PLAYOFF GAME #1: vs. Quebec

PREVIEW

HALIFAX MOOSEHEADS VS QUEBEC REMPARTS

Series tied 0-0

Scotiabank Centre (10,595) ~ Halifax, NS

HALIFAX - It's playoff time folks! The Halifax Mooseheads will begin this post-season on home ice after finishing first in the Eastern conference. Halifax won the Maritime division title for the first time since 2014 and will be looking to go deep into the playoffs. They'll take on the Quebec Remparts in the first round best-of-seven series. The Mooseheads will be hoping for some revenge as the Remparts won both meetings between the two clubs during the regular season including a 5-4 overtime match at the Scotiabank Centre back in early January. Halifax struggled a little bit down the stretch, losing to the 13th place Val-d'Or Foreurs after a loss to 1st overall Rouyn-Noranda and going to a shootout against the second worst team in the Q last Friday. But playoffs are a whole other beast and regular season records don't always mean much. No word on if the Herd will have a full lineup to begin the playoffs however Raphael Lavoie did skate during full practice the other day. Halifax is a dangerous team when they have their top line of Lavoie, Samuel Asselin and Antoine Morand together but if the injuries are still nagging the club, the rest of the team will have a big chance to stand up and produce. Come on down to the Scotiabank Centre and finish March break with a couple of weekend matches against former Montreal Canadiens star goaltender Patrick Roy, local boy Andrew Coxhead and the Quebec Remparts.

TALE OF THE TAPE
                              Halifax               Quebec
Record:             49-15-2-2=102   27-28-7-6=67
Standing:           1st East, 3rd       8th East, 11th
Powerplay:        28.1% 2nd         17.8% 15th
Penalty kill:       85.6% 1st          74.4% 15th
PIM:                        817                       614
Leading scorer: Asselin (86pts)   Kurashev (65pts)

NOTES

• Mikael Lalancette of TVA Sports makes his predictions and thinks Halifax will win in 6 games
• The QMJHL has a preview of the series
• Halifax and Quebec have met only once before in the playoffs, a series which the Herd came back from being down 0-3
• This series will be a 2-3-2 format
• Check out the Halifax Herdcast podcast preview here

OUT OF TOWN

Cape Breton at Charlottetown - 7:30pm

Blainville-Boisbriand at Sherbrooke - 8:00pm

Val-d'or at Victoriaville - 8:00pm

Shawinigan at Rouyn-Noranda - 8:30pm

Gatineau at Drummondville - 8:30pm

Moncton at Baie-Comeau - 8:30pm

Chicoutimi at Rimouski - 8:30pm

NEXT GAME - The two teams will meet again at the Scotiabank Centre on Saturday night. Puck drops at 7pm.