Losing a player of Marie-Philip Poulin’s caliber would hurt any team. Montreal felt the effects somewhat on Sunday night.
Deprived of one of the best players in the world, the Montreal attack took time to get going and Ottawa triumphed 4-2 at Place Bell.
However, it is not for lack of effort.
Kori Cheverie’s team wasn’t perfect, but they did have several scoring opportunities throughout the game. Goalkeeper Emerance Maschmeyer made a number of key saves and the finishing of a player like Poulin was ultimately lacking.
Blanked in Toronto on Friday night, the Montreal team (10-4-3) finally saw its goalless drought come to an end after 127 minutes and 47 seconds, but it was unable to erase two two-goal deficits.
While the hard work is on the rise, it seems it’s now all about one thing that’s very popular in the hockey world: the little details.
“It’s about going to the net, but having an intention. Having the stick blade ready, being physical in front of the net and covering the goalie,” said forward Sarah Dufort. “All the goalies are good in this league and you have to stand out.”
Poulin appeared to injure a leg after contact with Toronto forward Sarah Nurse on Friday. The injury is officially listed as a lower-body injury and Cheverie said his star player will be reassessed daily.
In Poulin’s absence, Kristin O’Neill led the top line alongside Laura Stacey and Tereza Vanisova. All three players had some nice offensive bursts, but they’ll likely have to step up if their captain misses multiple games.
“Marie-Philip is a really good player and we miss her,” Stacey admitted. “You all know the impact she can have in a game and we know it too. We did our best to fill that void and work together, but we came up short today. We’re going to get back to work and try to find solutions for the next game.”
Cheverie wasn’t entirely satisfied with her players’ performance Sunday, but she understood the circumstances might not have been easy. Beyond Poulin’s injury, forward Claire Dalton was also missing and it was Montreal’s third game in five days.
The coach nevertheless believes that her team will be able to turn things around, after losing two matches in a row for the first time this season.
“The strength of our team is our depth. The coaching staff and I didn’t like our special teams tonight, but it was a busy week. We had some significant injuries as well. It’s not easy, but there are no excuses. Our group stayed in the game and we showed resilience,” Cheverie said.
Stacey ended Montreal’s long drought in the third period, and Mélodie Daoust added a goal. Ann-Renée Desbiens gave up three goals on 32 shots.
In front of a crowd of more than 10,000 spectators, Montreal suffered its first defeat in regulation time at home this season and its first setback against Ottawa (5-6-5), after winning the three previous duels.
Brianne Jenner, Daryl Watts, Aneta Tejralova and Gabbie Hughes scored for Ottawa. Katerina Mrazova had a hand in three of her goals while Maschmeyer made 34 saves.
Before the game, Chantal Machabée, vice-president of hockey communications for the Montreal Canadiens, Annie Larouche, president of the Montreal Alliance, Claudine Douville, RDS broadcaster, and Valérie Tétreault, director of the National Bank Open, were honored and presented the official face-off.
The Montreal team will return to action next Sunday, when it will face Toronto at PPG Paints Arena, home of the Pittsburgh Penguins.
Running out of fuel
Both teams launched attacks in waves in the first period, but it was the visitors who were more insistent. Their work was rewarded with a power play with 37 seconds left.
Jenner first served a nice cross-country pass to Watts, but she was frustrated by Desbiens. A few seconds later, Mrazova made the same play to Jenner, who found a gap to move the ropes.
The Montrealers once again sinned by indiscipline in the second period, but they managed to overcome a power play of two women for 44 seconds to keep their opponents within reach.
It looked like the wind would change direction at that point, but Ottawa had other ideas. On a quick counterattack, Mrazova left the puck behind her for Watts, who fired a precise wrist shot past Desbiens.
The Cheverie players responded by increasing the pressure and they sent many pucks towards Maschmeyer’s net, without however registering on the scoreboard.
The long drought finally came to an end midway through the final period, on a power play. Stacey, who was on the point, fired a one-timer that sailed past the Ottawa goalie.
The celebrations lasted only about two minutes, however, as Tejralova also took advantage of a power play to beat Desbiens. Daoust gave Montreal hope with just under three minutes left, but Hughes put the final nail in an empty net.
