The PWHL's teams are heading rapidly toward the post season with only five games for each team remaining on the schedule. Here's this week's PWHL Power Rankings.
Ashton Bell carries the puck for PWHL Ottawa against Toronto on March 23, 2024 at TD Place Arena in Ottawa.PWHL Ottawa may not be the best team in the PWHL, but they're the team in the PWHL no one wants to face. They've been red hot, and their trade deadline acquisitions added a new layer of depth to their roster.
1. Toronto
PWHL Toronto has looked completely beatable this week. They edged Boston 2-1, and then fell to Ottawa 5-3. Their decision to stand firm at the trade deadline and roster free could backfire. The team has been successful by utilizing players better suited for checking roles appropriately, but they've also been the beneficiary of Natalie Spooner's dominance. Without Spooner, this season is a vastly different story. They'll also hope Kristen Campbell allowing five goals is an anomaly, not a return to the start of the season. It also showed how fragile their blueline is when you remove Renata Fast or Jocelyne Larocque. For now, Toronto gets some grace coming off an 11 game winning streak.
2. Ottawa
Being first is certainly the goal, but being the team no one wants to face right now could be even better. Ottawa has Toronto's number, but in their past five games, they've picked up three regulation wins and fell twice in a shootout. The best thing Ottawa hs going for them is chemistry, particularly among their top line of Katerina Mrazova, Daryl Watts, and Brianne Jenner, which is certainly one of, if not they, most dangerous line in the league Trading away Amanda Boulier, defensive depth is a concern specifically after losing Zoe Boyd to injury. They took a page out of Toronto's playbook to beat them riding their top defensive pairing of Savannah Harmon and Aneta Tejralova half the game.
3. Minnesota
Minnesota continues to receive the most consistent goaltending in the league, that includes from starter Nicole Hensley and backup Maddie Rooney. The duo has done an admirable job, even when things aren't going Minnesota's way. While most expected Taylor Heise to be the rookie leading this team, which she's definitely dangerous every time she comes on the ice, Grace Zumwinkle's power forward game has transitioned marvellously to the pro game, and as a fact that should also worry international competition, captain Kendall Coyne Schofield continues to get better as well.
4. Montreal
Four straight losses. It's not a good time for a slump, but luckily Montreal will get to regroup during the World Championships. Montreal played their games this week without superstar Marie-Philip Poulin, who remained out of the lineup due to injury. What was really disheartening for Montreal in their final game before the break against Minnesota, was the fact they were unable to hold a two-goal lead,
5. Boston
No one expected Boston to be sitting outside of the playoff picture with only a handful of games remaining in the season, but they've struggled offensively, and they haven't received the consistent goaltending everyone expected heading in. The injury to Loren Gabel won't help. Their loss to Toronto this week was a dagger to their hopes.
6. New York
It's been an abysmal stretch for New York. Defensively, their team looks disorganized, and in terms of the posture of their team, they're down. New York has one of the best netminders in the league in Corinne Schroeder, they have Alex Carpenter who was one of he league's top scorers for the bulk of the season, and they have three defenders who have long been a part of Canada's national team. What they don't have is chemistry or leadership.