The Boston Fleet, Ottawa Charge and Minnesota Frost are locked in a battle for the PWHL playoffs. Two will likely make it in, while one will be left on the outside.
By Zoe Pierce
The PWHL playoffs are just around the corner, and with only a few regular-season games remaining for each team, the race for the fourth and final playoff spot is intensifying. It’s shaping up to be a battle between the Ottawa Charge and defending Walter Cup champion Minnesota Frost, but you also can’t count out the possibility of both teams pushing past the Boston Fleet. The teams have been swapping positions all season, and it just might come down to the final game to see who punches their ticket to the playoffs. So, who has the best chance to make it?
Boston Fleet
Sitting third in the standings with 40 points as of April 25, the Fleet are in a good position to hold on to a playoff spot. One more regulation win could be enough to seal the deal – but it won’t come easy. Boston dropped three straight heading into the World Championship break and face a tough final stretch against Toronto, Montreal and Minnesota. To make matters worse, star goaltender Aerin Frankel, who’s second in the league in both wins and save percentage, left the U.S.-Canada gold-medal game at worlds early after a collision with Team Canada’s Laura Stacey. Boston may be in the driver’s seat for now, but a slip-up in the final stretch could leave the door open for someone else.
Minnesota Frost
Up and down, up and down, that’s been the story of the Frost, who went from challenging for first place at the beginning of the season to falling in and out of the precarious fourth-place spot. Although they trail the Charge by one point, their remaining schedule is slightly more favorable on paper, with matchups against New York, Ottawa and Boston. But while they avoid facing top-tier teams like Montreal and Toronto, they’ll still be battling a different kind of opponent: teams playing with everything on the line. A win over the last-place Sirens could be the boost they need to climb back into a playoff position. The reigning Walter Cup champions have managed just one win in their past four games, and they’ll be eager to avoid a repeat of last year’s late-season collapse, where they lost five straight to close out the inaugural season. Minnesota will be looking for a spark from players like Kelly Pannek, Taylor Heise and Claire Thompson, all of whom had standout performances at worlds, to push them up the standings one last time.
Ottawa Charge
Two of the remaining three Charge games are on home ice. Good news, right? Not always for the Charge. With only four wins in regulation at home, the team has struggled in front of their home crowd this season, especially at the beginning of the year, when they went from Dec. 3 to Feb. 13 without a single home victory. The Charge face the same tough road as Boston, with matchups against Montreal, Minnesota and Toronto. The Charge have lost the last four games against Montreal and will have to press knowing Minnesota will have a chance to get points against a weaker Sirens team. But the real good news is that goaltender Gwyneth Philips will be entering the final stretch fuelled by her gold-medal success at worlds after stepping in late in the tournament and delivering a standout performance. It could be the boost that Ottawa needs to hold on to their current fourth-place position and clinch their first-ever PWHL playoff appearance.
New York Sirens
Technically still in the playoff race, it would take a miracle for the Sirens, who are on track to finish last in the standings for the second year in a row. They’re no longer in control of their own destiny and need help to get in. For now, it’s probably better for the Sirens to focus on improving their team in the PWHL draft and planning for a strong comeback next season.
The locked-in teams
The Montreal Victoire, the only team to have clinched a playoff spot so far, will now target first place for the first time. Hot on their heels are the Toronto Sceptres, just three points behind and aiming to reclaim first place for the second consecutive year. The Sceptres only need a single point in their final three games to secure their spot in the playoffs. With a 7-2-1-0 record in their last 10 outings, it’s unlikely that they’ll miss out on the chance.