“We didn’t execute what we wanted to execute tonight, but at the end of the day, we got our three points. » These words from Kori Cheverie adequately sum up the victory of the Montreal team, Wednesday evening, in Bridgeport.
The Cheverie squad played with fire and did not play their best match, but they made sure to add three points to their record on Wednesday, having the upper hand 4-3 against the new team. -york, in front of an almost empty Total Mortgage Arena.
This victory, Montreal’s fourth in its last five meetings, allows it to widen its lead in first place in the LPHF. They now have three more points than Minnesota, with one more game remaining.
“There were things we liked and others we didn’t do,” Cheverie said without elaborating. At the end of the day, we have to keep the positives because we are playing three games in a few days.
“Points take you to the playoffs. We know we didn’t play our best game, but we have to be willing to celebrate the three points for tonight and then think about the next game. »
Among the “positive points”, there is precisely the offensive contribution of 9 out of 12 attackers.
Just a few games ago, Marie-Philip Poulin and Laura Stacey were the only two players from the Montreal clan to have scored more than two goals. When the two Olympians didn’t score, we wondered who would. The trend has changed in recent weeks.
If Stacey and Poulin remain the ones who shoot the most towards the net – the first shot six times and the second, four times, on Wednesday – there are more players making their contribution in terms of goals. If we include Wednesday’s match, 11 of the team’s last 13 goals were scored by players other than the Poulin-Stacey duo, including 10 by attackers.
On Wednesday, Montreal gave itself a comfortable 3-0 lead in the first period. Jillian Dempsey, whose first goal this season, Sarah Bujold and Gabrielle David all made the red light sparkle in the space of 10 minutes.
PHOTO FRANK FRANKLIN II, ASSOCIATED PRESS
Jillian Dempsey (14)
“It feels good to be able to contribute and put the puck on net,” Dempsey said after the game.
“I think our depth is the strength of our team,” Cheverie said. This is something we’ve seen all season. Tonight, several different players scored, which is good. I’m happy about that, that’s for sure. »
“The effort is there in every game,” emphasized Marie-Philip Poulin. […] It was only a matter of time before these girls got on the scoresheet. »
The team played with fire afterward, letting New York score two power play goals late in the first period and late in the third period. Poulin – yes! – was responsible for scoring a fourth goal in the third period, accepting a perfect pass from Stacey – yes! (bis) – in the enclave. The Quebecer thus joined Alex Carpenter at the top of the scorers with 17 points.
In the column of things to refine…
The numerical advantage is a problem that has persisted since the start of the season in the Montreal clan. On Wednesday, Cheverie’s squad had six extra chances, without ever managing to find the back of the net. That’s 12 minutes with an extra player, without scoring. We could even almost say without threatening, because the Montrealers showed themselves to be not very dangerous in these situations. Conversely, the New Yorkers scored three goals on the power play…
Montreal has therefore only scored four goals in 51 power plays (7.8%) this season. This is little. Very little. Too few. Because even though the team sits atop the league right now, an inability to score in such situations could prove costly in the playoffs.
Cheverie, who has made a habit of not dwelling on the subject in post-match press conferences, assured that the problem is not linked to a lack of confidence from his players. “I think our two special teams were not good tonight and the players know it,” she simply stated.
Marie-Philip Poulin, for her part, was a little more talkative.
“I think we need to have a greater sense of urgency on the power play. We have all these chances, we must take advantage of them. I think we take them for granted as a group. »
“We have to be better in the next match because these are very important moments in a match. When we have a power play, we have to score and we didn’t do that tonight. We are aware of that. »
Sooner or later the problem will have to be solved.
Still, for now, the team is winning, so that’s okay. But there is no question of the players sitting on their laurels.
“We know that it’s a very important week for the rankings, we know what to do,” added Poulin. […] It’s up to us to find a way to be there for 60 minutes as a team. We are happy where we are, but we are not satisfied. »