4 Takeaways From the Montréal Victoire's 4-0 Home Opener Win

MONTREAL — The Montréal Victoire did right by their name in their home opener on Tuesday night, defeating the New York Sirens 4-0. It was a welcome result for the team after being shutout by the Boston Fleet in their season opener last weekend.

Here are the four biggest takeaways from the the Victoire's first win of the year:

Montréal’s top line looks very good, as expected

Entering the season, there were questions of who would play alongside Laura Stacey and Marie-Philip Poulin after the departure of Jenn Gardiner, and Abby Roque is filling that role nicely. The 28-year-old brings grit and grind that Kori Chevrie has liked in that winger spot in the past (see Lina Ljungblom) and showed offensive flash Tuesday to back up that bite. Not only did she contribute two assists, including on Poulin's first marker of the year, but Roque also put up an early candidate for goal of the season with a between-the-legs tuck.

Ann-Renée Desbiens is in peak form

After she was outdueled in the season opener by Boston's Aerin Frankel (though no one could blame her for that loss), Desbiens came in Tuesday a brick wall and turned away 33 pucks for her first shutout of the season. To the delight of all Canadians, the PWHL's reigning Goaltender of the Year looks to be in peak form with the Winter Olympics on the horizon.

"She's put the work in and there's no surprise there," Poulin said after the game. "There's some moments we put ourselves in big trouble, but she's always there to save our back, and that's something we're super thankful for. It's super awesome to see her come out so hard last game and this game. It's no surprise, Ann is something, and she's someone special to have on our team."

Montréal’s blue line still thriving despite losses

After the team lost Cayla Barnes, Mariah Keopple, and Anna Wilgren this past summer, there were questions about how the team’s blue line would look without those goalscoring and shot blocking contributions. So far, it looks like those fears were for not. Montréal's blue line put on a shot blocking show on Tuesday, coming up with 19 blocks. Amanda Boulier and Erin Ambrose had five each, as the Victoire as a whole put up a staggering total of 27 blocked shots.

Led by veteran Erin Ambrose who’s doing good on her intention of shooting more, the defensive unit is stepping up offensively as well. Free agent adds Jessica DiGirolamo and Maggie Flaherty contributed two shots apiece, with Flaherty scoring the empty-netter. Kati Tabin is certainly elevating her game, bringing patience and pace with the puck, notching an assist on Tuesday. And rookie Nicole Gosling is taking her chances as well. On that note...

Nicole Gosling looks comfortable, but still adjusting to the pros

Two games into her rookie season, 2025 first-round pick Nicole Gosling is on the right track, looking comfortable and taking opportunities where she can. Gosling has started the season on the top defensive pairing alongside Ambrose, earning power play time on the second unit with Tabin. She led the team in TOI in the season opener with over 20 minutes played, then saw a slight reduction in her second game, playing just under 18 minutes. Coach Kori Chevrie said after the game that she likes what she's seeing from Gosling so far, but expects the young skater will take some time to adjust to the pace of the pros and fully find her game.

"She's gonna play big minutes for us in different situations," Chevrie said. "She's still a young player and has to continue to grow with the pace of the game. It is faster than NCAA and it's physical, and she's gonna be playing against other team's top lines as long as she's paired with Erin (Ambrose) and moving around in our D lineup. But we're really happy with the poise that she's brought and she's continuing to grow, like she looks even better from the Boston game to today. So happy with it."

Bonus thoughts:

• The power play looks dangerous if still a little disorganized and rookie Natálie Mlýnková proved Tuesday to be a great addition net-front.
• Montréal showed increased discipline on Tuesday, though Poulin noted after the game the team is searching for a balance in how much physicality is allowed.
• The Victoire are showing the grit that they promised coming out of this summer, which will pay off come springtime if they can keep it up.