PWHL WALTER CUP PLAYOFFS: GAME 4 MONTRÉAL AT MINNESOTA PRIMER | PWHL
Game 4: Friday, May 8, 2026 | 7:30 pm CT | Grand Casino Arena
WATCH LIVE: FOX 9+, Scripps Sports, Prime Video (Canada), PWHL YouTubeopens in a new tab & thepwhl.com (US/International), More
IN: Eric Gallanty (Play-by-Play), Becky Kellar (Analyst), Rob Pizzo (Reporter);
FR: Frédéric Lord (Play-by-Play), Kathy Desjardins (Analyst), Alexandre Despatie (Studio Host), Ann-Sophie Bettez (Studio Analyst)
MONTRÉAL VICTOIRE (1)
Top Scorer: Laura Stacey – 3 GP, 3-1-4 PTS
Goaltender: Ann-Renée Desbiens – 1.58 GAA, .937 SV%
Series Special Teams: PP 2/10 (20.0%) | PK 13/14 (92.9%)
MINNESOTA FROST (3)
Top Scorer: Sidney Morin – 3 GP, 2-0-2 PTS
Goaltender: Maddie Rooney – 1.86 GAA, .927 SV%
Series Special Teams: PP 1/14 (7.1%) | PK 8/10 (80.0%)
2026 PWHL WALTER CUP PLAYOFFS: MONTRÉAL LEADS THE BEST-OF-FIVE SEMIFINAL SERIES 2-1
Game 1 at MTL: 5-4 MIN (OT) | Game 2 at MTL: 1-0 MTL (3OT) | Game 3 at MIN: 2-1 MTL | Game 4 at MIN | Game 5 at MTL (May 11)
2025-26 SEASON SERIES: MONTRÉAL WON 10-2 IN POINTS (MTL LEADS 31-14 IN POINTS ALL-TIME)
Jan. 4 at MTL: 3-2 MTL (OT) | Jan. 21 at MIN: 2-1 MTL (OT) | Mar. 1 at MTL: 4-0 MTL | Mar. 25 at MIN: 3-0 MTL
WHAT YOU SHOULD KNOW
The Victoire have the lead in a playoff collection for the primary time in workforce historical past due to their win in Game 3, the workforce’s first-ever highway win and regulation win in playoff historical past. Montréal went 1-0-0-3 of their first 4 true highway video games this season however have gone 5-3-0-1 of their final 9, with three of these eight wins coming in Minnesota.
Montréal set a PWHL document by going 7-for-7 on the penalty kill in Game 3. It was simply the third PWHL sport all-time (common or postseason) wherein one workforce had no less than seven power-play alternatives – the Victoire went 2-for-7 in opposition to Ottawa on Nov. 30, 2024, and New York went 1-for-7 in opposition to Ottawa on Jan. 20, 2026. The Victoire led the league with a 91.8% penalty kill, and the Frost led with a 23.0% energy play within the season.
Maggie Flaherty of Lakeville, MN, and US Olympian Hayley Scamurra scored 24 seconds aside within the second interval of Game 3. That’s the quickest pair of targets by one workforce in PWHL postseason historical past, surpassing the previous mark of 27 seconds set by Toronto’s Savannah Harmon and Allie Munroe in opposition to Minnesota in Game 2 of their semifinal collection final season.
Scamurra grew to become the third Montréal participant to document a objective and an help in the identical playoff sport, however the first to take action in a regulation win – captain Marie-Philip Poulin had certainly one of every in an time beyond regulation loss in Game 3 in opposition to Boston in 2024 and Kristin O’Neill had certainly one of every in final yr’s 4OT win over Ottawa in Game 2. Flahertywhose two profession playoff targets have been scored in Game 3 motion at Grand Casino Arena (additionally May 13, 2024), leads all defenders with 10 photographs on objective.
Ann-Renee Desbiens you’ve gotten allowed one or fewer targets to the Frost in 5 of seven video games this season and in 19 whole video games between common season and playoffs, tied with Boston’s Aerin Frankel. She had one such sport in her first eight playoff begins.
Maureen Murphy had Montréal’s lone objective within the workforce’s solely Game 4 in playoff historical past, a 2-1 loss in Ottawa on May 16, 2025. Her 5 factors (3G, 2A) led the workforce via the completion of the 2024 and 2025 postseasons, however the Buffalo, NY, native remains to be searching for her first level within the 2026 playoffs.
