Sirens Making Their Own Luck With Razor Thin Margins For Error

Going into Wednesday's regular-season finale at home against Toronto, the New York Sirens had a crystal clear mindset.

They needed to control their destiny, one game, one period -- even one shift -- at a time. Break down the last two weeks into separate missions. Push ahead in direct confrontations with those they need to pass in the standings, and then develop a game plan for the final two games at that point.

The road was bumpy for two-and-a-half periods at The Rock, but at least that first mile-marker has been reached with the three-point effort.

While all seemed lost with the Sceptres ahead 2-0 midway through the third period -- and Ella Shelton ironically appearing to apply the dagger with what appeared to be an insurance goal against her former team -- New York staged yet another third-period comeback at the Prudential Center.

Less than a minute after Shelton's tally, Denisa Křížová's first goal with New York made it 2-1 and there was newfound optimism on the Sirens' bench. Did they have yet another third-period uprising in Newark in them?

Memories of Sarah Fillier's natural hat trick to overcome a 3-1 deficit against Minnesota in the third period the last time the Sirens had taken the ice in New Jersey were vivid as hopes for another comeback surfaced.

Those hopes were realized as New York scored twice more within just over a minute to flip the script and go from being behind to being ahead 3-2. They went on to stave off a Sceptres' push and earn those critical three points.

The Sirens' three goals in the third period give them sole possession of the league lead in that statistical area with 28 goals in the final frame, moving ahead of Minnesota (27).

When Casey O'Brien redirected a point shot past Toronto goalie Reagan Kirk just 1:10 after Maja Nylén Persson tied the game with a power-play tally, the crowd of 6,273 cheered wildly as the never-say-die Sirens prevailed and stayed alive in the postseason hunt.

With the win, Sirens' netminder Kayle Osborne achieved her 10th win of the season, becoming the fourth PWHL goaltender to reach double-digit victories this year. She is just the second goaltender in PWHL history to start 25 games in a season, joining Ottawa’s Gwyneth Philips with the milestone. 

New York now prepares for round two of its multifaceted quest on Saturday at 2 p.m. versus the host Ottawa Charge, who are two points ahead of the Sirens for the final playoff spot. Another regulation win would enable New York to pass Ottawa and go from the chasers to the ones being chased.

The Sirens can then head to Toronto on Tuesday at 7 p.m. with even more at stake as they take on the role of road warriors over these last three games (they play Boston one week from Saturday at noon).

But first things first.

“Obviously, we can make a push," Nylén Persson said  "Every time I’m put out there, I want to make the most of it. I want to be a player the team can trust in every situation....I’m just trying to do my best to help the team win.”

OF NOTE: O’Brien recorded her fourth multi-point game (goal and assist) of the season and set a new career high with seven shots on goal, leading all skaters in the game. She became only the second rookie in PWHL history to reach the 20-point mark and leads all rookies with 21 points (7G, 14A)...Fillier's assist landed her as the 15th player in PWHL history to hit the 50-point mark (22G, 28A), doing so in just her 56th career game. She has also recorded points in four straight home games (6G, 2A)...Elle Hartje notched her seventh assist of the season to set new career highs in both assists and points, surpassing her rookie totals from 2024-25 (6A in 27 GP)...Nicole Vallario played a season-high 16:26 and her assist gives her three points in eight games for the Sirens... Kira Juodikis made her PWHL debut after signing with New York ahead of tonight’s game. The 22-year-old rookie winger, who joined the Sirens from the SWHL, played 5:37 and registered one hit.