The Professional Women’s Hockey League (PWHL) postseason is approaching. As the Women’s World Championship wraps up in the next few days, the league will get back to play this Thursday, April 18. With that in mind, PWHL Minnesota must step up their game to get home ice for the postseason and succeed in the playoffs.
They appear to have a spot in the postseason nearly locked up; it’s just what position they’ll finish in that is yet to be determined. They’re in second place, one point behind PWHL Toronto and four points ahead of third-place PWHL Montréal. If they want home ice, they need to be the higher seed, which means first or second of the four spots.
They’ll need certain players to step up to win these final games and do well in the postseason. Some are obvious, like Kendall Coyne-Schofield, Taylor Heise, and Grace Zumwinkle, but others won’t be so obvious. We’ll start with an important piece on the top line.
PWHL Minnesota’s Cava on Hot Streak
Before the break, PWHL Minnesota had assembled a new top line of Heise, Coyne-Schofield, and Michela Cava. It worked wonders; the line had points in nearly every game they’ve been put together, and their chemistry is fantastic. They have a way of finding each other, and Cava is a big part of that. While Heise and Coyne-Schofield have played strong all season, Cava has played well but found her scoring touch when put on this line.
Hopefully, they can keep this line together and keep up the production they’ve been getting. Each player brings a special trait to the line, and Cava is kind of the secret weapon, so to speak, as everyone knows what to expect of Heise and Coyne-Schofield. PWHL Minnesota will need her to continue to dig deep and make that top line what it is if they want to be successful.
PWHL Minnesota Needs Their Tandem
While some teams rely on one specific goaltender, PWHL Minnesota has utilized its tandem of Nicole Hensley and Maddie Rooney all season. It’s worked well for them, and it’s likely they’ll continue this through the postseason and possibly into the playoffs if one of the goaltenders doesn’t stand out from the other.
PWHL Minnesota will need both of them to find the next level in their play if they want to continue to win games. As the season nears the postseason, every team will find a way to play better and try to secure a spot. Of course, every team needs the best from its goaltending, but when these two are on their game, it’s hard to get anything past them.
If these two goaltenders can continue the high level of play they had right before the break, they’ll be in good shape. It may take a little time for them to find their groove in the first game back, but hopefully, they’ll be able to keep the puck out of the net regardless. Both of these goaltenders are used to high levels of competition, so the postseason should bring out the best in their game, and it’ll be fun to see them compete.
PWHL Minnesota Needs Stecklein’s Defense
PWHL Minnesota has plenty of offensive firepower, but to get through this final stretch of the season and into the playoffs, they’ll also need their defensive strengths. That’s where Lee Stecklein comes in. She’s played strong defense all season, which will be needed even more now that the season is winding down.
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She also has an offensive side that has helped her team several times, including two goals this season. They’ll need her to use that big shot of hers from the point to hopefully add a few more goals before they move into the postseason. However, they’ll also need her to block as many shots as possible to aid her goaltenders and win games.
PWHL Minnesota Needs a Team Effort
To get through the postseason, PWHL Minnesota will truly need a whole team effort from goaltending to offense. While they’ll need these specific players to step up and lead by example for the others to follow, they’ll need everyone to be involved. Hopefully, they’ll return from this pause refreshed and ready to push it hard through these last few games and into a long playoff run.
