Sceptres Gameday: Montréal comes to town

Toronto Sceptres vs Montréal Victoire2:00 PM @ Coca-Cola ColiseumWatch/Stream on CBC and CBC Gem

Game should be available outside of Canada on the PWHL website and YouTube channel.

Toronto lost their last game on the road to New York 4-2, and they have a Points % of .250.

Montréal won their last game on the road in Ottawa 2-1 and they have a Points % of .556.

Them

Montréal would like to be higher up the standings, obviously, but they are in a playoff spot early, and they only have a slight -1 negative goal differential. They just haven't been scoring.

Their top players by points are a group with two each, and none of them are named Marie-Philip Poulin, who has one goal in three games.

This is Montréal's first game after the break, so they're rested and possibly a little rusty. They've played Ottawa twice, dominating one only to have to win it in a shootout and playing even their last game for the win. Their other game was an absolute drubbing by New York.

Montréal's opening day roster was over half returning players, with most of their newly drafted players making the team. More here:

Montreal Victoire name 2024-25 season opening roster

With the season beginning on Saturday, we now know the players who have made the cut for the Montreal Victoire to start the 2024-25 PWHL season. The roster includes 12 players who were on Montreal’s…

Defender Cayla Barnes is their big signing and Jennifer Gardiner is the major upgrade at forward.

They should be better, they have good goaltending, better defence than they used to, and all they need to do is score goals like they can.

Us

Toronto's last game was a textbook example of bringing the offence to the party after it's over. They score-effected their way to a respectable final result on the shot clock, but the game was a drubbing as massive as New York handed Montréal. Remember when New York was bad and a mistake of a team? Not so much anymore.

Toronto on the other hand is underperforming in all areas. They are not controlling the puck, focusing on the job for the full 60 minutes or defending particularly brilliantly when they need to.

They can pick one area and improve it, and they'd be better. They aren't the worst at scoring so far, that's Montréal, and they don't have the most goals allowed, that's Ottawa, but unless something happens quick to sort them out we'll be due one of those articles about why the Canadian teams are always so bad.

In all of their games so far, Toronto has eventually put together their game and played their way and looked excellent. They just can't get to their game if the other team is strong on the puck. Get the puck, keep the puck, do good things with the puck is the simple formula, and it does rather seem like it's the first one that's stymying them so far.

The Game

Nothing like beating Montréal to cheer up Toronto fans. Okay, also Boston, but that's for another day.

Go Sceptres Go!