In the last 67 days, the Montréal Victoire have gone from dead last in the league to having a chance to claim top spot in the PWHL in 2026. A six-game win streak and having won nine of their last ten games put them in a fantastic position heading into this weekend’s marquee matchup against the league-leading Boston Fleet.

But the Victoire have been here before. They lost in three straight games in the first round of the first season to Boston, then lost 2–1 in the first round of last season to the Ottawa Charge. The team can get there, but can’t get through.

What’s different now?

From last to first, how did the Victoire turn their season around?

This has been the most dramatic rise up the PWHL standings in the last two years of the league, with only themselves putting up a six-game win streak last year. But to drive from the bottom of the league to nearly the top is virtually unheard of in any major league, including the PWHL.

The team is playing out of their mind right now. Ann-Renée Desbiens is playing out of her mind and is the best goalie in the league right now. Her 1.06 GAA and 0.958 save percentage are unheard of, and somehow even better than her crazy 1.86 GAA and 0.932 save percentage from last year.

She left the Milano Cortina Olympics with a silver medal with Team Canada and came back with a vengeance. Desbiens has allowed just one goal in the last two games since returning, and has stopped 51 of 52.

Going back a little further, Desbiens has two shutouts in her last five games and has only allowed more than one goal against in a game in the team’s 2–1 loss to the New York Sirens on January 18th. She hasn’t allowed more than two goals against at all this year.

Marie-Philip Poulin has found another gear for the Montréal Victoire

How much more can you say about Marie-Philip Poulin this year? The Victoire captain has found another gear this year, with four points in her last five games, and sits seventh in points league-wide.

Since returning from the Milano Cortina Olympics, she has a goal and an assist in the two games the Victoire have won in March, and added two shootout goals in the win over Toronto last week.

Poulin was honoured as well for breaking the Olympic goals record for Canada at the Olympics. She is the heart and soul of this team and a foundational player for the league. Few players in the women’s hockey game have done as much as she has, and while she has been the Victoire’s top point-producer and best skater, she can’t be relied on to do it all herself.

The Montréal Victoire depth has made the team more dangerous and different from last season

The difference between last year and this year is that she doesn’t have to. Last year, Montréal was a two-player team, with Poulin and Laura Stacey combining for 30 goals. The next highest scoring players had six apiece.

This year, Abby Roque has been an inspiration for the team. Acquired from New York, she is second on the team in scoring with 12 points in 17 games. Add in free agent signing Hayley Scamurra and draft pick Natálie Mlýnková, and this team looks much deeper than last season.

The depth is also heating up at the right time. Mlýnková has points in three of her last four, while Scamurra has points in six of her last eight games. Despite Roque going cold of late and having no points in the last four games, the team has still found a way to put the puck in the back of the net, and that speaks volumes about this team right now.

The Montréal Victoire have gotten there before, but can they get through this time

Barring a monumental collapse, this will be the third straight year that Montréal will find itself in the PWHL playoffs. And once again, Montréal will likely go into the playoffs as a favourite, if this trend holds.

But with Montréal, it never seems to be a talent issue as to why they can’t make it out of the first round. They’re 1–6 in playoff games in their history so far, with each being decided by just one goal. That’s not a coin-flip issue; that’s a mentality issue. The team just can’t find that extra gear when they need it.

They were the heavy favourites last year against the Ottawa Charge, and just couldn’t find a way to beat them when the chips were down. Thankfully, they’re not as bad as the Toronto Maple Leafs, who fall apart year after year, but to drop six of seven playoff games is a problem.

On paper, the Victoire have done enough to prove this year is different, but we will only know when the stakes are high.

Sunday’s showdown at the Place Bell between the Victoire and Boston Fleet is effectively a playoff game

This weekend’s game between Montréal and Boston is the biggest game of the season so far. Not only does it decide who will be the top team in the PWHL, but it’s a chance to see if the Victoire group can elevate when the chips are down.

Boston will be feeling the same. They know Montréal has been pressing and that this is a rivalry game. They’re going to come out hungry, looking to end Montréal’s win streak.

The stakes are high, the prize is better. First place in the PWHL is a big deal, and for Montréal, having come from the bottom to just about at the top, they will be looking to show that this year is different.

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