The Professional Women’s Hockey League’s (PWHL) post-season race is in full swing. They have a few months left – because their games are so spread out – but teams only have seven to nine games remaining. Right now, there’s a two-way tie for first place between PWHL Toronto and PWHL Montréal (with 30 points). In second place is PWHL Minnesota, who has 27 points. They’ve had sole possession of first place several times this season and may do so again.
That leaves PWHL Boston and PWHL Ottawa tied for fourth place with 20 points and, lastly, PWHL New York with 17. The top and bottom teams are separated by 13 points, which may seem like a big gap, but a win is worth three points, so teams can both jump up and fall quickly. As of now, PWHL Minnesota would be in the playoffs, and with their play this season, they should make it in. Here’s a look at what Minnesota needs to fine-tune for a successful postseason.
PWHL Minnesota Needs Their Power Play
One of the biggest things that has held PWHL Minnesota back this season is their struggle on the power play. They’ve had a lot of chances, and they get shots on goal, but they haven’t been able to put the puck in the net. Their male counterparts, the Minnesota Wild, have had issues with the man advantage, passing too much and not shooting enough, but that’s not the case for the women.
Instead, they take enough shots but need to be more accurate and get closer to the net. Chaos in front of the net is the best way to score, especially with the extra player. Minnesota only has three power-play goals on 39 chances this season, and two came from the same player, Abby Boreen, while the other was Susanna Tapani, who was traded.
If they can get more accurate shots on net, and a few more names scoring goals, like Taylor Heise and Grace Zumwinkle, their power play will be more successful, and so will their overall play.
PWHL Minnesota Needs Rooney & Hensley
PWHL Minnesota has rotated between two goaltenders, Maddie Rooney and Nicole Hensley. They’ve both had their struggles this season, but they’ve also shown stellar play that has helped their team win games. In the postseason, the team will need them to find another level.
Both are ranked in the top four goaltenders in the league. Rooney sits second with two shutouts, a 1.82 goals-against average (GAA), and a .922 save percentage (SV%). She’s played in seven games, allowing 13 goals on 166 shots. Hensley has played nine games, with a 1.98 GAA, and a .930 SV%. She’s allowed 18 goals on 256 shots against, which ranks fourth in the stats.
The postseason is all about good goaltending, and that’s exactly what PWHL Minnesota will need. These two goaltenders have played at the highest level of women’s hockey, giving them plenty of experience to do well in the postseason.
PWHL Minnesota Must Win Faceoffs
Winning faceoffs is key to winning games, especially in the postseason. Winning offensive zone faceoffs is integral to getting the puck to the point for a scoring chance, while winning a defensive zone faceoff is important to get the puck out of the zone quickly.
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In the postseason, there’s little room for mistakes, and struggling in the faceoff circle can be the downfall of any team. PWHL Minnesota has several players who are strong in the dot. Hopefully, they can hone those skills and give themselves an advantage.
PWHL Minnesota Can Win
PWHL Minnesota is capable of winning and has the talent to do so. If they can score on the power play, receive strong goaltending, and win faceoffs, they will do well in the postseason. It’ll be interesting to see how this postseason unfolds and where PWHL Minnesota will end up heading into it.
