PWHL Toronto looked vastly improved from their first games of the inaugural season, but they still could not find a way into the win column against Ottawa this week.
Costly turnovers and a lack of scoring led to PWHL Toronto falling to the hands of their Ontario rivals Ottawa 3-1.
A 30-save performance from Emerance Maschmeyer and goals in the first period from Brianne Jenner and Emily Clark led the way for Ottawa.
Turnovers
Toronto's passing choices at points in their loss to Ottawa were questionable and you didn’t have to wait long to watch it come back to burn them. A pass sent up the middle of the ice as part of the breakout was intercepted and led to Emily Clark’s game-winning goal.
This poor play with the puck also led to Ottawa’s short-handed goal in the final minutes to seal their fate.
“I thought we executed a little bit on some face-offs But five-on-five players gave up the middle of the ice too much,” said head coach Troy Ryan “They're a team (Ottawa) that likes to stretch the ice out a little bit and our Defence we're pinching in on plays that just don't make sense.”
The fourth line
In watching the game Tuesday night, Toronto’s fourth line was by far their best and most consistent line throughout the game. Their ability to control the puck in the offensive zone made the line of Rebecca Leslie, Samantha Cogan and Kaitlin Willoughby stand out. The team has looked to improve upon this as Coach Troy Ryan has made it a point of emphasis early in the season.
These long stints of pressure in the zone lead to multiple chances not only for their line but also for the top line. This change was highlighted in the third period as Toronto dominated puck possession for the first 12 minutes of the period. Despite this, the team could not find an answer to Maschmeyer in net.
“When you get a fourth line who hasn’t played a lot of minutes in the last few games and contribute with a few good shifts and plays a bit of a role,” said Ryan “Usually, those are the games you find ways to win, but some other line just didn't get it done with them."
Their physical force was also felt as they were routinely battling for pucks along the board and trying to make something happen for Toronto.
Missed opportunities become costly
In a game where Toronto tended to dictate play, they could only manage to score one goal on the team's 31 shots in Tuesday's contest.
This is highlighted by Toronto’s struggles on the power play, as they went 0/4 in the loss. The only thing that could make things worse for them on the power play happened in their final chance of the game, as with the goalie pulled Ottawa scored while two players short to end Toronto's advantage and the game.
“The worst thing is when you get players that haven't played a ton on the power play trying to play a perimeter game on the power play,” said Ryan. “We need players that are willing to go to the net and get some shots and maybe get one while they get some experience."
Toronto will look to bounce back on Friday as they take on New York at home ice. Puck drop is 7pm.