QMJHL playoff analysis part 2

QUEBEC CITY , P.Q. — Besides the series between Halifax Mosseheads and the Montreal Juniors that took off on Thursday all other series will begins on Friday March 25^th. It might be interesting for QMJHL fans to have a look at the other series in the QMJHL. Let’s take a look at.
 
Cape Breton vs. Saint John Sea Dogs.
With a record 18-45-1-4 Cape Breton) compare to 58-7-1-2 ( Saint John) this series look like a one side affair. Saint John should easily going through Cape Breton but you won’t find anyone who will come forward and say that whoever you talk to whether it would be Sea Dogs head coach or any players on the team. Respect obliges.
 
But whatever ways you look at it, you won’t find any statistics in favor of someone who would like to believe Cape Breton might have a chance in that series. Ranked first overall with 119 points tying the record for most wins in regular season with 58 Saint John is seeing by lots of experts as the team with best chance first to win the President Cup and be the QMJHL representative at the Memorial Cup Tournament.
 
Offensively with 324 goals for compare to 154 Saint John still has a humongous advantage in that category. With players like Huberdeau (Jonathan) (105 points in 62 games, 43 goals), Phillips (Zack) (95 points in 67 games 38 goals) Kirkpatrick (Michael) (83 points in 63 games, 31 goals), the task of trying to stop them will be a tough one for Cape Breton players who will be call to step on the ice in same times of those guys.
 
Special units usually play key role in playoff. Running at 25.1 (74/295) overall the Sea Dogs power play proved the other team should stay out of penalty box if they want to have a chance to win. Sea Dogs also proved to be very efficient in shorthanded situation allowing only 46 goals in 282 opportunities for 83.7percent efficiency.
 
The offense for head coach Mario Durocher team will have to come from Logan Shaw (46 points in 68 games, 26 goals), Cory McIntosh (46 points in 61 games 14 goals), Dennis Kindl (41 points in 63 games 22 goals), Morgan Ellis (36points in 65 games, 8 goals) will be the key man to launch the offense from the blueline.
 
Besides staying on the ice preventing the penalty box Durocher as Cape Breton head coach will have to count on an exceptional performance from his goaltender Andrew Haynes who ended the year with 3,57 goals against average and a weak save percentage of .883.
 
Series prediction Saint in four straight games.
 
Val-d’Or Foreurs vs. Quebec Remparts.
Ending third in the overall standing and winner of the Telus East division with 100 points their third 100 points season in last six and fourth 100 points since their rebirth, the Quebec Remparts is the favorite team to earn the right to go next round.
 
But don’t ever go to Remparts head coach Patrick Roy and ask if he think is team will win this series easily because you won’t get the answer you look for. You might run the risk of hearing some cliché like in playoff it’s a new beginning, regular season is behind us nothing count anymore.
 
Those words came from team that respect their opponent and won’t say anything the other team might use as a motivation factor. But when you look the overall numbers the story might give you a good indication about the eventual winner.
 
In the overall standing Quebec ended with 100 points compare to 59. Offensively Quebec ended with 277 compare to 208, an advantage of 69 more goals for by Quebec. Defensively Quebec allowed 187 goals against compare to 263 for Val-d’Or, Quebec still has the advantage by allowing 76 less.
 
In their last 10 games Quebec ended 8-1-0-1 Val-d’Or ended 3-5-1-1. These are all numbers, on which you can base your argument to find a winner, but the game is still being played on the ice and as you will often here the coach anything can happen in playoff.
 
One thing you know before the series begins, numbers mostly advantage Quebec in that series, Quebec will have the advantage to begin that series in their own ice, in their building, and with a home record of 26-7-0-1 compare to 15-15-0-2 for Val-d’Or it’s another factor in favor of Quebec.
 
Let’s have a look on force in presence in both teams. Offensively Patrick Roy will be able to count on three good lines able to produce. With John Audy-Marchessault (95 points, 40 goals in 68 games), Joel Champagne (82points, 24 goals in 68 games), Ryan Bourque (59 points, 26 goals in 49 games), Frederick Roy (58 points, 26 goals in 65 games and Tomas Filippi (56 points, 27 goals in 62 games) representing the core of Quebec offense, the Remparts are well represented when it come time to get the puck behind the other netminder.
 
On defense, Quebec can count on four well establish defensemen in Martin Lefebvre (55 points, 10 goals in 65 games), Vincent Barnard (52 points 22 goals in 68 games), Alex Wall (49 points, 6 goals in 68 games) and captain Mikael Tam (45 points, 19 goals in 68 games) to launch the offense from the blue line.
 
In Val-d’Or, head coach Marc-Andre Dumont, will have to count on veteran Jonathan Hazen (83 points, 41 goals in 61 games), left winger Olivier Archambault (53 points, 20 goals in 65 games), Jean-Francois Leblanc (51 points, 19 goals in 63 games), Marc-Alain Begin (40 points,15 goals in 68 games), Nicolas Larocque-Marcoux (35 points, 16 goals in 49 games) and center Alexandre Touchette (32 points, 15 goals in 37 games).
 
On defense all begins with Artem Sergeev (25 points, 7 goals in 64 games) and Guillaume Gelinas (21 points, 4 goals in 60 games). Other defensemen who brought good contributions are Shawn Morton-Boutin (19 points, 6 goals in 48 games) Gabriel Beaupre (18 points, 3 goals in 66 games) and Julien Leduc (16 points, 2 goals in 56 games).
 
Prediction: Quebec in five.         
 
Contact the author at: serge.poulin@prohockeynews.com