PWHL Toronto Wins Walter Cup Playoff Opener Shutting Out Minnesota

PWHL Toronto shutout Minnesota 4-0 in front of a sold out home crowd to open the 2024 PWHL Walter Cup playoffs.

PWHL Toronto opened the inaugural Walter Cup playoffs with a 4-0 shutout win over Minnesota.

Earlier this week, Toronto selected Minnesota as their opponent after finishing first overall in the PWHL regular season standings. If game one of their best-of-five semi-final series is any indication, Toronto made the right choice.

Picking up where she left off, the league's regular season points leader and goal scoring champion Natalie Spooner scored the first goal in PWHL playoff history approaching the midway mark of the first period.

When the puck dropped on the second period, Sarah Nurse cut to the middle of the ice less than a minute into the frame. She changed her stick positioning with the puck which opened a passing lane for her to find a streaking Emma Maltais who slid the puck under Minnesota's Nicole Hensley. Later in the second period, captain Blayre Turnbull scored Toronto's third of the night.

Kristen Campbell looked calm and confident in net for Toronto in the opening game of the 2024 PWHL playoffs. She turned aside 26 saves on the night recording her first postseason shutout. 

In the final minute of the game, Turnbull scored her second of the game to put the game on ice in front of a sold out 8473 fans at Coca-Cola Coliseum in Toronto.

Game two of the series is Friday, May 10 in Toronto.