Winner Takes All: Keys To Game Five of the PWHL Final

The PWHL's Walter Cup will be handed out Wednesday night in Lowell, with either PWHL Boston or PWHL Minnesota set to hoist the trophy for the first time ever.

Managing the highs and lows both teams endured in game four will be difficult. Minnesota in particular thought they'd won it all, celebrated, piled on each other sharing embraces until officials called back the double overtime marker. It looked to be the right call, but going from elation to utter despair when Boston scored 1:10 later was not easy. Conversely, Boston left the ice on a supercharged high that they'll need to settle before puck drop for game five. It will be difficult in front of a packed home crowd. Boston has never lacked on confidence, and they've backed it up so far. While a tentative start might be what many predict, it could also be an early chance for one team to capitalize while the other sits back.

Considering that rollercoaster, this game could be decided early, and it will be crucial for both teams to attack early. Neither will want to risk their fate on another 0-0 game, and with two hot goalies, it will be important not only to get pucks to the net early, but to get bodies to the net for secondary chances. In playoff hockey pundits often say any shot is a good shot, and neither team has managed many pucks on net in the series. Boston has been kept to the perimeter more than Minnesota, even in game four where Minnesota had more shots from the house than Boston. A goal off a leg or a tip, a second rebound chance, missed coverage, it will be a bounce or mistake that wins this game as both teams have checked tight.

There was a trend in the parade to the penalty box on Sunday. There were five tripping calls, most of which were from players caught out of position or flat footed who reached to make a play. Those plays included overtime penalties from Clair DeGeorge and Emma Greco giving Boston a pair of powerplays. Neither team was able to capitalize with the player advantage. In fact, there have been 19 penalties in this series and neither team has scored a single powerplay goal. It's been the difference between winning and losing on most nights. If those chances arise, both teams need to find a way to get more pucks to the net utilizing their advantage.

In game four, some of the more dangerous plays again came from "depth." Boston's Sophie Shirley and Amanda Pelkey, and Minnesota's Liz Schepers and Claire Butorac all had moments they looked like they were ready to score. Boston has added back in some skill with Loren Gabel, who played an excellent game not only generating chances, but playing more tenacious off the puck and on the forecheck than she has in the past. The longer a series goes, the more depth matters, and the deeper into game five the game stays tight, the more likely it will become one of these players to step up.