The battle for first place in the PWHL is becoming a three-horse race. After the Montréal Victoire claimed a 4-1 win over the Seattle Torrent, they are now tied with the Boston Fleet and Minnesota Frost at 39 points each through 20 games played.
Heading into the Olympic break, we looked at some key numbers to watch for the Victoire through the second half of the year. Now with 10 games remaining, let’s check in on some stats, new and old, and how they’ll define the final third of Montréal’s season.
1.23
Ann-Renée Desbiens leads all goaltenders with a ridiculous 1.23 GAA through 17 games played. Last season, she was named the PWHL’s Goaltender of the Year with a 1.86 GAA through 21 appearances. If she keeps it up down the stretch, she could very well be one of the league’s top MVP candidates this season.
52-30 (+22)
Thanks to another banner year from Desbiens, the Victoire have the fewest goals against with just 30 conceded. Now, they’ve also seen an uptick in their production, tallying 19 goals in their last five games. Montréal is second in the league with 52 goals for, giving Montréal a +22 goal differential. The Victoire are behind only the Frost in both these categories.
93.3%
The Victoire’s penalty-kill continues to be a difference maker, leading the league at a 93.3% efficiency. As one of the most penalized teams in the league, they’ve managed to step up short-handed on many occasions, including late in games. Losing veteran Erin Ambrose has been a tough blow, but rookie Nicole Gosling has looked solid in stepping into her role on special teams.
23.1%
Speaking of special teams, the Victoire’s power play is finally living up to the talent it boasts. Montréal has the best power play in the PWHL right now, converting on 23.1% of player advantage opportunities. This is another spot Gosling has broken through for the Victoire, staking her place as the quarterback of the top unit.
The Victoire are also the only team in the PWHL this season to not have conceded a short-handed goal against.
63%
Since the Olympic break, Montréal’s secondary scoring has been stepping up. In the last five games, 63% of the Victoire’s goals have come from players other than Marie-Philip Poulin, Laura Stacey, or Abby Roque. The lack of depth scoring has killed them every year in the playoffs so far, so it’s a good sign of better results to come.
3-4-7
Laura Stacey has three goals and seven points in the five games since the Olympic break. After a slow start to the year where she tallied two goals and eight points through the first 15 games, she’s finally finding her groove. If Marie-Philip Poulin needs to miss more games down the stretch–which seems likely–continued production from Stacey will be key. Stacey also has both of Montréal’s short-handed jailbreak goals this season.
90
Also of note, Stacey has a league-leading 90 shots on goal, giving her a 5.6% shooting percentage. Last season, she finished first in the PWHL with 112 SOG. With 11 goals, she had a 9.8% shooting percentage. She’s a high volume shooter, and this season she’s finally seeing some conversion on those opportunities.
17
In her first season with the Victoire, Abby Roque has already tied her career-high of 17 points. With six goals on 47 shots, she boasts a strong 12.8 SH%. In the preseason preview, I predicted Roque would finish the season with double digit tallies in both goals and points. After slowing down following a hot start, does she have what it takes to get there? She’s got 11 assists, but still needs to find four more goals to reach the milestone.
27
Roque is also nearing another career-high. With 27 penalty minutes, she’s four from the 31 she tallied in the league’s inaugural season. After a cleaner season last year with just six PIM, Roque is back to being one of the league’s most penalized players. The 28-year-old is currently fifth in the PWHL in PIM, one behind fellow Victoire skater Maggie Flaherty, who has 29 this season.