Earlier this month, many PWHL players went off to Czechia to play in the 2025 IIHF Women’s World Championship tournament for their home countries. Check out Nicole’s Medal games notebook for all the deets. 

Team USA took home the gold in an overtime winner against Team Canada. A total of 42 PWHL players earned medals, including 16 gold medal-winning members of Team USA, 23 silver medalists on Team Canada, and three bronze medal-winning members of Team Finland.  

And now we’re back, baby!

Plus, not sure if you heard the news: the PWHL is expanding to Vancouver! 

The 2025 PWHL Playoffs are looming, and the timing of the last nine games of the regular season is a bit awkward for our usual What to Watch schedule. So today we’re just covering this weekend’s three games. 

Watch them all, obviously. 

Saturday, April 26 at 12 p.m. Eastern 

Montréal Victoire at Ottawa Charge

Montréal is still at the top of the standings (48 points), and they are still the only team to have clinched their spot in the 2025 PWHL Playoffs. Their last game was a 1-0 shutout loss against the New York Sirens on April 1. A Victoire win, or a shootout loss to the Charge, would also clinch a playoff berth for the Toronto Sceptres.

Captain and forward Marie-Philip Poulin is still the league’s top goal scorer with 17 goals this season, four of which were scored against the Charge, including a hat trick. Poulin was also named tournament MVP at Worlds, leading all players in scoring with 12 points (4G, 8A). The Victoire and Canadian captain was also selected as the Best Forward by the tournament directorate and as a member of the Media All-Star Team. The Victoire trio of Poulin (4G, 8A), Jennifer Gardiner (6G, 4A) and Laura Stacey (2G, 6A) were the top three scorers for Team Canada at Women’s Worlds. And, Can’t forget that Victoire goaltender Ann-Renée Desbiens still leads the league in all goalie stats. 

Eight Victoire players won medals at Worlds, two gold for Team USA and six silver for Team Canada. 

The Charge are firmly in the fourth and last playoff spot! Well, for now. They squeaked in before the break and sit one point ahead of the Minnesota Frost. That being said - they need to win. The Victoire have won eight of their 10 all-time games against the Charge, but the Charge won the most recent meeting in February, 3-1.

In their last game played, a 4-0 victory against the Fleet on April 2, Ottawa forward Shiann Darkangelo—traded from Boston to Ottawa at the trade deadline—scored her first hat trick. The game also marked the second shutout of the season for Charge goaltender Gwyneth Philips. 

Six Charge players earned medals at Worlds: one gold, four silver, one bronze.

With the Victoire coming off a shutout loss, and the Charge coming off a shutout win (well, nearly four weeks ago), can Ottawa give themselves some extra room in the standings away from the Frost? 

Watch: TSN, RDS, PWHL YouTube

Saturday, April 26 at 2 p.m. Eastern

Toronto Sceptres at Boston Fleet

Hello, okay, now we’re into clinching scenarios! The Sceptres can become the second team to officially punch their ticket to the PWHL Playoffs if:

  • Toronto earns a single point against Boston on Saturday; or
  • Ottawa loses to Montréal on Saturday; or
  • Ottawa beats Montréal in a shootout on Saturday; or
  • Minnesota loses to New York on Sunday.

This is from the PWHL, we obviously didn’t do this math. 

The Sceptres have been here before, on the cusp of clinching a playoff berth (it’s an exciting time but I cannot wait until we don’t have to say “clinch” and “berth” anymore). Their last game back on March 30 (!!!) was a disappointing 5-2 loss to the Minnesota Frost. 

“Obviously, we had the opportunity to clinch our spot in the playoffs today, so I think we’re definitely disappointed in the loss. We’re disappointed in how we played, and we’re just going to look forward to getting back after the break,” said Sceptres defender Kali Flanagan after the game. 

Well, we’re back after the break and it’s time to get it done. 

Toronto won three of their last five, and they have the most regulation wins of the season. Forward Daryl Watts is in third in the league in points with 26 (11G, 15A). This puts her in a three-way tie for assists and fifth place for goals on the season. Toronto is all over the league leader stats: forward Hannah Miller is fourth in points with 24 (10G, 14A), putting her tied for fifth in assists. Defender Renata Fast leads the league in assists with 15 (three-way tie). 

They’re going up against a Boston team on, yes, a three-game losing streak (World Championship tourney aside), but also a team captained by forward Hilary Knight who leads the league in points with 28 (15G, 13A). Knight captured a record-setting 10th Women’s Worlds gold medal and leads all three of the tournament’s all-time offensive categories including points (120), goals (67) and assists (53).

And, this just in: Boston activated forward Hannah Bilka from long-term injured reserve (LTIR), and forward Kelly Babstock and defender Hadley Hartmetz from the team’s Reserve Player list. The Fleet have also placed forwards Alina Müller and Amanda Pelkey on LTIR and forward Jillian Dempsey on the Reserve Player list. So that’s a lot. 

Toronto will also have to face Fleet goaltender Aerin Frankel, with 12 wins on the season and a 0.924 save percentage. It won’t be easy for either team, but it will be exciting to see another team secure their spot in the postseason. 

Watch: CBC, NESN, PWHL YouTube

Sunday, April 27 at 1 p.m. Central

New York Sirens at Minnesota Frost

And, uh, now the other side of the playoff coin. Puck?

The Sirens could become the first team to be officially eliminated from playoff contention on Saturday (the day before this game is played) if:

  • Boston beats Toronto in regulation and Ottawa beats Montréal in regulation.

There are also several scenarios for this game on Sunday, if the Sirens don’t get eliminated on Saturday. They’re complicated, so we left them out. After elimination, though, there’s more to be done. 

From the PWHL: “Once a team is eliminated from playoff contention, any standings points earned by that team in games played following the date of elimination are classified as ‘Draft Order Points’. Per the league’s innovative use of the ‘Gold Plan’ to ensure competitive play, Draft Order Points are used to determine the draft order of selection among the league’s two non-playoff teams.”

This is how the Sirens drafted rookie forward Sarah Fillier first overall in the 2024 PWHL entry draft. And here they are again. 

The Frost are desperate, surely. They’re not in a playoff spot. By the time they play this game, they could be as many as four points back from fourth-place Ottawa. The season series against the Sirens is 4-1 in favor of New York. Sirens goaltender Corinne Schroeder recorded her league-leading third shutout in New York’s last game. 

Watch: TSN, MSG, FanDuel Sports Network, PWHL YouTube