Poulin Far From 100%, Heise Calls Scheduling "Inappropriate" As Fatigue Kicks In Ahead Of Game Four

It only took 24 seconds.

Twenty-four seconds for the Montreal Victoire to make history.

The irony? It was probably one of the worst playoff games they’ve played so far. And the same could be said for the Minnesota Frost. Neither team looked anywhere near its best.

In the first period, Sidney Morin opened the scoring on a shot Ann-Renée Desbiens would probably like to have back.

Then, in the second period, former Frost defender Maggie Flaherty and Hayley Scamurra scored 24 seconds apart to flip the game around.

And that proved to be all Montreal needed, snapping Minnesota’s 12-game winning streak when leading after the first period this season.

Scamurra also picked up an assist on Flaherty’s goal. And that’s exactly why Danièle Sauvageau brought in players like Scamurra, Shiann Darkangelo, and Jade Downie-Landry — who, judging by her second straight game in the lineup, may have finally ended Kori Cheverie’s forward rotation — while also trading for Abby Roque and drafting Natalie Mlynkova.

The goal was clear: add the forward depth the team had been desperately lacking over its first two seasons.

If this wasn’t playoff hockey, you have to wonder whether Marie-Philip Poulin would even be in the lineup right now.

She’s clearly nowhere near 100%. Some would even say she’s operating at about 50%, and honestly, it’s hard to argue otherwise.

You can see it in the little things. Dumping the puck instead of trying to create a play; taking extra time to get back up after a fall; nd perhaps the biggest sign of all: she only played 13 minutes.

What’s fascinating, though, is what it says about Montreal’s depth. Lina Ljungblom and Shiann Darkangelo — two third-line forwards — were the only Victoire forwards to crack the 20-minute mark.

Not Poulin. Not Laura Stacey. Not Abby Roque.

That says a lot.

Less than 24-hours after leaving the ice following game three, the Montreal Victoire and Minnesota Frost will be back on the ice for game four.

Boston and Ottawa played Games 1 and 2 on April 30 and May 2 — a perfectly normal playoff gap. But they haven’t played since, with game three also scheduled for Friday night.

And it’s not as if the Canadian Tire Centre wasn’t available to host earlier. No other events were booked in the arena, and the Charge logo has been painted at center ice since May 4.

Meanwhile, Montreal and Minnesota not only have to squeeze three games into four days, but also had to travel more than 2,000 kilometres between cities in different time zones. And on top of that, they’re about to play the first back-to-back playoff gams in PWHL history.

Back-to-back games are something that should never happen in the playoffs. Especially not when the other semifinal series is getting a six-day break between games.

At some point, it’s hard not to think this could become an advantage for either Ottawa or Boston if they reach the Finals.

Both venues are dealing with playoff scheduling conflicts involving the Laval Rocket and the Minnesota Wild, but what’s most troubling is the massive discrepancy between the two series.

Why not have Boston and Ottawa play game three on Wednesday instead?

As Heise pointed out after the game, that simply wasn’t what the league wanted.

The Frost star was clearly frustrated with the schedule, and honestly, it’s hard to blame her.

Games 2, 3 and 4 are all being played within a four-day span, with both teams already back on the ice Friday night in Minnesota. And to make matters worse, Tuesday’s game nearly turned into another full game on its own, with both teams playing 44 extra minutes.

“I think it's a challenge. I think it's a little inappropriate, honestly,” Heise said after the game. “But I think for us, it's like, both teams are going through it. The other teams (Boston and Ottawa) had 6 days in between games and we didn't, and that's just the reality of what the league wanted.”

Heise does bring up a fair point.

Minnesota went 0-for-7 on the power play, including three opportunities in the third period and another one with just 19 seconds remaining.

This is, after all, the team that finished the regular season with the league’s best power-play percentage.

Montreal deserves credit for shutting it down. But the Victoire couldn’t capitalize on their own chances either, failing to score with the player advantage themselves.

Montreal managed only 19 shots on Maddie Rooney, who likely would want the second goal back after dropping to her knees a little too quickly.

Then came the third period, and Minnesota completely tilted the ice. Montreal was held to just one shot on goal over the final 20 minutes.

Minnesota going 0-for-3 on the power play in the third. Montreal generating only one shot. It’s hard not to look at that and think fatigue played a major role late in the game.

Not just because both teams had gone through three overtime periods two nights earlier, but also because their lone day off was spent traveling, with both clubs catching early flights Wednesday morning.