Monday, April 1, 2024

A lot of "must-wins" in QMJHL Tuesday

Michael Hawkins/Saint John Sea Dogs
It'll be a pivotal Tuesday night for every playoff team in the Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League.

All eight series feature 2-0 leads, meaning eight teams are essentially in must-win scenarios for Tuesday's Game 3s.
 
Certainly the most notable teams in danger are the Halifax Mooseheads and Moncton Wildcats — two teams that most predicted would have a hard time in the opening round. The Mooseheads are down 2-0 to the Acadie-Bathurst Titan following back-to-back overtime losses on home ice. The Wildcats, meanwhile, are down 2-0 to the Chicoutimi Sagueneens following back-to-back disappointing showings on home ice.

The Mooseheads were expected to get a big boost for Game 2 with the return of star forward Jordan Dumais — but that didn't happen. Halifax has struggled mightily against Bathurst in the second half and just can't get clicking against the Titan's defensive play.
The Wildcats' situation feels a bit more dire than the Mooseheads' given that they'll be playing in a much more hostile environment compared to the KC Irving Regional Centre. The next three games of this series — if all three are even needed — will be played on the big ice in Chicoutimi.

Moncton will be without Vincent Collard due to a two-game suspension.
The higher seeds lead the other series 2-0: Baie-Comeau leads Charlottetown; Cape Breton leads Rimouski; Drummondville leads Saint John; Rouyn-Noranda leads Gatineau; Victoriaville leads Shawinigan; and Sherbrooke leads Blainville-Boisbriand.

A few other news and notes...

  • A reminder that tickets to Games 3 and 4 of the Sea Dogs/Voltigeurs series at TD Station are $10 for the general public and $7 for season ticket members, plus taxes and fees.
  • Really great to see Sydney buzzing about the Eagles again. Cape Breton averaged 4,173 fans for their two home games last weekend.
  • Cape Breton's Cam Squires currently leads the QMJHL in playoff scoring with eight points (two goals and six assists).
  • Bit of an odd April Fools' Day joke from the Victoriaville Tigres.
  • Drummondville's playoff hoodies are now bilingual after complaints from a Quebec politician.

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