Montreal, Boston, Toronto, and Minnesota were the PWHL's four playoff teams last season, and with the season more than half way done, they're again the four teams in playoff spots with Ottawa and New York on the outside looking in.
Montreal, Boston, Toronto, and Minnesota were the PWHL's four playoff teams last season, and with the season more than half way done, they're again the four teams in playoff spots with Ottawa and New York on the outside looking in.
The Toronto Sceptres, Montreal Victoire, Minnesota Frost, and Boston Fleet have something in common. They all finished in a playoff spot during the PWHL's inaugural season, and crossing the midway point of year two, the four team group sits solidly in playoff spots yet again.
On the other end of the stick, the New York Sirens and Ottawa Charge missed the inaugural playoff campaign, and if the playoffs were to start today, the two would again find themselves on the outside looking in.
Ottawa and New York Underperforming
Both Ottawa and New York have received strong goaltending from their duos, but they're struggling to score and defend. Ottawa's issues can be in part explained by their special teams, sitting last in power play performance scoring on only 15.4% of opportunities, and sitting second last in penalty kill percentage at 75.4%. For Ottawa, the issues are magnified as they've faced more shorthanded situations than any other team in the PWHL.
The biggest issue for both teams is generating offense. Through 17 games, Ottawa has a league low 37 goals. It's a shockingly low total considering eight of those goals came in a single game. New York sits second last with 40 goals. Neither team has found consistent secondary scoring and both have struggling stars. In Ottawa in particular, only Tereza Vanisova has hit double digits in points this season, and the team's biggest names including Brianne Jenner, Victoria Bach, Emily Jenner, and Danielle Serdachny have all underperformed. You could add Gabbie Hughes to that list, although she's been stellar in recent games. And of course Ottawa traded away Savannah Harmon and Hayley Scamurra, both who did not have a point when dealt.
In New York, beyond their top line of Sarah Fillier, Alex Carpenter, and Jessie Eldridge, there's not a lot to talk about in terms of consistent attack. When Carpenter left the lineup with injury, you could see how thin New York's offense looks. At the moment, they're only getting contributions from that line, and to a lesser extent, Abby Roque, although Roque's defensive play has been far more of a hinderance than her offensive contributions.
The impact of Ottawa being the only team to lose a star in free agency in Daryl Watts, and New York trying to mend the damage done to many of their players' confidence last season looks greater than originally anticipated.
Boston and Montreal Want Revenge
Things didn't work out like Montreal and Boston wanted last year. The Victoire were ousted in the opening round of the playoffs as they made a tactical error running their top line into the ice. Boston made it to the Walter Cup finals, but fell a game short to Minnesota. Montreal has held first overall for much of the season and they'll be a tough team to catch down the stretch. They also look built for the playoffs as a physical, yet disciplined team. Their new found defensive depth and the sensational play of Ann-Renee Desbiens are significant bonuses. Boston on the other hand continues to struggle to score, but they've found sound chemistry. Hilary Knight is having a great season, finding space she couldn't last year, and with Alina Muller heating up after a slow start, Boston's lineup is beginning to click. When they get Hannah Bilka back, it will be a late season addition greater than any trade deadline deal they could do.
Toronto is coming on hot, and it's been an impressive display without Sarah Nurse and only having Natalie Spooner for spot duty. Daryl Watts has been electrifying in Toronto and nobody would have expected Hannah Miller to lead the league in scoring at the midway point in the year, but there she is. Don't count out Toronto. Finally, the reigning champs have struggled of late, and although they're always dangerous offensively, keeping pucks out of their net, and out of danger zones has been a challenge.
Either way, Toronto, Minnesota, Boston, and Montreal look like they're trending toward the playoffs while Ottawa and New York are watching others pull ahead as they look to avoid another year of contesting for the Gold Plan. In particular this year, if the PWHL expands, missing the playoffs will be twice as painful since teams won't get the top players in the draft.