Interesting Numbers € 2014 SEMI-FINAL ROUND

If this pending semi-final round is anywhere near as exciting as what the QMJHL playoffs has delivered over the past two weeks, fans are in for quite the treat the rest of the way. The Final Four is set: “Blainville-Boisbriand vs. Baie-Comeau” and “Val-d’Or vs. Halifax” will get underway on Friday night!

 

Baie-Comeau (#1 | 99 pts) vs Blainville-Boisbriand (#5 | 92 pts) 

Baie-Comeau

• The Drakkar is the only QMJHL team yet to lose in this year’s playoffs with Baie-Comeau having won eight straight games so far against Shawinigan and Rouyn-Noranda. The Drakkar’s longest playoff winning streak came in 2013 when they rattled off 10 consecutive victories, a record that very well may fall this spring.
• For the second-straight year, the Drakkar will face the Armada in the semi-finals. Last year’s match-up was a memorable one claimed in six games by head coach Eric Veilleux’s Drakkar. The temperature always rises when these two rivals collide. This past season, Baie-Comeau won the last two of their four meetings with Blainville-Boisbriand after the Armada has come out on top in the first two games.
• Since the start of this year’s playoffs, the Drakkar’s defence has been almost perfect when short-handed, allowing only one goal over their 37 penalty kills in these playoffs (97.1%).  

Blainville-Boisbriand

• Tenacity, hard work and character have been the hallmarks of the Armada during these playoffs, especially in their thrilling come-from-behind series win over the Oceanic last round. Despite trailing 2-0 to start the series, Blainville-Boisbriand clawed their way back to force a seventh and deciding game which saw them overcome a 4-0 deficit to win 8-7 in overtime!
• Now in only their third year in the league, the Armanda has piled up an outstanding 25-9 playoff record for a .735 winning percentage.
• The Armada lineup has generated 11 different scorers this spring, exactly the same number as the Drakkar!

BAC/BLB meetings in 2013-14… Baie-Comeau 2 @ Blainville-Boisbriand 4 (2013-11-30)   |  Baie-Comeau 0 @ Blainville-Boisbriand 1 (2013-12-21)    |  Blainville-Boisbriand 3 @ Baie-Comeau 4 (2014-01-03)   |  Blainville-Boisbriand 1 @ Baie-Comeau 6 (2014-02-25)

 

• SERIES PROFILE
• COMPARISONS (REG.S.)
• Roster…  BAC | BLB
• STATS | big report (PLAYOFFS)
• STATS | big report (REG.S.)
• Box Office…  BAC | BLB

 

Halifax (#2 | 97 pts) vs. Val-d’Or (#3 | 94 pts)

Halifax

• These two clubs will be locking horns in the playoffs for the first time. Over the past two seasons, the Mooseheads have won all four regular season meetings against Val-d’Or.  
• Success seems to follow the Mooseheads into Val-d’Or and the Air Creebec Centre where Halifax hasn’t lost a game in five years, winning their last six contests there. Their last loss in Val-d’Or dates back to January 30, 2009.  
• The Mooseheads’ potent offence has averaged over five goals per game this postseason.  
• The Halifax power-play has accounted for 25 of their 48 goals this postseason, representing 52% of their offensive output this spring. The club playoff record for PP goals in one playoff year is 32 set by the team back in 2002-03.

 Val-d’Or

• After leading the league by averaging 4.48 goals per game during the regular season, the Foreurs have slowed slightly during these playoffs, scoring 3.91 goals per game.
• An improvement has occurred in their own end, with Val-d’Or now allowing 2.05 goals per game in playoffs, after allowing 3.12 during the regular season.
• This series will showcase three of the league’s four defencemen making up this year’s first and second QMJHL All-Star team. The Foreurs’ Guillaume Gelinas and Randy Gazzola are first-teamers this year while Halifax boasts second-teamer MacKenzie Weegar.
• Val-d’Or’s impressive 14-game winning streak on the road came to a halt in Game 4 against Drumondville on April 9. The streak marked the fourth-longest in league history trailing behind Trois-Rivieres (22 | 1978-79), Rimouski (18 | 2004-05) and Quebec (15 | 1998-99). Val-d’Or and Rimouski saw their streaks extend into the postseason.

 HAL/VDO meetings in 2013-14… Val-d’Or 2 @ Halifax 5 (2013-10-18)    |   Halifax 4 @ Val-d’Or 2 (2013-11-02)

 

• SERIES PROFILE
• COMPARISONS (REG.S.)
• Roster…  HAL | VDO
• STATS | big report (PLAYOFFS)
• STATS | big report (REG.S.)
• Box Office…  HAL | VDO

 

