Cape Breton Eagles goaltender Jakub Milota (Photo: Cape Breton Eagles)Of the two teams that had the chance of elimination last night, the Eagles were the only team that weren't able to hold on.
Ahead of their series against the No. 7 ranked Baie-Comeau Drakkar, it became known that the Drakkar would be without two of their NHL affiliated players this series - Carolina Hurricanes prospect RW Justin Poirier (80 in 58) and Seattle Kraken prospect D Alexis Bernier (46 in 59).
Despite their adversaries missing key pieces, the series started on the back foot for the Eagles. Their offense was stuffed by the Drakkar's starting netminder, 2025 NHL draft eligible Lucas Beckman. In game 3, the Eagles were able to finally break through with a 5-1 victory at home. However, a 4-0 loss the next day put them on the brink of elimination.
In game 5, both teams put the pedal to the medal. The Drakkar wanted to close out the series as soon as possible, meanwhile the Eagles wanted to guarantee another fighting chance. It ultimately took eight periods -- the three regulation and five overtimes -- to decide the winner, the Cape Breton Eagles. Nashville Predators prospect and Eagles goaltender Jakub Milota faced 87 shots, stopping 85 in the victory.
While the Eagles may have won that battle, they succumbed the following game -- losing 6-1 to the Drakkar. Thus, ending their playoffs.
Never want to miss out on any QMJHL news? Make sure to book mark THN's QMJHL site.