On Saturday, the second PWHL semifinal gets underway, with the first-place Montréal Victoire set to take on their selected opponent, the third-place Minnesota Frost.
Montréal went unbeaten against Minnesota this season, with two wins in overtime and two shutout wins in regulation. But the Frost are coming in as the back-to-back defending Cup champions. They know how to get the job done in the postseason.
The Victoire are enter this matchup with their full roster back, after Maureen Murphy and captain Marie-Philip Poulin came off LTIR at the end of the regular season. That being said, there are lingering question marks about if Poulin is at full strength, following a knee injury suffered during the Olympics in February. For Minnesota, they are coming into the playoffs fully healthy, save for Dominique Petrie, who suffered a season-ending injury earlier this year.
Puck drop for Game 1 is set for 2 p.m. ET on Saturday at Place Bell in Laval. Game 2 is scheduled for Tuesday at 7 p.m. Then, the series shifts to Minnesota’s Grand Casino Arena on Thursday at 7 p.m. for Game 3. If needed, Game 4 will take place in Minnesota and Game 5 would return to Place Bell. Dates and times to be announced.
Before the action kicks off this weekend, the sharpest minds at The Ice Garden are here with our hot takes and predictions to prepare you for this series.
What will it take for the Montréal Victoire to advance to the Walter Cup Final?
Dylan Nazareth, Montréal Victoire beat reporter: To earn their first playoff series win, the key for Montréal is to perform how they did in the regular season. Keep rolling out all four lines, keep a strong checking game, avoid bad penalties, and punish Minnesota’s defensive gaps.
Reid Lemker, Minnesota Frost beat reporter: Montréal wins this series by shutting down Minnesota’s offence as they did in the regular season. Minnesota only scored 3 goals in 4 games against Montréal. If the Victoire can clog up the neutral zone, stay out of the box, and get some timely saves from Ann-Renée Desbiens, Montréal can slow Minnesota down, and they have plenty of offence to outscore the Frost.
Melissa Burgess, PWHL lead: ARD continues to be an absolute superstar in net. She’s been one of the top goaltenders all season and there’s no reason to think that won’t continue here. The Victoire also had a pretty easy time with the Frost in the regular season – including two shutouts. Safe to say they’ve got the upper hand here, but they need to stay focused and not take Minnesota lightly.
Lydia Murray, Boston Fleet beat reporter: For the Victoire to win this series, they’re going to need to bring a strong offence. Montréal has a distinct advantage over Minnesota in goaltending, and it’s hard to imagine the Frost coming out on top if the Victoire can pot three or more goals a game.
Maya Smith, Vancouver Goldeneyes beat reporter: Montréal needs to continue the strong defensive play they’ve had this season. Between Desbiens in the net with seven shutouts and having the lowest goals against in the league, they know how to play well defensively. With Minnesota’s potent offence, they’ll need it. I think they also need to test Rooney and Hensley early. They picked the team with the worst goaltending and they should take advantage of that.
Geremy, contributor: Quite simply the way Montréal wins is by just being the same team they were in the regular season. They’re not beating Minnesota in a race to three goals. Or least they shouldn’t expect their roster as is to complete such a task. They need to suffocate the Frost offence, specifically the forwards, in order to pull this off. I think that’s why Montréal chose Minnesota, they have more faith in getting that second goal in a 2-1 win going up against Nicole Hensley or Maddie Rooney rather than Gwyneth Philips.
How about the Minnesota Frost?
Dylan: Minnesota wins by playing into Montréal’s past playoff weaknesses. Shut down their top scorers, provoke them into bad penalties, and capitalize on high-danger chances.
Reid: Minnesota wins this series like they did all regular season: offence. If the Frost can beat Desbiens at five-on-five and add some timely power-play goals, they will have a chance in this series. Also, if Maddie Rooney transforms into the 2025 or 2024 playoff Maddie Rooney, this team becomes really tough to beat.
