STATION NATION ROUND THREE PREDICTIONS

Round three of the QMJHL post-season is upon us, and Station Nation has collected several predictions over the course of this past week from various websites to share with you.

So without further to do, here is a preview of the league semi-finals.

All stats are from the Bell Aliant FibreOp Playoff Report.

PREVIEW

SAINT JOHN (1) vs. VICTORIAVILLE (6)
Sea Dogs Have Defeated Rocket (in 5 Games) & Olympiques (in 4 Games)
Tigres Have Defeated Cataractes (in 6 Games) & Remparts (in 4 Games)

Post-Season Stats:
Special Teams: Sea Dogs: PP - 28.6% (16-for-56); PK - 83.9% (47-for-56); Tigres: PP - 34.8% (16-for-46); PK - 93.0% (53-for-57)
Leading Scorers: Sea Dogs: Michael Kirkpatrick, 17 points (6G-11A) in 9GP; Tigres: Philip-Michaël Devos, 16 points (6G-10A) in 10GP
Goaltenders: Sea Dogs: Marco Cousineau (8-1 record, 2.10 G.A.A., 0.918 SV%); Tigres: Kevin Poulin (8-2 record, 1.86 G.A.A., 0.943 SV%)

Regular Season Stats: Head-to-Head Series - Tied 1-1
Records/Final Standing: Sea Dogs: 53-12-1-2 (1st Atlantic, 1st QMJHL); Tigres: 46-19-1-2 (2nd Telus Central, 4th QMJHL)
Special Teams/Rank: Sea Dogs: PP - 24.3% (5th); PK - 78.8% (10th); Tigres: PP - 25.6% (2nd); PK - 85.8% (1st)
Leading Scorers: Sea Dogs: Mike Hoffman, 85 points (46G-39A) in 56GP; Tigres: Philip-Michaël Devos, 93 points (35G-48A) in 68GP
Goaltenders: Sea Dogs: Marco Cousineau (25-19 record, 2.82 G.A.A., 0.919 SV%); Tigres: Kevin Poulin (35-16 record, 2.63 G.A.A., 0.916 SV%)

DRUMMONDVILLE (2) vs. MONCTON (5)
Voltigeurs Have Defeated MAINEiacs (in 4 Games) & Océanic (in 5 Games)
Wildcats Have Defeated Screaming Eagles (in 5 Games) & Huskies (in 5 Games)

Post-Season Stats:
Special Teams: Voltigeurs: PP - 16.7% (9-for-54); PK - 91.7% (55-for-60); Wildcats: PP - 31.5% (17-for-54); PK - 76.3% (29-for-38)
Leading Scorers: Voltigeurs: Gabriel Dumont, 17 points (10G-7A) in 9GP; Wildcats: Kelsey Tessier, 15 points (8G-7A) in 10GP
Goaltenders: Voltigeurs: Jake Allen (8-1 record, 1.92 G.A.A., 0.904 SV%); Wildcats: Nicola Riopel (8-2 record, 1.97 G.A.A., 0.934 SV%)

Regular Season Stats:
Head-to-Head Series: Won By Wildcats 2-0
Records/Final Standing: Voltigeurs: 51-15-0-2 (1st Telus Central, 2nd QMJHL); Wildcats: 48-14-2-4 (2nd Atlantic, 3rd QMJHL)
Special Teams/Rank: Voltigeurs: PP - 22.6% (7th); PK - 80.4% (8th); Wildcats: PP - 27.0% (1st); PK - 83.0% (4th)
Leading Scorers: Voltigeurs: Sean Couturier, 96 points (41G-55A) in 68GP; Wildcats: Nicolas Deschamps, 96 points (39G-57A) in 64GP
Goaltenders: Voltigeurs: Jake Allen (29-14 record, 2.20 G.A.A., 0.922 SV%); Wildcats: Nicola Riopel (19-5 record, 2.06 G.A.A., 0.918 SV%)

PREDICTIONS

Staff, Station Nation
Victoriaville vs Saint John
Both teams bounced back from some first round jitters with second round sweeps. Saint John defeated Gatineau rather easily while the Tigres defeated an above average Quebec team. But the difference in this series may be special teams. Victoriaville finished the regular season with the QMJHL’s second best power play and best penalty kill. The Sea Dogs had an average power play and a penalty kill that struggled for most of the season. But Saint John can get production from all four lines and have improved their special teams. The Sea Dogs also have the experience of Marco Cousineau in net.

Saint John in six

Moncton vs Drummondville
This has the makings of an epic series and one of the best looking semi-final in recent years. Both teams have solid defense, incredible offense, and host the two best goaltenders in the league. But when you get down into it, Moncton has a star studded blue line and should have the defensive edge. Drummondville finished the season with the second most goals scored, giving them the offensive edge. But either goaltender could steal the series with Nicola Riopel - one of the best QMJHL goalies ever, and Jake Allen - who has a lot more high pressure experience. But even though the ‘Cats don’t have home ice, they have proven they can stop high octane offense.

Moncton in six

Benoît Plamondon, Victoriaville La Nouvelle/L’Union
Saint John in seven
Moncton in Seven

Ghislain Chauvette, Victoriaville La Nouvelle/L’Union
Saint John in seven
Moncton in seven

Alain, Sports Juniors
Saint John in 6
Drummondville in 7

Bianca, Sports Juniors
Saint John in 6
Drummondville in 7

PLC, Sports Juniors
Victoriaville in 6
Moncton in 6

Simon-Pier, Sports Juniors
Victoriaville in 6
Moncton in 7

Jonathan Habashi, Drummondville L’Express
Saint John in seven
Drummondville in seven

Vincent Gauthier, Moncton L’Acadie Nouvelle
Victoriaville in seven
Moncton in seven

Crash the Crease
Saint John is still the top ranked team in the CHL and they should still be considered a favourite to win the Q but this will be their stiffest challenge yet. The Tigres are a good team with some great scoring depth. They have the ingredients for an upset, Kevin Poulin has been the best goaltender in the Q Playoffs by a country mile posting a 1.86 GAA and a .943 Save Percentage in 10 games.

At the other end, Marco Cousineau hasn’t been a slouch. In 9 games played, Cousineau’s numbers include a 2.18 Goals Against and a .918 Save Percentage. His defence is a solid corps buttressed by the presence of Simon Despres and Yann Sauve. Up front, the Dogs attack is led by Kirkpatrick, Petersen, Huberdeau and Jurco which tucks Galiev, Hoffman and Anthony back into the supporting cast for the time being. Victoriaville has gotten solid playoff minutes out of Devos, Champagne and Kubalik so far but they’re going to need contributions from Doyle and Nestrasil to stay afloat against Saint John.

Saint John in 6

Moncton in six

Serge Poulin, Quebec City Pro Hockey News
Saint John in six

Slight edge to Saint John goaltender due to his experience.
The defensive edge goes to the Sea Dogs.
The offensive edge goes to the Saint John Sea Dogs.

Stephane Leroux, RDS.ca
Victoriaville in six
Drummondville in seven

Roby St-Gelais, Fanatique.ca
Saint John in six
Drummondville in seven

News 88.9’s Tim Roszell
“Moncton prevails”

News 91.9’s Les Stoodley
Saint John in six