The Montréal Victoire Need an Identity Beyond Poulin and Desbiens' Heroics

Stop me if you've heard this story before.

On Wednesday, the Montréal Victoire generated ample scoring opportunities against the Minnesota Frost, but had trouble converting. Goaltender Ann-Renée Desbiens delivered a series of highlight-reel saves to preserve Montréal's one-goal lead, but ultimately the Frost were able to force overtime, where captain Marie-Philip Poulin scored a goal-of-the-year candidate to give the Victoire the 2-1 win.

In many ways, it was a thrilling game. You had Desbiens make some unbelievable stops, a late tying goal, and an overtime screamer from Captain Clutch herself. And yet, for Victoire fans, it's all starting to feel a bit familiar. There's no denying that Poulin and Desbiens are two of the best players in the world right now. Poulin currently sits tied for fifth in the league in goals (6) and points (13). Desbiens is second in wins (7) and first in save percentage (0.951). There's a reason they were named forward and goaltender of the year last season, and there's a reason they'll be leading Team Canada in pursuit of Gold at the Winter Olympics in February.

But late heroics aren't a strategy. And so far through two seasons, the Victoire have proved that. Even with the power of Poulin and Desbiens, Montréal has been unable to win a playoff series. If they have any hope of changing that this season, it's time they decide their identity beyond their superstars.

Post-expansion, GM Danièle Sauvageau looked to be focused on building a tougher, more playoff-strong team. The Victoire acquired Abby Roque from the New York Sirens and used their first-round pick to draft Clarkson defender Nicole Gosling, both with some bite to their game. The identity aligns well with the two-way style of play Poulin brings, and it's something coach Kori Cheverie has talked about wanting to see for some time now.

But in practice, the results have been mixed. The Victoire have managed to frustrate their opponents at times with their physicality, but other games they either sit back or take costly penalties. The only Montréal skater who is in the top-25 in hits league-wide is Poulin, who sits 16th with 18 hits this season. And ultimately, while they're generating opportunities off their forecheck, they're not converting at a high enough rate. Toughness only gets you so far if you can't score goals.

Reaching the halfway mark of the season, it's time for the Victoire to decide what kind of team they want to be and commit to it. There's no lack of talent, but right now there's a lack of a strong identity. As always, Poulin and Desbiens have the ability to steal games, but it will take more than that to build a Cup-winning franchise.