PWHL Power Rankings: Minnesota regains the top spot, Toronto inching closer to the front

In the week back from the IIHF break, there was some great action among the best teams in the league. Some teams proved that rest paid off, while others struggled after the pause.

Tyler Kuehl and Hunter Crowther discuss where they believe the teams stand after the week that was, and check out the last Power Rankings from two weeks ago:

1. Minnesota

Record: 7-3-2, +3
Last Week: 2nd
Hunter’s Rank: 1st
Tyler’s Rank: 2nd

Hunter: Going 2-1-0 this week and winning both games of a home-and-home with Ottawa, Minnesota has been at or near the top of our PWHL rankings for so long that they will have to start paying rent (I encourage you to re-read that sentence in Rodney Dangerfield’s voice). 

All three of their games finished 2-1 with Grace Zumwinkle scoring her seventh of the season on Saturday, putting her second in the league in goals. Newest addition Sophie Jaques is getting some power play time and recorded an assist in her first game with the club last Wednesday. Head Coach Ken Klee has got this group going as we reach the second half of the season. 

Tyler: Yes, they sit one point ahead of Montreal, but the team does not have the same confidence it did when it went unbeaten in its first five games. Sure, the goaltending is still there, as Maddie Rooney and Nicole Hensley combined to give up just four goals in three games, but their lack of scoring over the last month has hurt their stock.

I am curious to see how aggressive GM Natalie Darwitz is heading toward the trade deadline. It will be interesting to learn how long Taylor Heise is out of the lineup. She is listed as day-to-day, but we will have a better idea on her status this week.

Minnesota has a nice little break, as they do not play until their matchup with Boston on Sunday.

2. Montreal

Record: 7-2-2, +1
Last Week: 1st
Hunter’s Rank: 3rd
Tyler’s Rank: 1st

Tyler: While their performance in arguably the most important game in the league’s young history came up short, Montreal is still at the top of my list. I cannot avoid talking about how great their tandem is. Elaine Chuli’s numbers are the best in the league, with a .961 save percentage and 1.24 goals-against average, while Ann-Renée Desbiens remains one of the best goaltenders in the world.

What I like most about Montreal is their ability to win games when they do not play their best. If they can put it all together, and play a complete game, who knows how dominant they will be.

Hunter: They may have been blanked in Toronto but Montreal responded with a gutsy performance against top-ranked Minnesota on Sunday. Boston University alumnus Sarah Lefort scored her first goal of the season towards the end of the second period, which put Montreal ahead and ended up being the game-winning goal.

There’s no doubt that Desbiens is No. 1, but you know a lot of teams would love to have someone like Chuli and her .961 SV% and 1.24 GAA. 

Montreal heads to New York on Wednesday, before hosting Ottawa on Saturday.

3. Toronto

Record: 6-5-0
Last Week: 4th (+1)
Hunter’s Rank: 2nd
Tyler’s Rank: 3rd

Tyler: I know, I have been putting Toronto down over the last couple of weeks, but I have grown accustomed to being hard on teams from Toronto that underwhelm despite having loads of talent and high expectations.

However, this Toronto team proved last week they can play with heart…and that Natalie Spooner is really, really good. Paired up with two outstanding performances from Kristen Campbell, who has played in all but one game this season, Toronto is starting to play like the team Hunter was so high on before the season.

Hunter: Watching Toronto progress after their slow start has been one of the more fascinating storylines of this league’s inaugural season. This team had one win in their first five games of the season but have since done a complete 180, winning four straight and five of their last six games, capped off with a 3-0 win over Montreal last Friday at Scotiabank Arena in front of 19,285 fans. 

Natalie Spooner leads the league in goals with 10, three ahead of Zumwinkle. Really curious to see if they look more like the group in their last six games or the team in their first six.

Toronto has a nice easy week, as they play New York on Friday.

