With just five games remaining in the Professional Women’s Hockey League (PWHL) season for all six teams, the four-team playoff is shaping up. Two teams can clinch with a regulation win, another isn’t too far behind, while the last spot is semi-up for grabs but there’s a five-point lead for the club currently holding it.
With the top three teams in the league being so tight, there should be a hard-fought battle for the top seed in the playoffs. Not only does that team get to play at home, but they also get to pick their opponent, either the third or fourth seed, in their five-game series. There’s a lot on the line, so how is it shaking out? With the league on standby until April 18, what could change from that date until the end of the regular season in May?
Toronto is Taking Initiative
At the start of the season, it looked like Toronto would be out of the playoff conversation entirely — they lost three of their first four contests in regulation. Now, they might finish with the best record in the entire league. Their 10 regulation wins and 36 points are the best in the PWHL, sitting a win of any fashion away from clinching the postseason for good.
Toronto has been led by the elite play of several players. For one, Natalie Spooner has been on a tear all season long. Her 15 goals lead the PWHL by a whopping six, and her 20 points are also the top mark of the league. The PWHL isn’t a very high-scoring league, but she has broken the model entirely. It cannot be understated how well she has done.
To help, Sarah Nurse has 15 points in 19 games, so she is also producing at an elite level. Still just 29 years old, there’s plenty of time for her to contribute.
With a great team overall and solid goaltending from Kristen Campbell, Toronto could end up being a threat in the postseason. They’ve had some sustained success recently, so it’s not unrealistic to think they can do that once the playoffs hit. If anything, the month-long break might hurt them.
Minnesota Still Hanging Strong
Minnesota was arguably the best team in the PWHL through the first month or so of the season, but their play started to slip. When star center Taylor Heise was placed on injured reserve around the time their slip occurred, things were not looking good. However, the team was resilient, won a few games, and Heise was back pretty shortly.
With 35 points for Minnesota, they aren’t too far behind Toronto for first place. They too can clinch the playoffs, but for them, it’s a bit more picky — they need a regulation win.
What makes Minnesota dangerous is their ability to control the game. They don’t get outplayed very much, and their goaltending is arguably the best in the league. Both Nicole Hensley and Maddie Rooney have elite numbers, so Minnesota can win games even when they’re not scoring.
Grace Zumwinkle has taken charge for them offensively with the second-highest goal total in the league at nine and sitting at 16 points, while a new addition of Sophie Jaques could prove to be a huge difference-maker. Heise, the first-overall pick in the 2023 PWHL Draft, hasn’t quite had the points to back up her superstardom with just 11 in 14 games, but she impacts the game in a way that most others do not. Minnesota will have as good of a shot as anyone to be the first champion of the league.
Montreal Looking to Bounce Back
Though Montreal is in a playoff spot and will likely hold that with 31 points and a nine-point cushion on said spot, they’ve been a bit cold recently. It wasn’t long ago that they were threatening to be the best team in the league. With four consecutive losses, three of which came in regulation, that no longer seems to be realistic.
Related: Get to Know the 2024 PWHL Montreal Players
Even if Montreal has had a rough go recently, they are still a very talented team. Led by captain Marie-Philip Poulin, virtually anything is possible. With eight goals and nine assists for 17 points in just 16 contests, she is arguably the best player in the world of women’s hockey. She is one of the most accomplished international hockey players to ever play, so dominating a PWHL playoff wouldn’t be anything out of the ordinary for her.
If Montreal can string together a few wins at the end of the season, their confidence should be more than good enough to win in the playoffs. They could be a dark horse candidate to win it all.
Ottawa Making a Run
Ottawa looked to be on the outside for a while, but the playoff crunch has proven to be worthwhile for them. They have a 4-1-2 record in their last seven contests with all four of those wins being in regulation. Rather quickly, they’ve become a team no one can take lightly, defeating Toronto most recently. At 27 points, Ottawa has a five-point cushion for the playoffs that they can increase with a few more wins along the way.
Katerina Mrazova is one of the top point-scorers in the PWHL at the moment with 17, putting her in a tie with Poulin for third place. Her, Daryl Watts, and Emily Clark all have a dozen or more points for Ottawa, so they have a trio of scorers going for them.
Overall, it has been a struggle for Ottawa in goal, but that has started to change a bit as they have allowed just seven goals in their last four games. Emerance Maschmeyer’s .911 save percentage (SV%) is the worst mark in the league among starters by a decent margin, but she is still more than capable of being elite. Playing in 18 of 19 possible games, she’s been a workhorse. If she gets hot at the right time, she and Ottawa can be lethal in the playoffs.
It’s almost cruel to have the top seed in the PWHL pick who they play in the opening round. It looks like it will be Ottawa who will finish as the fourth seed, but it’s almost like picking your poison — Ottawa can fight with anyone. An upset wouldn’t be all that surprising.
Boston & New York Will Need Some Luck
Both Boston and New York had a solid chance to make the playoffs for a while by either being in it for some stretches or just being a win out, but now things seem dire for both. Boston, beating New York themselves in their last game, have 22 points and will need every win they can get. They have a must-win contest against Ottawa left on their schedule — a regulation win would pull them within two points. Not all hope should be lost, but losing that game would put the nail in the coffin of their season.
Boston has played some solid hockey this season, and both Alina Muller and Megan Keller serve as the younger stars of that team. The forward and defenseman duo have the ability to take over on a shift, so the future bodes well for them at 25 and 27 years of age. Their captain, Hillary Knight, is still an excellent player at the age of 34. Even if it’s a lost season, they have some great players.
As for New York, sitting at 20 points virtually puts them out of the race entirely. Even if they were to win their last five contests in regulation, they’ll need Montreal or Ottawa to lose a few games to help them out. With a maximum of 35 possible, having three teams at 31 or above when only four squads can make the playoffs isn’t exactly the best position.
Thankfully, forward Alex Carpenter has been a sensation in New York. With 19 points, she could realistically take the scoring title away from Spooner in the final stretch. At this point, that seems like the biggest victory her club can achieve. A run for the playoffs is possible, but the wins just have not come consistently whatsoever. Regrouping in the offseason should be worthwhile.
The PWHL will play its last regular season game on May 5, so playoff hockey is still a little bit away but not all that distant. The league has immense talent with how few roster spots are open across just six teams, so the postseason should be a fascinating watch. Streakiness has been a factor with essentially every team mentioned, so no team will really have that much of an advantage over another. When the time comes, the playoffs should be a spectacle.
