PWHL Montreal has played only three lines for two overtime games. It's a strategy that head coach Kori Cheverie is running with, and Montreal's season will live or die on.
Sport is about opportunities. If you benefit from them, you’ll win more times than not. If you miss out on them, you might be on the losing end of not one, but two home games in the playoffs. That’s what happened to PWHL Montreal on Thursday night, and they lost 2-1 in overtime. That’s what happened last night, and again, they lost 2-1 in overtime.
In game one, Montreal had a power play in overtime and was not able to put one behind Aerin Frankel. Same scenario Saturday night, but instead of a minor penalty, it was a major for attempt to injure. A five minute power play in overtime in the playoffs. And even then, Montreal kept passing the puck and only had one shot during the entire 5-on-4. Ten minutes later, they got another break when Megan Keller shot the puck over the glass in her own zone. Another power play in overtime, in the playoffs. And despite putting four shots on the net, the team was not able to score.
Missed opportunities.
The other thing Montreal needed to do was to create traffic in front of Frankel. A lot of traffic. And that’s not what they did. It’s bad enough for Montreal that Frankel sees every puck shot at her like if it was a beachball, when those beachballs are fired at her on a hot sunny day with no wind, it’s going to be even easier for her.
Montreal’s coach, Kori Cheverie, played only three lines on Thursday. Saturday, she also decided to go with only four defendeers. Brigitte Laganiere, Madison Bizal, and Catherine Daoust have not even played seven minutes combined.
That’s why Erin Ambrose spent 61:33 on the ice. If it was the NHL, it would rank fifth since time on ice started being calculated in 1997. Ambrose, perhaps the best defender in the league, playing all of those minutes is one thing. But when it comes to Kati Tabin playing close to an hour, or Mariah Keopple playing 45 minutes, this a lot of minutes for those two.
Montreal had seven players playing north of 44 minutes last night, as well as six playing less than 10 minutes. On the other end, no one played more than 49 minutes for Boston, and only one player was on the ice for less than half a period.
At the end of the day, Cheverie will live or die with that strategy.
Boston is now up 2-0 in that series, and they will be looking to end it this week.