2021 QMJHL Playoffs | Sagueneens vs. Foreurs Preview

A pair of star-studded 6-0 clubs will do battle starting tonight in Quebec City when the Val-d’Or Foreurs take on the Chicoutimi Sagueneens in their best-of-five President Cup Semi-final series.

So far this postseason, the Foreurs look very much like the same club that lost just three times in regulation during the regular season. After requiring the minimum number of games to dispatch the Baie-Comeau Drakkar in its first round series, Daniel Renaud’s squad took three more to sweep the Rimouski Oceanic and reach the third round for the first time since 2015. The offensive muscle has been distributed evenly throughout the lineup with eight point-per-game players on the roster after two rounds. Pittsburgh Penguins 2019 first-rounder Samuel Poulin and reigning QMJHL Defenseman of the Year Jordan Spence lead the charge with ten points each. Winger Nathan Legare enters the showdown with the Sags averaging a goal per game. Additionally, Jonathan Lemieux leads all netminders in GAA (1.50) for a club that has outscored opponents 34-9 so far during these playoffs. Val-d’Or will be searching for its first trip to the President Cup Final since 2014, when it outlasted the Drakkar in a seven-game classic to claim its third league title.

Be it close games or one-sided affairs, the Sagueneens have looked comfortable in every situation since their playoff run commenced. After making it three straight against the Sherbrooke Phoenix, Chicoutimi took down their chief East Division rivals, the Quebec Remparts, in another sweep. A great deal of the offense has funnelled through Dawson Mercer, the New Jersey Devils 2020 first-rounder picking up 13 points in six games so far. Winger Pierrick Dube and center Hendrix Lapierre have also gone on a tear thus far while Russian blueliner Artemi Kniazev and veteran center Samuel Houde powered their way to strong performances, particularly as the playoffs have rolled on. Alexis Shank has been superb through a half-dozen playoff outings, sporting a 1.83 GAA and .929% save percentage to sit among the league leaders in those categories. The Sags are back in the Semis for the first time since 2017, a series they dropped in six games to the Saint John Sea Dogs. Yanick Jean’s crew is looking to punch its ticket to the championship round for the first time since 1997. The Sags’ most recent of two President Cup championships occurred in 1994 when Jean, then a defenseman on the club, eliminated the Laval Titan in six games.

Due to the many quirks and challenges, the first game of this series will also be the first meeting between the Foreurs and Sagueneens this season. These teams have previously locked horns twice in the postseason. In 2004, Chicoutimi emerged victorious following a seven-game first round clash. Three years later, it was Val-d’Or’s turn to take charge with a four-game first round sweep, en route to the team’s third President Cup Final appearance.

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Team Comparison (Reg. Season):