PWHL Toronto fell to Minnesota 3-1. As Curtis Martin writes and coach Troy Ryan said, there were many aspects Toronto needs to improve. Here's a look.
Missed opportunities and turnovers led to PWHL Toronto’s 3-1 loss in Minnesota.
Taylor Heise scored two highlight-reel goals and a 31-save performance from Nicole Hensley helped keep Minnesota undefeated this season.
Here are three takeaways from the game:
Toronto continues to struggle on the power play
Once again Toronto failed to take full advantage of their opportunities on the power play.
In a game where Toronto didn’t hold a lead for the entirety of the game, the two power plays they missed can be looked back on as massive opportunities wasted by the club in their loss this evening.
It’s not just the absence of goals, but neither Toronto power play generated any high-danger scoring chances. Many of their shots were blocked or came from outside the slot due to the high pressure that Minnesota forced upon Toronto.
“There’s not an attack mentality at all," said head coach Troy Ryan. "We need to attack downhill, get some numbers in front of the net, and be prepared to get some greasy ones. We generally just played on the perimeter, so we're not going to have success with the players that we have if we keep pucks on the outside.”
Their lone chance was a tip in front of the net from Natalie Spooner that was swiftly dealt with by Hensley. After tonight's loss, Toronto is just 1-for-8 (12%) on the power play.
Campbell makes a couple of grade-A saves in the second
Yes, Kristen Campbell did give up three goals, but when reflecting on the game, that number could have easily been higher if not for the great play of the netminder.
In the second period alone, Campbell bailed out her teammates countless times stopping breakaways from both Grace Zumwinkle and Sophia Kunin in a two minute span to keep the game tied 1-1 midway through the second period. They were just two of the five breakaways that she faced in the period.
Campbell faced many high danger chances from the slot that she was able to turn aside to keep Toronto within arm's reach.
In total Campbell made 26 saves on 29 shots.
Turnovers cost Toronto the game
Let’s not sugarcoat it, Toronto looked sloppy defensively in their loss to Minnesota. More specifically in the final 40 minutes of the game.
Many times tonight a Toronto breakout would quickly be turned over in the neutral zone and be sent straight back for a high-quality chance.
In the third period alone, Toronto closed in on double-digit turnovers in their zone and the neutral zone.
The prime example came on Heise’s second goal of the night. Her breakaway came from a turnover by Jocelyne Larocque at her blueline, allowing Heise seemingly all the time in the world to find the back of the net.
“We gave her way too much space, way too much room,” said Ryan. “ At times I just felt like we were watching her play. If you give her any type of gap she’s going to make people pay.”
Toronto will look to come back on home ice as they take on their provincial rivals in Ottawa on Saturday.