The New York Sirens' most recent win felt different. Not only did it snap an unfortunate losing streak, but it preserved New York's playoff hopes, and breathed life into team who is set to play on the biggest stage in franchise history at Madison Square Garden.
Wednesday's New York Sirens' 4-3 overtime victory over the Minnesota Frost at the Prudential Center just hits differently. This win has a stronger pulse and a rapid heartbeat.
It isn't the snapping of a four-game losing streak, any change in the overall schematics or any new faces on the ice. No declarations of it being bound to happen eventually or any generalizations.
As Sarah Fillier so correctly pointed out in her television interview right after the game, the real difference was the resolve to fight through Taylor Heise's quick-strike goal for Minnesota, later overcoming a two-goal deficit after knotting things up at 1-1 and showing the ability to get the extra point in OT.
While her natural hat trick was decisive to state the obvious, equally important are Fillier's comments about New York's commitment to "make the playoffs as a group in that locker room" and ride that momentum across the Hudson River into Manhattan on Saturday night.
What the Sirens did at The Rock against Minnesota created an intangible that goes far beyond the two points to keep their playoff hopes alive. They rekindled the euphoria for what's to come at Madison Square Garden.
Just before 10 p.m. on Wednesday in Newark, New Jersey, the impulse from that come-from-behind thriller reverberated all the way to the corner of West 34th St. and 7th Ave. in New York City.
Make no mistake about it. Saturday's prime-time showcase in front of a sellout and likely record-setting crowd at "The World's Most Famous Arena" would have been exciting regardless of the outcome versus the defending PWHL champions.
Now, however, those loud cheers and enthusiasm that filled The Rock when Fillier sent a riser past goalie Maddie Rooney with only 15 seconds left in OT will carry over and make Saturday's historic game all the more emotional and meaningful.
MSG now has a marquee attraction in a red-hot Fillier vs. a revitalized Seattle star Hilary Knight back from injury. It also features the return of former Sirens' fan favorites Alex Carpenter and Corinne Schroeder.
Fillier's solid play of late, as well as the Sirens' determination to overcome a 3-1 deficit in the third period against the Frost, now takes center stage on the grandest stage under the bright lights of Manhattan.
New York Head Coach Greg Fargo is encouraged that the Sirens will come into MSG mindful that playing a full 60 minutes and never giving up will produce another positive result for what should be an electric atmosphere inside the building. And a supercharged Sarah Fillier leading the attack doesn't hurt either.
"It wasn't just one player -- Filly [Fillier] had a great game -- but we saw solid efforts up and down the lineup, with everyone doing things the right way for a good stretch of the game," Fargo said.
To say Fillier had a great game is perhaps an understatement. She set a PWHL record for the fastest two goals by the same player, doing so in 14 seconds, and she became the first player in PWHL history to complete a hat trick with an overtime winner. The trio of goals also gave her back-to-back three-point performances at Prudential Center after notching a pair of goals and an assist in New York’s 6-2 win over Ottawa on March 8.
By far, though, the most heartwarming and deserved reaction in the pre-game ceremony should be for New York City's own Casey O'Brien, who grew up skating and initially learning how to play hockey in the youth program at Chelsea Piers just a few blocks east of Madison Square Garden.
Like Fillier, the hometown fan favorite comes into MSG with plenty of positives.Her assist on Fillier's decisive goal in OT extended her point streak to four and the league lead among rookies to 18 points (6G, 12A). She also recorded six face-off wins against Minnesota to up her season total to 203, breaking Gabbie Hughes’ rookie record of 198 during the inaugural season.
The New York Rangers vs. Detroit Red Wings NHL game inside MSG at noon -- just eight hours earlier -- will not be the main event at MSG on this particular Saturday. That's reserved for the first women's game of major significance in New York City since March 22, 1917 when the New York St. Nicholas Rink Blues faced off against the Boston Girls' Hockey Club. That's nearly 110 years ago.
It's that historic and that consequential. And to add even more astonishment to this game is the fact that it also carries playoff implications in front of what is projected will be the largest crowd for a women's professional hockey game in the United States.
Newly acquired forward Denisa Křížová loves their chances and is excited to be playing in Madison Square Garden on Saturday night.
"[New York] is a strong team ... I never liked playing against them because they work so hard. I’m happy to be here and just want to keep things going," she said in Wednesday's post-game press conference.
New York remains within striking distance of the fourth and final playoff spot with 29 points. The Sirens have two games left against Toronto and one against Ottawa. Those are the teams they are chasing in the standings. A regulation, three-point win over the Torrent on Saturday would certainly help the mission.
OF NOTE: Fillier has seven goals in her last six games after recording one in 17 games to open the season and is close to reaching the 20-point plateau in consecutive seasons, sitting at 19 points (8G, 11A) in 23 games...Maddi Wheeler notched her first goal since lighting the lamp in a 6-2 home win on March 8. Two of the Sirens rookie’s three tallies have come at Prudential Center... Maja Nylén Persson’s first career multi-point performance added her seventh and eighth assists. She has three more points than her rookie output and doubled her 2024-25 assist total in one more game this season.