PWHL News

Home

Quizzes

Newsletter

Ann-Renée Desbiens, Montreal Victoire (Photo by /PWHL)

Victoire’s Keys to Defeat the Charge in Game 4

Originally posted on The Hockey Writers | By Jess Amato | Last updated May 16, 2025 4:10 PM ET

The Professional Women’s Hockey League (PWHL) is in its second season, and the Montreal Victoire made it to the playoffs both seasons. On May 11, the Victoire won their first-ever postseason game. The Victoire made the playoffs last season, however the Boston Fleet swept Montreal 3-0 in that series.

If the Victoire do not win Game 4, they will be eliminated from the playoffs in their best-of-five series and the Ottawa Charge will move on to face the Minnesota Frost in the Walter Cup Final. Here is what the Victoire need to do to keep their playoff hopes alive.

Desbiens Needs to Continue to Shine

There is no denying that Ann-Renee Desbiens is one of the best goaltenders in the PWHL; she was just nominated for the best Goaltender of the Year award, after all. Desbiens’ stats continue to prove why this is the case. In the regular season, Desbiens played in 21 of the 30 games, had a save percentage (SV%) of .932%, and a goals against average (GAA) of 1.86, only allowing 38 goals.

As she continues to perform in the playoffs, Desbiens’ performance continues to be stellar. She has earned a GAA of 1.43 and an SV% of .949%. Desbiens has only allowed six goals, but unfortunately, she is in second-place in goaltender performance in the playoffs. The goaltender in first is Gwyneth Philips, who has played opposite Desbiens this entire series. Their stats are separated by a slim margin, with Philips allowing five goals, just one fewer than Desbiens.

Both are talented goalies who have made incredible saves and kept their team in the game. Desbiens needs to continue to have the stellar performance she had in the regular season and throughout this playoff series in order to keep the Victoire’s playoff chances alive.

Give Poulin the Puck

There is no denying that Marie-Philip Poulin is one of the best players in the PWHL. Her regular season stats prove that, as she led the Victoire with points with 26 via 19 goals and seven assists to rank fourth league-wide in points. She led the entire league in goals scored as well.

While Poulin has only scored a goal in Game 1, she is one of the five players who has scored a goal in the playoffs. Her regular-season performance shows she is a offensive force through and through; when she gets the puck she is not afraid to shoot it. If Poulin is in front of the net, her team has to pass the puck to her.

Victoire Need to Keep Special Teams Strong

Out of the four teams in the playoffs, the Victoire currently have the strongest penalty kill (PK). Montreal currently has an 85.7% PK percentage, as they have only allowed one goal on the Charge’s seven power-play opportunities. All the other teams have allowed two or more power-play goals.

The Victoire need to keep their power play strong too, because the Charge have the highest number of shorthanded goals in the regular season. With four shorthanded goals, the Charge are a force to be reckoned with on their PK. The Victoire have one of the strongest first power-play units of Poulin, Laura Stacey, Jennifer Gardiner, Claire Dalton, and Cayla Barnes. Their second unit is nothing to sneeze at with Abby Boreen at the helm. As long as these power-play units stay strong, the Victoire will have a great chance in Game 4.

The Victoire have the second-worst power play percentage, only scoring two goals on their eight power-play opportunities in the series so far. If Montreal draws penalties in Game 4, they need to make sure they capitalize on their opportunities. In the regular season, the Victoire had 103 power-play opportunities but only scored 16 power-play goals to ranked third in that category.