The Fleet and Victoire met for the primary time Monday night time since Boston swept Montreal out of the playoffs final season with three extra time victories.
Montreal exacted revenge on Boston by defeating their rivals 3-1 north of the border at Place Bell. Unable to generate any sort of offensive strain in opposition to the Victoire, the Fleet dropped to 2-4-0 on the season.
Boston had its probabilities with 5 energy play alternatives, together with prolonged time to start the third interval after Montreal ahead Catherine Dubois was known as for a examine to the pinnacle on Megan Keller. Dubois acquired a five-minute main and a recreation misconduct, however the Fleet have been unable to get something happening the person benefit. Montreal held Boston to at least one shot.
“It was horrible,” Fleet head coach Courtney Kessel instructed reporters in Montreal, per team-provided audio. “I feel one of many hardest issues to do is to return out to start out a interval on an influence play. Generally, you don’t play with urgency since you suppose you’re up a participant, and from there, it simply went downhill.”
The Fleet entered the sport main the league with 4 power-play targets on 10 alternatives, however have dropped to 26.7%. The Victoire penalty kill improves to second within the league at 88.2% (15/17).
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“I feel we fought the puck a bit of bit,” Kessel mentioned of the power-play outage. “I feel we tried to do a lot and we didn’t maintain it easy like we had been doing the final 5 video games.
The Fleet additionally surrendered a shorthanded purpose to Kristin O’Neill within the second interval. Montreal leads the PWHL with two jailbreak targets this season.
Boston captain Hilary Knight tallied her third purpose of the season and has 5 factors in six video games for the Fleet, however understood her crew’s shortcomings in opposition to Montreal.
“I feel we wanted to place the puck behind the web on our particular groups, particularly for the variety of energy performs that we obtained,” Knight mentioned, per team-provided audio. “We have been simply in need of executing. We’re going to take this again, work on it and it’s onto the subsequent recreation.”
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With the Fleet away from residence on a six-game highway journey, Kessel opted to provide No. 1 goaltender Aerin Frankel the night time off. Emma Söderberg obtained the nod for her first profession begin between the pipes in opposition to Montreal. Söderberg stopped 28 of 31 pictures she confronted in her season debut.
“We’ve three large goaltenders, and we’re on the highway right here one other 9 days,” Kessel defined. “I feel it’s a complete of 17 days dwelling out of our baggage, so it’s going to be onerous, however when you have got three nice goalies you may as properly play them.
Boston has now misplaced three straight highway video games to open the season. The Fleet will search for their first highway win on Thursday night time after they journey to Minnesota to tackle the defending Walter Cup champion Frost. Puck drop from Xcel Vitality Heart is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. ET, and you may watch all of the motion on NESN.
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