. It may be a good idea to let Desbiens sit one.

It really does say something about what a great goaltender Desbiens is that even when she isn’t at her best, she can backstop her team to earning 10 of 12 possible points across four games.

What’s next?

Montréal has experienced a very unique schedule thanks to the PWHL Takeover Tour. They were part of the first two Tour games in Seattle and Edmonton, and will play the Frost at Ball Arena in Denver, Colorado on Saturday. Then they’ll have five days at home before hosting the Frost at Place Bell on Friday, January 17. Two days later, they’ll host the Ottawa Charge at the first PWHL game in Québec City.