The Frost are 4-0 all-time within the playoffs when dealing with elimination, although all 4 of these video games got here of their 2024 Walter Cup run – three in opposition to Toronto, together with two wins on house ice, adopted by a Game 5 win on the highway, and one highway win in opposition to Boston within the collection finale. The solely different PWHL workforce with a win when dealing with elimination is Boston (Game 4 of the 2024 Walter Cup Final).
Maddie Rooney earned the primary three wins of his playoff profession in elimination video games in opposition to Toronto within the 2024 semifinals with back-to-back shutouts and only one objective in opposition to within the collection clincher, stopping 64 of 65 photographs throughout the three video games (.985 SV%). Nicole Hensley posted a 17-save shutout in Game 5 of the 2024 finals in opposition to Boston.
Minnesota is 3-1 in Game 4 historical past, with all 4 determined in time beyond regulation. In the semi-finals in opposition to Toronto, Claire Butorac scored in double-overtime to remain alive with a 1-0 win on May 15, 2024, and Taylor Heise scored to clinch the collection on May 14, 2025, each at Grand Casino Arena. Last evening’s consequence ended the Frost’s playoff streak of seven consecutive time beyond regulation video games.
Sidney Morin‘s two targets in three video games of the collection are midway to the 4 the Minnetonka, MN, native has scored throughout 84 profession common season video games. Three of the Frost’s six playoff targets have been scored by defenders. They led the league with 62 factors by defenders through the common season regardless of rating eighth with simply seven targets from the blue line.
Lee Stecklein picked up an help in Game 3, her ninth profession postseason sport with some extent, breaking a tie with Heise for probably the most in PWHL historical past. Heise’s 17 playoff factors are nonetheless probably the most all-time, 4 greater than Stecklein and Michela Cava’s 13. The Frost alternate captain is certainly one of 5 gamers and the one defender with a number of factors in three straight playoffs.
Kendall Coyne Schofield he has scored 5 of his 10 profession postseason factors in 9 house video games, together with an help final evening. His different 4 factors at house have been recorded in a pair of consecutive multi-point video games final season in opposition to Toronto, together with a two-goal effort within the Game 4 clincher.
WHAT THEY’RE SAYING
(*4*) – Victoire Head Coach Kori Cheverie
“I thought we came out hard last night, and we played a really good game – probably one of the best games we’ve played all series. We didn’t get the result we wanted, but we’re looking forward to playing again today in front of our home crowd and getting this must-win game.” – Frost defend Sidney Morin
FRIDAY’S GAME: The 2026 PWHL Walter Cup Playoffsintroduced by SharkNinjaproceed tonight with Game 4 of the best-of-five semifinal collection between Minnesota and Montréal at Grand Casino Arena, with the Victoire main 2-1. This is the primary time in PWHL playoff historical past the place a collection contains video games on back-to-back days with the video games scheduled forward of two Minnesota Wild video games within the Stanley Cup Playoffs on Saturday and on Monday, and the Stars on Ice Tour hosted by the venue Sunday. The Frost have by no means performed back-to-back video games at house however did so on the highway this season with a regulation loss in Ottawa and an time beyond regulation loss in Montréal Jan. 3-4. The solely time the Victoire have performed back-to-back was final season at house with a regulation win over Ottawa and a shootout win over Toronto Jan. 29-30, 2025. On this present day, May 8, 2024, Minnesota performed within the first-ever PWHL playoff sport in Toronto. The Frost are proud to welcome again Bonnie Shea to tonight’s sport, the 81-year-old trailblazer who was the one woman enjoying organized hockey in her hometown of Duluth, MN, again in 1951, and who continues to play the sport she loves. Tonight’s referees are Damian Figueira and Cianna Murraywith linespersons Patrick Dapuzzo and Katie Glover. This is the second of two playoff video games on tonight’s schedule because the Ottawa Charge host the Boston Fleet for Game 3 at 7 pm ET, with the best-of-five semifinal collection tied 1-1. Following this sport, followers can tune-in for reside response of each outcomes with Jocks in Jills streaming on the league’s YouTube channel.