4. New York

Record: 5-4-1, +2
Last Week: 5th (+1)
Hunter’s Rank: 4th
Tyler’s Rank: 4th

Tyler: It seems like whenever we start to think New York is starting fall off, they come up with a big win. On the road against Boston on Saturday, they did that, thanks to their goaltending once again. Corinne Schroeder is quietly stating her case for MVP. I am not kidding, if it were not for the play of the former Boston Pride star, N.Y. does not have five wins.

I know they are only tied for fourth at the time of these rankings, but with a very potent top-six and Schroeder in net, this team is going to be terrifying if they get into the playoffs.

Hunter: A win against Boston in overtime gave them two points in the standings, but since they’ve only played two games in February, it’s hard to really get a grip on where this team is at. What I can tell you is that in both of New York’s February games, they were outshot by 11. 

What does this mean? At the very least, they’re damn lucky that Corinne Schroeder wears a New York uniform. She’s made 73 saves on 77 shots during those two February games, and leads the league in save percentage for those who have played at least five games with a .947 SV%. Howie Draper is a smart man, so it will be interesting to see what he does to tighten up his team’s play in their own end, starting Wednesday vs. Montreal. 

New York has a couple of tough tests this week, hosting Montreal on Wednesday before paying a visit to Toronto on Friday.

5. Boston

Record: 2-4-2, -6
Last Week: 3rd (-2)
Hunter’s Rank: 5th
Tyler’s Rank: 6th

Hunter: Two losses this past week, and we can’t help but make a note of their 4-2 loss to Ottawa on Monday, making it four defeats in four games through February. Megan Keller continues to produce on the blueline, recording two assists vs. Toronto on Wednesday and a goal against New York on Saturday, but this team is desperate for offense from some of its biggest names. 

We’re midway through the season but only three of Boston’s players have three or more goals (Keller, Taylor Girard and Loren Gabel). Jamie Lee Tattray and Hilary Knight have three goals combined between the two of them, and Sophie Shirley, who scored 189 points in five seasons with the University of Wisconsin, has three points at the midway point. 

At some point, something’s got to give.

Tyler: I am sorry, but regardless of how good you play, if you lose four games in a row at home, there is something wrong. This team should be a guaranteed playoff team with their solid goaltending duo and offensive prowess. However, they found themselves chasing the game last week, especially against Ottawa on Sunday. Boston was outshot, and was not great on special teams. Those are just a few of the reasons they are at the bottom of the standings.

Also, are we also just going to ignore that Hilary Knight, the reigning IIHF Female Player of the Year, has been irrelevant? She had an assist in the loss to Ottawa, which gives her (checks notes) a goal and two assists in 10 games. I know she is one of the oldest players in the league, but she needs to find a way to make a greater contribution.

Boston gets another crack at Ottawa on Wednesday before taking on Minnesota on Sunday.

6. Ottawa

Record: 3-3-4, +1
Last Week: 6th
Hunter’s Rank: 6th
Tyler’s Rank: 5th

Tyler: I was ready to throw in the towel on Ottawa if they lost to Boston on Sunday. Two hard-fought losses to Minnesota made it look like this team could not cut the mustard. Yet, on the road against Boston, the offense came through for Emerance Maschmeyer, something they have not done much of over the last month.

I still think they need to go out and acquire scoring depth. Carla MacLeod cannot just keep throwing names into a blender and see what pops out to determine the lines. They need to find some chemistry as we near the halfway mark.

Hunter: At the time of this writing, I had witnessed Ottawa defeat Boston 4-2 on Feb. 19. And hey, it was a solid road win for a team that needed it. But in these power rankings, we focus on the week that was, and it wasn’t pretty for Canada’s lowest-seeded team.

As I mentioned in this week’s Players of the Week, Amanda Boulier’s game looked great, making plays at both ends of the rink and having a hand in both of last week’s Ottawa goals. If these rankings were based on hustle, this club would be near the top as I’ve appreciated the effort they’ve produced nearly every game. Here’s hoping their Monday win fuels a climb out of the bottom of both the league and DFO rankings.