Last season, the Toronto Sceptres finished first overall in the PWHL regular season standings and got their choice of opponents. They chose the Minnesota Frost and it was a decision that backfired as Minnesota beat Toronto in five games. The Frost eventually won the inaugural Walter Cup.
This year, Toronto coach Troy Ryan stated he's held his team to higher standards to avoid a repeat of last season. Will it pay off?
Comparing The Offense
Toronto's offense was powered by the likes of Daryl Watts, Hannah Miller, and Jesse Compher this season. They'll need bigger contributions in the playoffs from Sarah Nurse, Blayre Turnbull, Emma Maltais, and Natalie Spooner. The group was relatively quiet this season, although Nurse and Spooner dealt with serious injuries. Still, Toronto's biggest names, and highest paid players weren't their regular season leaders. On the back end, Renata Fast was stellar for Toronto and perhaps their MVP this season. She produced offensively as well and was consistently one of Toronto's more difficult offensive players to handle.
Minnesota's top line of Taylor Heise, Kendall Coyne Schofield, and Michela Cava stayed together for most of the year after last season's playoff excellence. They'll be tasked with doing it again, and all three have played well. Beyond this trio, Minnesota has been less about flash and dash, and more about grit and hit. Brooke McQuigge, Britta Curl-Salemme, Kelly Pannek, and Grace Zumwinkle have all brought power to their games. McQuigge has perhaps been one of the best surprises in the league this season. She's rarely far from the net, and she is difficult to play against. This series could be a war of attrition between two of the tougher lineups in the league. If Minnesota has one secret weapon offensively, it's how Sophie Jaques and Claire Thompson can impact the game from the blueline.
On The Defensive Side Of The Puck
Kristen Campbell will be counted on heavily in Toronto's net. She shouldn't need to be great, she'll just need to be consistent and make a few timely saves. At the other end of the ice, there's no guarantee who starts in net, and who finishes the series in net. Nicole Hensley and Maddie Rooney have flip flopped all season with Rooney taking more of the starts all year, before the team turned to Hensley at the end. Ken Klee will swap his goalies on a whim as he did last year, and it worked.
On the back end, Minnesota has offensive firepower and mobility in Jaques and Thompson, and they will ride Lee Stecklein heavily in a shutdown role. Beyond this trio, there are some questions. Mellissa Channell-Watkins has continued to quietly play solid minutes for Minnesota. Toronto will look for mismatches beyond Minnesota's top trio.
For Toronto, Renata Fast and Savannah Harmon have played big minutes, but the impact of Kali Flanagan and Allie Munroe cannot be overlooked. Both of those pairings can handle anything Minnesota can throw their way, which is a tremendous asset. Even Toronto's third pair of Megan Carter and Anna Kjellbin has proven themselves as a reliable duo that can be trusted.
What will be the x-factors?
There will be ghosts playing in Toronto's head. Ghosts of Natalie Spooner's injury. Ghosts of their incredible regular season going to waste, and more recent ghosts of the Minnesota Frost winning their regular season series 4-2. Toronto has not managed the Frost well, and it will be a considerable challenge for them to face the Frost again. Minnesota was desperate entering the playoffs, and showed they can elevate their game when it matters most. No one wants to face a team that's been in playoff mode prior to the postseason arriving.
For Minnesota, special teams will be a concern. The Frost had the league's worst penalty kill at 78.4% going up against by far the league's best power play at 25.8%. Minnesota plays a physical style, so depending on how games are called in the playoffs, discipline could turn the tides on this series. Toronto has two power play units that feature elite talent, and there's no way to completely shut them down if you regularly give them opportunities. Despite being a physical team however, Minnesota was the least penalized team in the PWHL this season. They'll need to stay disciplined to avoid trouble.