The PWHL is headed into a three-week break, and the playoff race has never been tighter.

Each of the PWHL's six teams enters with three games remaining, and currently, only two points separates third through fifth in the PWHL standings.

What do we already know?

What do we already know?

The Montreal Victoire have secured a playoff spot. That's truly the only guaranteed thing in the entire PWHL playoff picture. Montreal has 48 points, three points ahead of the Toronto Sceptres.

When the Ottawa Charge beat the Boston Fleet in regulation, it kept Toronto from clinching. A Boston win, or an Ottawa win in overtime would have secured Toronto a spot. Now, it's back to the drawing board for the Sceptres who have a plethora of pathways to the playoffs.

At the other end of the spectrum, it remains highly unlikely that the New York Sirens make the playoffs. With three games and a possible nine points available, they sit six points behind Ottawa and five behind Minnesota. A regulation win for Minnesota, or a win of any type for Ottawa, would end the Sirens' season.

The problems for the New York Sirens however, is that Ottawa and Minnesota play on April 30. New York would need to beat Minnesota on April 26 in regulation, and Minnesota would need to beat Ottawa in overtime for New York's chances to continue. It's a long shot.

The Path For Boston, Ottawa, and Minnesota Is Filled With Roadblocks

Had the Ottawa Charge held onto a 3-0 lead in the third on March 25 against last place New York, they'd already have a stranglehold on a playoff spot. 

What has the potential to make this a sprint to the finish is the fact that Boston sits at 40 points, Ottawa with 39, and Minnesota with 38. Ottawa plays Minnesota April 30, and Boston plays Minnesota in the final game of the regular season.

To complicate that matter on the final day of the season, Toronto and Ottawa will be an hour into their last game of the season when the puck drops on Minnesota and Boston's game May 3. It could come down to an overtime point, a team pulling their goalie while tied because they need a regulation win, or any number of scenarios.

Currently, the Ottawa Charge have one distinct advantage over both Boston and Minnesota. Ottawa hold the first tiebreaker with 11 regulation wins compared to eight each for the Frost and Fleet. Given the Fleet and Frost play each other once, that tiebreaker will hold for Ottawa against at least one of the two teams, and the only way the other team could catch Ottawa in the tiebreaker is if they won all three of their games in regulation. 

Looking at the remaining schedule, on paper, Minnesota has the easiest path as the only team avoiding Toronto and Montreal. Toronto and Montreal however, have been backing into the playoffs, and aren't playing for their lives.

What will be the impact of Worlds?

It's the ultimate x-factor. Will there be an injury to one of Minnesota's 10, Ottawa's 9 or Boston's 7 players at Worlds? An injury to Boston netminder Aerin Frankel, or Ottawa's Gwyneth Philips could end their year quickly. Or what about Minnesota's offensive core that will be in action?

With only three games remaining, all occurring in a single week, an injury could change the postseason outlook for the three teams in the middle. The PWHL wisely allowed for six days following the bronze and gold medal games on April 20 before play resumes for the PWHL April 26.

Whoever cracks the PWHL playoffs, it will come down to the tiniest of margins.