There's something so comforting about having PWHL games slated for almost every day this week, including a double-header on Sunday, Feb. 16, one of which is an Ottawa Charge home game at Rogers Place in Edmonton, Alberta. Should be electric!
There’s also yet another Boston/New York rematch on Feb. 17, following the 4-0 shutout from Fleet goaltender Aerin Frankel last Wednesday in New Jersey. We’re not highlighting that game today because maybe we’re bad luck for the Sirens. We are once again begging for depth scoring, though.
Check out what else has piqued our interest on this week’s schedule.
Sunday, February 16 at 4 p.m. Eastern
Toronto Sceptres vs. Ottawa Charge at Rogers Place in Edmonton
Ottawa is coming off a huge win over defending champs Minnesota Frost on Feb. 13. The Charge won 8-3, making the game the highest scoring match in PWHL history. Ottawa forward Tereza Vanišová scored a hat trick and forward Gabbie Hughes had a three-point (2G, 1A) game, the first of her career. Seven Charge players recorded multi-point performances in front of their home crowd.
The Sceptres won their traditional (is two years a tradition?) Valentine’s Day matchup against the Boston Fleet on Friday. Toronto won the Feb. 14 game last season, too. The team has now won three in a row, and they have points in their last six games. They’re just two points behind the second-place Frost. Before Friday, the standings read like: Montréal far out in first, Minnesota respectably behind them… and then everyone else.
A win for Toronto here would put them tied for second place (well, pending the results of Sunday’s early afternoon match between Minnesota and Boston). A win for the Charge, though? Could break them out of the bottom of the pack (pending those same early afternoon results). We want to see how Ottawa manages to follow through on their offensive momentum, and they’ll have to do it against a Toronto team rolling with three wins, one of which was against the Charge.
Watch: TSN, PWHL YouTube
Tuesday, February 18 at 7 p.m. Eastern
Minnesota Frost vs Montréal Victoire
So, the champs lost pretty bad last game—that pummeling 8-3 loss to Ottawa on Feb. 13. Before that, the Frost fell to the Sceptres 4-3 in overtime on Feb. 11. That at least got them some points in the standings, securing their second-place spot (26 points) for another day. Both losses were disappointing, the Ottawa demise a bit soul-crushing, and the loss to the Sceptres jarring after a dominating Frost performance in overtime followed by a buzzer-beater game-winning goal from Toronto defender Renata Fast. Deflating.
All is not lost, though. Minnesota forwards Kendall Coyne Schofield (6G, 10A) and Taylor Heise (4G, 12A) lead the league in points with 16 apiece. Defender Claire Thompson has fourteen points (3G, 11A).
Now the Frost need to throw their offense at a Victoire team who, as of writing this, are on a six-game winning streak. They’ve got only three regulation losses at home. Forward and captain Marie-Philip Poulin leads the league in goals with 10. Not to mention, Montréal’s elite goaltending. Ann-Renée Desbiens leads PWHL goalies in everything—wins (8), save percentage (0.935), and goals against average (1.77).
Am I a Victoire fan now?
Watch: Prime Video, Fanduel Sports Network, PWHL YouTube
Thursday, February 20 at 7 p.m. Eastern
Boston Fleet vs Ottawa Charge
As mentioned, Boston also plays on Feb. 17 at the Sirens. In their Feb. 14 loss to the Sceptres, the Fleet registered only 17 shots on goal. Both Boston and Ottawa have each scored only 35 goals this season, the least in the league. Right now, Fleet goaltender Aerin Frankel is second among PWHL goalies in the big three stats with seven wins, 1.97 goals against average, and 0.928 save percentage.
Boston’s road record (1-1-2-5; 7pts) is basically as bad as Ottawa’s home record (2-0-1-3; 7pts). They both sit tied for last place in the standings with 20 points, along with the New York Sirens. Boston has won both of their previous matchups against Ottawa—a home regulation win and a road overtime win. Is that the advantage?
Ottawa forward Tereza Vanišová is coming off a hat trick that put her tied for third in goals (7) with Minnesota forward Michela Cava. Boston forward Susanna Tapani has a team-leading six goals on the season. There are also quite a few Boston skaters who have yet to hit the scoresheet, and if they’re waiting for the perfect moment, we may have found it.
Watch: TSN, NESN, PWHL YouTube
