With the opening round of the QMJHL playoffs in the rearview, here’s the breakdown for the next stage.
Rimouski Océanic (1) vs. Gatineau Olympiques (14)
You can never count out a team coached by Benoit Groulx when the games matter most. The 14-seed Gatineau Olympiques knocked off third-place Blainville-Boisbriand Armada in six games in round one. Armada winger Nikita Jevpalovs, who had 49 goals in the regular season, only found the back of the net once and was held off the board completely in the last two games of the series.
Goalie François Brassard was outstanding to close out the series after getting yanked in game four, picking up a 38-save shutout in game five followed by 31 saves the next game. Brassard, now playing in his hometown, started the season in Cape Breton but was the odd man out after the trade period and placed on waivers. He caught on with Gatineau only after Brandon Whitney went down with a season-ending injury.
But Brassard wasn’t the only mid-season addition for the Olympiques. While coaching Team Canada at the world juniors, Gatineau coach and GM Benoit Groulx brought in eight new players, revitalizing a team on its way to missing out on the playoffs completely.
A bigger Rimouski team will present more of a challenge for the Olympiques, who steamrolled through sixteenth-place Victoriaville in four games. The top team in the regular season, the Océanic have a dangerous top-six including Florida Panthers prospect Christopher Clapperton, Toronto Maple Leafs prospect Frédérik Gauthier and Alexis Louiseau.
On the blueline, rookie Eduard Nasybullin is the only player under six-feet tall while Samuel Morin is at the opposite end of the spectrum at six-foot-seven. In net, Rimouski has Dallas Stars prospect Philippe Desrosiers, an experienced Q vet who led the league in GAA and was top five in save percentage, wins and shutouts.
The Olympiques were able to pull off a huge upset in round one, but will be hard pressed to do so again.
Prediction: Rimouski in six
Moncton Wildcats (2) vs. Halifax Mooseheads (12)
A well-rested Moncton Wildcats squad will be waiting to pounce on a tired division rival when they host the Halifax Mooseheads to open round two. The Wildcats knocked off the Chicoutimi Saguenéens in five games, led by regular-season scoring leader Conor Garland and linemate Ivan Barbashev. Meanwhile, the Mooseheads moved on after a thrilling seven-game series against the Shawinigan Cataractes featuring three overtimes and five games decided by one goal.
Nikolaj Ehlers was the hero for the Moose in game seven, setting up the game-tying goal late in the third-period when his shot was tipped into the net, then finally scoring the series-ending goal in overtime. Ehlers, a Winnipeg Jets first-rounder last spring, leads the playoffs with 15 points and will be the focal point of Moncton’s defensive efforts in the second round.
Mooseheads goalie Eric Brassard, acquired from Québec in the Fucale trade, kept the series against Shawinigan close with a 0.924 save percentage while facing 288 shots.
In the regular season, Moncton won six of eight games against Halifax, including two in overtime. The two division rivals are well-acquainted with each other, but expect Moncton to come out on top. The well-rested Cats will pounce all over a Mooseheads team featuring an all-rookie defensive squad with the exception of overager Austyn Hardie. The showdown between Blues prospect Ivan Barbashev and Nikolaj Ehlers should be a treat to watch.
Prediction: Moncton in six
Québec Remparts (4) vs. Charlottetown Islanders (9)
The Memorial Cup host Québec Remparts narrowly avoided a disastrous exit in the first round, requiring seven games to dispose of Cape Breton. Eyebrows were raised when it was announced Callum Booth, not Zach Fucale, would start between the pipes to open the series. After getting out to a 4–0 hole in game three, though, Fucale replaced Booth and went on to close out the series for the Remparts. With the game-seven win, Fucale now shares the record for league playoff wins with Roberto Luongo.
The Remparts second-round opponent, the Charlottetown Islanders, also had a goalie change in the first round after Calgary Flames second-rounder Mason McDonald suffered a knee injury that will cost him the rest of the playoffs. Backup Daryl MacCallum was sensational, making 30 saves in relief in game three. He went on to make 138 saves, including a 43-save shutout in game five, as the Islanders beat the Sherbrooke Phoenix in six.
Through one series, lots of questions remain for the Memorial Cup hosts. Adam Erne led the team with six goals and two assists, but Anthony Duclair was limited to one goal in the seven-game series. Fucale finished the series with a GAA of 3.13 and an .875 save percentage. Both players will need to step up against Charlottetown if the team wants to avoid a long layoff before the Memorial Cup tournament in May.
On the Islanders’ side, Spenser Cobbold has emerged as a playoff warrior. His overtime winner in game six propelled the Islanders to its first second-round trip since the franchise landed on P.E.I. in 2003. The winger from Stittsville, Ont., only scored 11 goals in the regular season but has six goals through six games.
Rookie Filip Chlapik had 33 goals in the regular season, but failed to score in his five playoff games—he was scratched in game six because of illness and will look to bounce back in the second round. Unless the Remparts tighten up defensively, expect this series to go the distance.
Prediction: Québec in seven
Val-d’Or Foreurs (6) vs. Baie-Comeau Drakkar (7)
The last time Baie-Comeau Drakkar squared off in Val-d’Or for a pair of games, it was in early March and the Foreurs picked up four points. That weekend, the Drakkar had a shortened lineup, decimated by a combination of injuries and suspensions.
Things will be different in the playoffs as the Foreurs take on a healthy team that only took five games to take out the Saint John Sea Dogs. Maxime St-Cyr, the Q’s only 50-goal scorer from the regular season, found the back of the net five times in the series. Captain Jérémy Gregoire, a prospect in the Montreal Canadiens system, led the the team both on and off the ice with eight points in the first round.
On the blueline they have Nicolas Meloche, a top prospect for the upcoming NHL draft. Between the pipes they have grizzled playoff vet Philippe Cadorette. Including this season, Cadorette has 53 playoff games under his belt.
Cadorette will be challenged by Val-d’Or, a team that knows how to score. They have a league-best 30 goals entering round two and they finished the regular season second in goal scoring, behind only the Moncton Wildcats. That total is partially inflated by a 9–2 win in game six when the Foreurs emphatically sent the Rouyn-Noranda Huskies packing. Philadelphia Flyers prospect Nicolas Aubé-Kubel netted a hat-trick, including two short-handed goals, in that game and finished the series with 10 points.
The Drakkar will also have to watch out for Anthony Richard, Anthony Beauregard and Julien Gauthier. Last year’s QMJHL champs got off to a sluggish start this year, struggling defensively and between the pipes, but have rounded into championship form over the past couple of months.
Prediction: Val-d’Or in six