PWHL Power Rankings: Minnesota’s streak closes the gap, but Toronto still sits at the top
In the final week of Professional Women’s Hockey League action before the Women’s World break, some teams showed that their moves at the trade deadline and roster freeze are paying off.
Hunter Crowther and Tyler Kuehl give their thoughts on how the teams look heading into the near-three-week pause.
1. Toronto
Record: 10-3-0-6, +9
Last Week: 1st
Hunter’s Rank: 1st
Tyler’s Rank: 1st
Hunter: I was in attendance for Toronto’s home game against Boston last Wednesday. The road team scored first and it was the first time during Toronto’s 10-soon-to-be-11-game winning streak that they were behind. Just writing that and reading it seems like it’s not real. Ten consecutive games where you never played from behind?
Toronto eventually won, but they met their maker on Saturday in Ottawa. Toronto got out to a two-goal lead but gave up four goals in the third period in an eventual 5-3 loss. I’m sure the last thing head coach Troy Ryan wanted was a loss before the three-week international break. The real question is how they respond with a little rust on the armor.
Tyler: Toronto ran into another hot team that derailed their city-record winning streak. However, that does not take away from how well this team is playing. Sure, their lead atop the league is not by much, but the way this team has been able to win games, doing so in various ways, proves they can beat teams, no matter the opponent, no matter the flow of the game.
If this team can keep star players like Natalie Spooner, Renata Fast, and Sarah Nurse healthy through the break, there is a good chance they will be the ones picking who they face in the playoffs.
Toronto will play in the first game after the pause, as they will take on Boston on April 18.
2. Minnesota
Record: 8-4-3-4, +12
Last Week: 2nd
Hunter’s Rank: 2nd
Tyler’s Rank: 2nd
Hunter: I can’t think of a team that employs the “It’s so over” vs. “We are so back” meme more than Minnesota. Winners of five straight and undefeated through March, their goaltending performances from Maddie Rooney and Nicole Hensley have been spectacular with a combined save percentage of .929.
The MVP award may already be written in pencil for Natalie Spooner, but Grace Zumwinkle isn’t far off from the top. If she can string together some big performances before the playoffs, there’s a chance she’ll get some votes to make it interesting.
Tyler: I am not ready to portray Minnesota as the same team we saw in the opening month of the season, but this team is back on a roll at the right time. Had they converted on more opportunities against Montreal on Sunday, Minnesota would be in a tie for first with Toronto.
Seeing how Kendall Coyne Schofield has ramped her game up over the last month, which is good both for her team, and Team USA. It gives Minnesota an even better top six to go along with Zumwinkle, Taylor Heise and Michela Cava. Paired with their continued excellence between the pipes, Minnesota is looking like a threat once again.
Minnesota also comes out of the break on April 18, as they face Montreal.
3. Ottawa
Record: 7-0-6-6, 0
Last Week: 5th (+2)
Hunter’s Rank: 4th
Tyler’s Rank: 3rd
Hunter: How bout that Ottawa?! They won both their games this week, starting with a dominant performance over New York last Wednesday, then the aforementioned upset against Toronto over the weekend. This group is firing on all cylinders, and players like Daryl Watts, Brianne Jenner and Emily Clark are producing at the right time.
Check the game tape; I’ve said all season that Ottawa is the hardest-working team in the league, but they’ve been on the opposite end of lucky bounces and overtime/shootout magic, hence why they’re fighting for the fourth and final playoff spot. If they keep this up, there’s no telling how high this group can climb.
Tyler: Remember when we had Ottawa down in the dumps? Yeah, that is no longer the case. Sure, their moves at the deadline have not paid immediate dividends, but it looks like what general manager Michael Hirshfeld and head coach Carla MacLeod did has rejuvenated the team. With wins in three of their last four games, Ottawa has grabbed the fourth and final playoff spot in the league heading into the pause.
The hard part will be for them to keep this momentum up after the break.
Ottawa will return to action on April 20 when they host Minnesota.
4. Montreal
Record: 7-3-4-5, -1
Last Week: 3rd (-1)
Hunter’s Rank: 3rd
Tyler’s Rank: 4th
Hunter: Only one game this week, but you have to wonder how much longer this group can go without their biggest star in Marie-Philip Poulin. Montreal has lost four straight and haven’t scored more than twice in that span.
I still think this roster has arguably the most talent in the league, and come playoff time, they’ll be a formidable opponent for anyone they face. But if they continue to struggle producing offense, there’s a better-than-zero chance of a team like Ottawa blowing past them in the standings.
Tyler: I tell you what, with Poulin out of the lineup, I don’t know if this team has the juice to be a contender. Even with players like Laura Stacey, Maureen Murphy and Erin Ambrose, they have been unable to take control of the game, relying on their goaltenders to bail them out. Yes, Ann-Renée Desbiens and Elaine Chuli are fantastic goaltenders, but they clearly need more support in front of them.
Sitting third in the league, Montreal heads into the break with Ottawa nipping on their heels. They will face Minnesota in their first game back on April 18.
5. Boston
Record: 4-4-2-9, -11
Last Week: 4th (-1)
Hunter’s Rank: 5th
Tyler’s Rank: 5th
Hunter: Look, never say never, but we’re reaching a point in the season where teams are running out of games to catch up in the standings, and we might be near that point with Boston and New York. Five points behind Ottawa, it would take a string of wins and some bad luck for other teams for Boston to squeeze into the dance.
That being said, two losses this week in regulation to Toronto and New York didn’t help their case. No amount of elite goaltending via Aerin Frankel can save a group that desperately lacks depth scoring.
Tyler: It is easy to knock Boston down a peg. Not just because they lost three of their last four games but also because they lost to New York, a team that was seemingly on a fast track to the first overall pick in this year’s draft. You wondered if that win in Detroit over Ottawa would give Boston some jump heading into the deadline, but they still lack the necessary finish to win games.
Losing Loren Gabel is obviously not ideal, but there is enough talent to generate offense, at least on paper. Trailing Ottawa by five points with five games to go, Boston has to start picking up three points when they return from the break.
Boston’s first game back will be against Toronto on April 18.
6. New York
Record: 3-4-3-9, -9
Last Week: 6th
Hunter’s Rank: 6th
Tyler’s Rank: 6th
Hunter: Like with Boston, there’s not a lot of time left for New York to catch up in the playoff race. This team gives up a lot of goals and doesn’t score that many, and I’m no mathematician, but that doesn’t add up to winning hockey.
I actually liked the effort against Boston on Monday, and going three-for-six on the power play gives the coaching staff something to hang their hat on. However, they lost eight straight games before that win, and with only five contests left, I think it’s safe to say: it’s lights out for New York.
Tyler: While they finally snapped their losing skid, New York still has a lot of work to do in order to get back into the playoff conversation. Their 3-2 win over Boston was the first time in four games the team has scored over two goals in a game. The way Jade Downie-Landry stepped up with three points was impressive, but N.Y. needs more of that to climb out of the bottom of the standings.
Looking at the remainder of their schedule, it will not be easy for New York, as the play every team once, starting off with Boston on April 20.