Series Preview: Newfoundland vs. Blainville-Boisbriand

Your Newfoundland Regiment continue their quest for the Gilles-Courteau Trophy on Thursday night with game one of their second round showdown with the Blainville-Boisbriand Armada.

The Regiment needed six games to dispatch the Cape Breton Eagles in round one as a 7-3 victory on Easter Sunday secured their first playoff series win in their inaugural season.

Blainville-Boisbriand meanwhile managed to dispatch the Victoriaville Tigres in four straight games in the first round ending with a 4-1 road win on April 1 to close out the series.

Under the new QMJHL playoff format, the eight remaining teams in round two have been reseeded. As a result, the Armada and Regiment face-off as the third and sixth ranked teams respectively.

These two sides met twice in the regular season way back on October 9 & 10 where the Armada ruined the mood at the Mary Brown’s Centre with a pair of lopsided results — a 10-4 road win followed up by a 5-2 victory the following night.

Newfoundland have of course made significant strides and have proven a much improved outfit in the six months since they last took on Blainville. Stronger special teams, key deadline additions, and a historic home attendance feat see the modern day Regiment a much more confident group than the one the Armada encountered in the Fall.

It will take all those factors and then some if Newfoundland hope to reach the final four as they square off against a very dangerous Blainville-Boisbriand team.

Puck drops at 8:30pm NL time on Thursday and Friday in Boisbriand before the series shifts to St. John’s for the next three games* (Game 5 if necessary*).

Single tickets for Games 3-5 are available online at tickets.nlregiment.com or in person at the Mary Brown’s Centre Box Office.

 

 

3 KEYS

ROAD WARRIORS

Mary Brown’s Centre became a nightmare destination for visiting teams in the second half of the regular season. The issue with round two is the Regiment do not hold home ice advantage and will play Game 1 & 2 on the road. Unbeaten in regulation in their three away games of round one against the Eagles, there are positive signs this group can find a way to win while separated from their fans. Get a split in Boisbriand to start and this series has a different feel heading back to the rock.

SECURE SPECIAL TEAMS BATTLE

Although the Armada come into this series unbeaten in the playoffs, neither their powerplay or penalty kill were particularly efficient in the first round. Giving up a goal on every fourth powerplay against and converting just once on every ninth opportunity themselves, if there is a postseason nitpick for Blainville so far it has been their special teams. Newfoundland conversely had improved PP and PK numbers in round one compared to their regular season outputs. Keep that trend alive and the probability of an upset increases greatly.

CHIP AWAY BY COMMITTEE

Newfoundland’s best players were as advertised in round one, look no further than captain Justin Larose leading the team in scoring against the Eagles. The Regiment did however get consistent contributions throughout their lineup. If they continue to get run support from all four lines the way they did vs. Cape Breton, the Armada could struggle to keep up with the depth scoring of Newfoundland.

The full series schedules is as follows:

ROUND TWO SCHEDULE — NEWFOUNDLAND VS. BLAINVILLE-BOISBRIAND

GAME	MATCHUP	DATE	TIME
Game 1	Newfoundland at Blainville	Thu, April 9, 2026	7:00 PM
Game 2	Newfoundland at Blainville	Fri, April 10, 2026	7:00 PM
Game 3	Blainville at Newfoundland	Mon, April 13, 2026	7:00 PM
Game 4	Blainville at Newfoundland	Tue, April 14, 2026	7:00 PM
Game 5	Blainville at Newfoundland *	Fri, April 17, 2026	7:00 PM
Game 6	Newfoundland at Blainville *	Sun, April 19, 2026	3:00 PM
Game 7	Newfoundland at Blainville *	Tue, April 21, 2026	7:00 PM

* If necessary.    All times are listed in their local timezone.