Melissa: Taylor Heise goes on an absolute tear. Kelly Pannek, too. We’ve seen what these players can do offensively and now is the time for them to step up. They know what it takes to win and they’re undoubtedly hungry for more, but they know the Victoire aren’t going to be an easy competitor. The Frost’s big guns will need to get it done and find ways to beat Desbiens.
Lydia: For the Frost, they’re going to need to shore things up defensively, or for Nicole Hensley or Maddie Rooney to find a new level. Ann-Renée Desbiens has been unbelievable this season, and the Victoire’s defence isn’t too shabby either. Minnesota can score, but scoring against Montréal is no small feat, as they allowed the fewest goals in the league this season (41/1.37 GPG). It’s hard to imagine them getting more than two, maybe three, past Desbiens on any given night. So, they need to clean things up in their own end and slow down the Victoire’s offence if they hope to come out of this one alive.
Maya: I mean, it’s the Frost. They’ve gotten it done every single year. They undoubtedly have the confidence. That being said, I think they need to make sure they keep up their scoring ways. Heise and Pannek need to keep up the same streak they’ve been on and find a way to beat one of the best goaltenders in the league. There’s a reason Montréal has only given up 41 goals.
Geremy: If there’s something I believe in, it’s Minnesota’s ability to turn on the switch and play playoff type hockey. They have the forwards, blueline, and goaltending who understand the expectations that come with the playoffs. They might be the best team at adjusting in the playoffs and with the best offence in the league, they can count on their scorers to be the difference maker.
Series prediction?
Dylan: Montréal in 4.
Reid: Montréal in 5. I think it will be tight, but I don’t think the Frost can outscore their problems against a team like Montréal, and I just don’t trust Minnesota’s goaltending. I like Montréal’s ability to slow down the Frost’s offence just enough to move on.
Melissa: Montréal in 4.
Lydia: Montréal in 5. They may have dominated Minnesota in the regular season, but the Frost know how to play winning playoff hockey. They are going to make this a heck of a series. Ultimately though, it’s time for the Victoire to exorcise their playoff demons and play for the Walter Cup.
Maya: Montréal in 5.
Geremy: Minnesota in 4. For the last two seasons I’ve picked Montréal in the first round and look at where that got them. I’m going Minnesota in four. Partially because I want to see what happens when I predict Montréal to lose instead of win and partially due to the fact that Minnesota’s offence looks like the biggest difference maker this series.
Who will be the series MVP?
Dylan: Ann-Renée Desbiens. Against an offence as powerful as Minnesota’s, Desbiens wins this for Montréal.
Reid: Laura Stacey. Hard not to pick Marie Philip-Poulin out of habit, but I’m not sure how healthy she is right now. I’ll go Stacey. Her game is perfectly suited for playoff hockey.
Melissa: Desbiens.
Lydia: For Minnesota, should they survive, their MVP will likely be whichever goaltender they roll with. They were carried by their offence this year, but that’s not going to be the case in this series. As for the Victoire, I’m going with Erin Ambrose or Nicole Gosling. The Frost’s offence is undeniably good, as is Desbiens. However, with their habit of playing long games, the fewer high danger chances Desbiens faces, the better, so I think defence will prove more valuable.
Maya: If the Frost win, I agree with Lydia, it’ll be one of their goaltenders (unless Pannek or Heise are significantly influential in the win). For Montréal, I think Desbiens or Gosling, especially if she can get a couple of points while keeping the Frost’s offence at bay.
Geremy: Taylor Heise feels unstoppable right now. She’s a force at both ends of the ice, she’s creating offence, and she’s scoring goals. If Ken Klee can get her away from the Erin Ambrose/Nicole Gosling pairing, she’s going to have a great chance at being a difference maker. Speaking of Gosling, if Montreal is to win they need offence and with Marie-Philip Poulin playing hurt they’re going to need someone to step up. If Montreal is to score they need Gosling to prevent offence and also create it. If she can do that, they’re winning.