The regular season for the Newfoundland Regiment has ended, and the page has been turned to the playoffs.
The Regiment is going into the playoffs as one of the hottest teams in the league, finishing 3rd in its conference. Due to this, the team will have home ice advantage against the Cape Breton Eagles.
The Eagles and Regiment met in the regular season 8 times. Cape Breton held the edge in these head-to-head matchups, winning 5 of 8. However, this does not tell the full story. The 5 games won by the Eagles came before the trade deadline, a deadline that saw Newfoundland go all in, and Cape Breton trade its captain.
Since then, the Regiment has rattled off 3 straight wins against the Eagles, the last two being in convincing fashion with final scores of 4-1 in both games.
When comparing both rosters, it is clear that the Newfoundland offence post-deadline ranks above Cape Breton’s. Newfoundland has 3 players over a point per game in Justin LaRose, Dawson Sharkey, and Marak Danichek.
The Eagles have none. The Eagles’ top goal scorer, Reece Peitzsche, registered 26 goals in the campaign, an impressive feat.
With that being said, Newfoundland’s big three all had above 30, while Louis-François Bélanger added 25 of his own.
The defence is much more of the same. Newfoundland is arguably the most physical team in the league. It doesn’t matter what level of hockey you play; that is an X factor come playoff time, especially in a best-of-7 series.
The goaltending match-up is one to watch. Regiment goaltender Louis-Antoine Denault appeared in 42 games this season, boasting a .912 save percentage and a 2.69 goals against.
Eagles goaltender Connor Towle held similar stats with a .914 save percentage and a 2.65 goals against. The difference here is in games played, as Towle only appeared in 29 games after winning over the starting job from Felix Hamel.
My series prediction is Regiment in 5. The record against the Eagles is deceiving. On paper, the Regiment are the better squad in every position while the Eagles are coasting into the playoffs only winning 1 of their last 8.
The series starts at the Mary Browns centre this Thursday, May 26th at 7pm. It is worth adding that the QMJHL does not follow the NHL playoff schedule, meaning games 3, 4, and 5 will all be in Cape Breton with games 6 and 7 being here in St. John’s if necessary.
The playoff schedule is as follows:
Game 1: Newfoundland Regiment vs Cape Breton Eagles – March 26 2026 7PM
Game 2: Newfoundland Regiment vs Cape Breton Eagles – March 27 2026 7PM
Game 3: Newfoundland Regiment @ Cape Breton Eagles – March 31 2026 7:30PM
Game 4: Newfoundland Regiment @ Cape Breton Eagles – April 1 2026 7:30PM
Game 5: Newfoundland Regiment @ Cape Breton Eagles – April 3 2026 7:30PM *If necessary
Game 6: Newfoundland Regiment vs Cape Breton Eagles – April 5 2026 3PM *If necessary
Game 7: Newfoundland Regiment vs Cape Breton Eagles – April 5 2026 7PM *If necessary
*All times listed are in Newfoundland time
