LAVAL, Que. — After 74 minutes spent limiting Montreal’s opportunities, the puck ended up exactly where the Ottawa Charge didn’t want it: on Marie-Philip Poulin’s stick in overtime.Despite playing through an injury, Poulin, the greatest clutch player in the history of the sport, had already scored two game-winning goals in the 2026 PWHL postseason. So naturally, when she got the puck deep in the offensive zone, nearly every Ottawa Charge skater converged into the corner, hoping to keep Poulin from netting a third.The problem with that plan?Maggie Flaherty was left wide open — and screaming for the puck — alone in front of Gwyneth Philips. And somehow, through a crowd of five white jerseys, Poulin made a perfect pass to Flaherty, who scored the game-winner to give Montreal a commanding 2-0 series lead in the best-of-five Walter Cup Finals.“I don’t know how many players get the kind of coverage that she gets,” said Montreal coach Kori Cheverie after the game. “Luckily everybody tried to take Pou, and luckily Maggie screamed for that puck and it was right on her tape.”Poulin, of course, refused to take credit for the play. Instead, she called it a “great team effort.” She shouted out Ann-Renée Desbien’s “amazing” save on Alexa Vasko to send the puck the other way, Kaitlin Willoughby’s “very smart” rim around the boards, Abby Roque’s pass and Flaherty’s ability to find the open space.Montreal defender Kati Tabin, who scored her first goal of the playoffs in the second period, offered her own explanation.“She’s Pou,” Tabin said. “She’s got eyes on the back of her head.”“All around her head,” added Flaherty.Poulin’s assessment of the team effort might be true, but you also can’t deny the way she’s been able to step up in the biggest moments time and time again. Those around Poulin – such as Cheverie, who has been an assistant coach for Team Canada since 2020-21 — aren’t even surprised anymore.“It just happens so regularly that you (almost) expect it of her,” Cheverie said. “We don’t put that pressure on her either, we just know that she’s going to play her game, she’s going to make everybody else better and she’s going to be able to execute on plays like that.”Poulin now has a league-leading seven points in seven playoff games, all scored while clearly not 100 percent.The fact that Ottawa defender Emma Greco was tripped up on the play — with no whistle — certainly did not help Ottawa’s D-zone coverage. Even Charge coach Carla MacLeod, ever the optimist, expressed frustration with the non-call.“Obviously we probably put too many players in towards the puck,” she said. “Our net front D has got to be net front, but if she gets her feet wiped out from her from behind right before that play, it’s pretty hard to get back to where you need to be.”The end result was Flaherty wide open for her second goal of the postseason. And now, the Victoire are just one win away from hoisting their first-ever Walter Cup. With their season on the brink, the Charge will host Game 3 on Monday night (6 p.m. ET) at the Canadian Tire Centre.Ottawa strikes first (again)Heading into the Finals, the Ottawa Charge knew beating Desbiens would be a challenge. She set league records for wins (19), save percentage (.955) and goals-against average this season (1.11), and finished the semifinals against Minnesota, allowing just four goals on 122 shots (a .967 save percentage).