PWHL Ottawa ended Toronto's impressive 11-game winning streak, rallying back from a 2-0 deficit en route to a 5-3 win at TD Place on Saturday afternoon. Daryl Watts recorded a hat trick, her first in the PWHL, and Emerance Maschmeyer had 19 saves in the win.
What happened?
To no surprise, Toronto came out of the gate strong, but couldn't get on the board early. Both teams had multiple penalties in the opening frame, including a brief period of 4-on-4, but the game remained scoreless. Ottawa had a good push late in the period, but also saw Becca Gilmore injured on a hit by Toronto's Blayre Turnbull. Gilmore went off with a trainer.
Still, it took 28:56 of playing time before the floodgates opened. Natalie Spooner scored twice in a span of less than four minutes to give Toronto a quick 2-0 lead with her 14th and 15th goals of the season. Spooner's first goal came off a pass from Hannah Miller, who picked up the puck off a turnover just outside the zone. Spooner's shot found a spot just below the crossbar behind Maschmeyer.
Spooner did it again - this time, shorthanded, and off a pass from Kali Flanagan. Flanagan carried the puck down the ice along the wall, then slid a pass to Spooner just underneath the stick of Ottawa defender Aneta Tejralová. Spooner tapped it in as Maschmeyer went down to make the save, and Toronto led by a pair.
Before the period ended, though, Ottawa started to rally. Watts scored her first of the game after a pass from Brianne Jenner, scoring on a shot to the corner of the net on Kristen Campbell's blocker side. It would be the lone power play goal of the night, despite the two teams combining for eight opportunities.
Just 38 seconds into the third period, Hayley Scamurra tied the game. After a Toronto miscue, Scamurra jumped on a loose puck and backhanded it towards the net. She then got herself to the net and shoveled it in amid a crowd in front.
Jenner gave Ottawa the lead at 8:24 of the third. Kateřina Mrázová picked up the puck after a failed Toronto breakout and sent a cross-ice pass to Jenner, behind the body of Sarah Nurse. As Campbell went down, Jenner buried it for a 3-2 game.
Watts added to the lead a few minutes later, picking up the puck off the boards after a long clearing attempt from the neutral zone. She went short-side and top-shelf for the goal, her second of the night.
Toronto wasn't quite ready to give up, however. Emma Maltais carried the puck behind the net, then got the pass to Sarah Nurse in front. The puck came off awkwardly, and as Maschmeyer tried to jump on it in the crease, it slid through the five-hole and in.
Still, Ottawa stayed strong in the final minutes of the game. Watts completed the hat trick with an empty-net goal at 18:32 - her eighth goal of the season - and helped seal the 5-3 win.
Three up, three down
↑ Daryl Watts. Watts looked phenomenal in Saturday's game, with the hat trick and a team-high six shots on goal. She played 15:15 and now leads Ottawa with eight goals.
↓ The streak is over. Honestly, it was fun watching Toronto's success while it lasted. They certainly looked unstoppable, and any time a team has a streak like that, you just start to wonder... when is it going to end? All good things come to an end, and Toronto will get the chance to start a new streak when they visit Boston on April 18.
↑ Natalie Spooner. Toronto's streak may have ended, but Natalie Spooner continues to look like she's playing the best hockey of her life. She's extended her personal point streak to six games and is averaging more than a point-per-game this season, with 20 (15-5) in 19 games.
↓ Missing Larocque. Toronto was missing its captain, Jocelyne Larocque, as she served a one-game suspension for an illegal cross-check she laid out on Wednesday against Boston. Larocque has been a huge part of the team this season and has eaten a lot of ice time, and they certainly missed her.
↑ Goals, goals, goals. Despite Toronto being in first and Ottawa in fourth, there's at least one place where these teams are tied: in goals-for. They both lead the PWHL in scoring, with 50 goals-for each. (The difference-maker is, of course, the goals against: 41 for Toronto to 50 for Ottawa.)
↓ And now, we break. Both of these teams won't play again until mid-April, with the upcoming break for IIHF Women's World Championships. There are still two PWHL games before the break, though: Montreal vs. Minnesota on Sunday, and Boston vs. New York on Monday. With that said, Ottawa will stay in the fourth and final playoff spot for the time being, as Boston is five points back and New York 10.
VP's Player of the Game
Savannah Harmon - Harmon had two assists in Saturday's win, tallying helpers on Watts' first and second goals. She also had three shots on goal and finished the night a plus-2. If the TOI statistics are accurate, she also played over half the game (31:59).
- Game replay link (YouTube) – The PWHL has started posting "condensed game archive" video, after taking their videos private after broadcast as of late. Check their video uploads page for the game archive content as it becomes available. (This game is not yet as of press time.)
- Game data
(Photo: Andrea Cardin/Freestyle Photography/PWHL)