FIRING ON ALL CYLINDERS

• Philippe Cadorette (BAC) – After allowing only 11 goals so far this postseason, Cadorette now has a sparkling save percentage of .946 through eight games. That leaves “Cado” comfortably ahead to next closest rival Zachary Fucale (.927). The Baie-Comeau netminder also boasts the league’s top goals against average (1.38).
• Charles Hudon (BAC) – The Habs’ sixth round pick at the 2012 NHL Draft has six goals in eight games so far in this year’s playoffs.
• Gabriel Verpaelst (BAC) – This 20-year-old veteran blueliner is called upon in virtually all situations for his club. A stalwart in his own end, he has also chipped in with five playoff points and three goals including a pair of game-winners.
• Anthony Mantha (VDO) – He scored seven goals in the six-game series his team just wrapped up against Drummondville. With 15 points and 10 goals this postseason, he co-leads the Foreurs in points with team captain Samuel Henley.
• Antoine Bibeau (VDO) – This goaltender out of Victoriaville is about to face the biggest challenge of his junior career as he looks to continue his consistent ways. He has allowed two goals or less in seven of his 10 games this spring on his way to posting a 2.01 GAA and a .917 save percentage. In 142 combined career games in the regular season and playoffs he has a 68-54 record and a 3.15 GAA and .902 save percentage. His career mark against the Mooseheads is another story (2-10 | 4.59 | .815) with all his previous experience against Halifax coming with PEI teams. The time may have come for Bibeau to finally breakout against the Mooseheads.
• Jeremie Fraser (VDO) – More often than not, this 19 year old hulking d-man forms a tandem with offensive-minded Guillaume Gelinas. While his partner pinches and sparks his team’s offence, Fraser works his magic in the defensive zone. So much so, that Fraser’s +16 plus-minus rating is tops in the playoffs to date.
• Nikita Jevpalovs and Danick Martel (BLB) – These red-hot teammates have both scored eight playoff goals so far. Jevpalovs also boasts two game-winners including the series clincher over Rimouski last round.
• Samuel Tremblay (BLB) – Busy riding a four-game point streak into this series, Tremblay was solid against Rimouski, posting a +4 differential in that 7-game series.
• Frederic Bergeron (BLB) – The feisty forward and Armada sparkplug has six of his nine points on the road in these playoffs so far.

 

GOING STREAKING

• Mackenzie Weegar (HAL) – Humming along with a 6-game point streak that has seen him post nine points over that span, Weegar leads all QMJHL rearguards with 14 points. Always at his best on the Mooseheads devastating power-play, 11 of his points have come on PP that is converting at a 41.7% clip (25 goals in 60 powerplays).

RECORD WATCH

• Zachary Fucale (HAL) – A winner of 8 of his last 9, the Canadiens prospect now has 34 career playoff wins as he closes in on making QMJHL history. The record he’s chasing down belongs to Roberto Luongo, who won a league-best 38 playoff games in the late 1990s for Val D’Or and Acadie Bathurst.

MILESTONE ALERT

• Jonathan Drouin (HAL) – Can anything stop Jonathan Drouin? It doesn’t seem so as the Mooseheads sniper now has 88 career playoff points to rank 11th all-time just behind Marc Saumier (89 | Hull/Longueuil | 1985 to 1988). The only player to ever notch 100 playoff points in their QMJHL career was Jacques Locas Jr. (153 | St-Jerome/Quebec | 1970 to 1974). The player next-closest to him is none other than Mario Lemieux (98 | Laval | 1982 to 1984). It’s worth noting that 7 of the 10 players on this list Drouin is about to join are now in the QMJHL Hall of Fame. As if that wasn’t enough for Drouin, his game-winner in the clinching game against Gatineau last round was his ninth career playoff game-winning goal, tying him for the all-time mark he now shares with Locas, Eric Chouinard and Martin Karsums.
• Etienne Marcoux (BLB) – The 20-year-old goalie is gunning for his 25th career playoff victory which would tie him for 10th all-time with former Olympiques’ netminder Eric Lafrance (2000 to 2003). Despite allowing four goals in his last outing, Marcoux was a key component in the Armada’s 7-game triumph over the the Oceanic, posting a 2.36 GAA and .912 save percentage in his previous seven games against the Oceanic.
• Eric Veilleux (BAC) – The Drakkar’s bench boss owns quite the playoff record over the past five years. Since 2009, his teams (Shawinigan and Baie-Comeau) have won a combined total of 50 games while losing only 25 for a .667 winning percentage. His clubs have also twice-reached QMJHL Final (2009, SHA | 2013, BAC) while he continues to chase that elusive President’s Cup ring as a head coach.

 

HISTORY LESSON

• Playoff leading scorers – The following QMJHL greats accomplished the impressive feat of not only leading the league in playoff points they also did so while averaging over three points per game. The last player to turn the trick was Brad Richards (3.08 | Rimouski | 2000 | 37pts), Mario Lemieux (3.71 | Laval | 1984 | 52pts), Jacques Locas Jr. (3.19 | Quebec | 1974 | 51pts) and Guy Lafleur (3.07 | Quebec | 1971 | 43pts). Might Jonathan Drouin become the first player in 14 years to manage this feat? Could Drouin also beat the all-time record for points in one playoff year (57pts | Simon Gamache | Val-d’Or | 2001 | 2.71)? Already averaging over three points per game, he is only 30 points away from Gamache’s mark with two rounds potentially still to play. Or might the Foreurs find a way to help protect the record of one of their own in Gamache?  Stay tuned…