Montréal Victoire on Brink of History in PWHL Finals as Overtime Series Looms

The Montréal Victoire are one win away from capturing the inaugural PWHL Walter Cup, holding a 2-0 series lead over the Ottawa Charge in the best-of-five championship series. With Game 3 set for Monday at Canadian Tire Centre, Poulin’s squad has the chance to clinch the title in Ottawa and become the first Canadian team to win the league’s top prize. The series is already a best-of-five rematch of a 2025 semifinal where Minnesota rallied from a two-game deficit to win three straight, a twist that could yet again define this matchup.

Marie-Philip Poulin is leading the charge for Montréal with seven points in seven playoff games, including four points in her last three. The 35-year-old captain is just one point shy of the single-season playoff scoring record and has been instrumental in the Victoire’s 2-0 series start. Her performance has earned her the PWHL Player of the Week honors, and she continues to be a force in high-pressure moments.

The stakes are high for both teams. Should the Victoire win, they’ll become the first team in league history to finish first in the regular season and capture the Walter Cup. Meanwhile, Ottawa would become the third straight fourth-place team to win the title, a feat that has only happened once in PWHL history. With both teams 0-for-4 on the power play in the series and all six Walter Cup Finals games since 2025 going to overtime, the pressure remains on.

The series is drawing historic crowds. Attendance through 11 playoff games has already reached 83,831, and a record-breaking 13,112 fans are expected at Game 3. If the series goes to Game 5, it will be played at Place Bell in Montréal on May 23.

Montréal’s Ann-Renée Desbiens and Ottawa’s Gwyneth Philips are locked in a tight goaltending battle, each with 185 saves and 12 goals allowed in the playoffs. Their performances could determine the outcome as the series shifts to Ottawa’s home ice.

What comes next: Game 3 of the PWHL Walter Cup Finals takes place Monday at 6 p.m. ET at Canadian Tire Centre. A Montréal win would end the series and crown the first-ever Canadian champion.