Victoire’s Poulin, Murphy activated from LTIR
An added boost for the top team in the PWHL.
The Montreal Victoire announced that captain Marie-Philip Poulin and forward Maureen Murphy have been activated from long-term injured reserve. Both are expected to be in the lineup for the team’s final game of the regular season on Saturday night, as the Victoire takes on the Seattle Torrent.
It will be Poulin’s first game in over a month, as she has been on the shelf since reaggravating a lower-body injury in a game against the Boston Fleet on March 15. It seemed as if Poulin hurt the same left knee that she had hurt during the Winter Olympics in February. While representing Canada, Captain Clutch took a hard hit from Czechia’s Kristyna Kaltounkova during the second game of the team’s group stage schedule. It caused Poulin to miss the team’s final two games of the preliminary round, but she was back for the knockout stage, breaking the Olympic women’s hockey record for goals in a career and helping Canada reach the gold medal game, where they lost to the United States.
The injury lingered as the league returned to play, with Poulin being absent for Montreal’s first game back from the pause. She appeared in three more games before getting hurt once again.
The Victoire have done just fine without No. 29. The team continued its hot play, setting a new PWHL record with points in 16 straight games. Montreal is 9-1-1 with Poulin out of the lineup this season, shockingly losing to the Vancouver Goldeneyes on Tuesday night.
In 18 games, Poulin has scored nine goals and eight assists for 17 points. The Quebec native sits tied for sixth in the PWHL in goals and seventh in points.
Murphy hasn’t played since getting in a game against the Torrent on March 19. The Buffalo native had scored four goals and three assists for seven points, and seemed to be on her way to reaching double digits for the first time since the inaugural 2024 campaign.
The duo’s return could prove to be beneficial for the Victoire, as they’re in the midst of fighting for first place in the league with the Fleet. Heading into the final day, Montreal led Boston by two points. The Victoire secures first place with a win of any kind against the Torrent, while Boston must beat the New York Sirens in regulation if Montreal loses in extra time. If the Victoire lose in regulation, the Fleet can clinch first place.
Puck drop between the Victoire and Torrent is scheduled for a little after 10 p.m. ET.