Welcome back to The Ice Garden’s weekly PWHL power rankings! Check back every Friday for a new installment and remember: if you think your team is ranked too low, it’s definitely, totally, 100% because we hate them.
It’s the final countdown, PWHL fans! It’s hard to believe there’s just one full week of the regular season left. Three games remain on the schedule for each team, and there’s still plenty up for grabs. Only three teams are likely secure in their standings spots: the third-place Minnesota Frost, the seventh-place Goldeneyes, and the last-place Seattle Torrent, who finally activated the Gold Plan this week. Meanwhile, Boston and Montréal continue to duke it out for first, while Toronto, New York, and Ottawa all remain in the race for the final spot. It should make for an exciting week ahead, with every team still jockeying for positioning set to face off against one of their opponents.
Do your hair up big and press rewind, because 80s music has crashed the PWHL power rankings this week! Join me for a synth-filled trip back to one of music’s most iconic decades, where a hit song will get matched with each PWHL team.
#1. x- Montréal Victoire (16-4-2-5, 58 points)
Last Week’s Ranking: 2 (+1)
This Week’s Results:
- Saturday, April 11 @ BOS- 1-0 W
Upcoming Schedule:
- Friday, April 17 vs BOS- 7 p.m. ET, Place Bell, Laval, QC (TSN, RDS, NESN, PWHL Youtube Channel)
- Tuesday, April 21 @ VAN- 10 p.m. ET, Pacific Coliseum, Vancouver, BC (Amazon Prime, Scripps Sports Network, PWHL Youtube Channel)
Song: “Summer of ‘69”- Bryan Adams (1984)
These are the best days of the Victoire’s lives (so far). When they look back on this stretch in future seasons, chances are they’ll always want to go back.
I’m running out of words to describe Montréal. Their point streak has now stretched for half the season (15 games), while Ann-Renée Desbiens is tied with Aerin Frankel for the league lead in shutouts with seven and narrowly leads the league in GAA (1.08) and save percentage (0.956). They didn’t have their best offensive game in Boston, but they managed to come out with the win in a physical game in an extremely hostile building. And mind you, they are still doing this without captain Marie-Philip Poulin. This is a team that looks ready to silence the playoff choker narrative in a few weeks. Next up, they’ll face the Fleet again in another first-place battle, before they head out west to close out the season against the expansion franchises. Just one point gained by the Victoire this week or lost by the Frost will lock up home-ice advantage in the first round for Montréal.
#2. x- Boston Fleet (15-5-2-5, 57 points)
Last Week’s Ranking: 1 (-1)
This Week’s Results:
- Saturday, April 11 vs MTL- 1-0 L
- Wednesday, April 15 vs MIN- 3-2 W
Upcoming Schedule:
- Friday, April 17 @ MTL- 7 p.m. ET, Place Bell, Laval, QC (NESN, TSN, RDS, PWHL Youtube Channel)
- Wednesday, April 22 vs OTT- 7 p.m. ET, Tsongas Center, Lowell, MA (NESN, TSN, PWHL Youtube Channel)
Song: “Thriller”- Michael Jackson (1982)
Walking into the Tsongas Center has been quite the spooky experience for opponents this season, and none of them have left alive. But it’s rather thrilling if you’re a Boston fan.
The Fleet made their TD Garden debut this week in front of an electric crowd, but walked away with a disappointing 1-0 loss to the Victoire. However, the Fleet bounced back with a strong 3-2 win over the Frost, in large part thanks to the growing Jessie Eldridge-Alina Müller connection, which resulted in all three goals. The week ahead will be another good test for the Fleet, and particularly their offense. A rematch with MVP candidate Ann-Renée Desbiens and the Victoire is up first in a game that could all but determine first place. Then, the Fleet return home to face Gwyneth Phillips, who is near singlehandledly keeping the Charge in the fourth playoff spot. Boston sits just two points banked or Minnesota points lost from clinching home ice advantage in the playoffs, so they should be plenty motivated to wrap that up this week.
#3. x- Minnesota Frost (13-3-4-7, 49 points)
Last Week’s Ranking: 3 (-)
This Week’s Results:
- Saturday, April 11 vs NYS- 4-1 W
- Wednesday, April 15 @ BOS- 3-2 L
Upcoming Schedule:
- Sunday, April 19 vs TOR- 12:30 p.m. CT, Grand Casino Arena, St. Paul, MN (FanDuel Sports Network North, TSN, PWHL Youtube Channel)
- Wednesday, April 22 @ SEA- 9 p.m. CT, Climate Pledge Arena, Seattle, WA (FanDuel Sports Network North, TSN, PWHL Youtube Channel)
Song: “Girls Just Want to Have Fun”- Cyndi Lauper (1983)
Girls just want to win another Walter Cup.
This week all but solidified the third playoff seed for the Frost, as they now sit eight points back of second-place Boston. They started the week with an overall solid win over the Sirens, followed by a disappointing trip to Boston. Both the Fleet and the Victoire have had Minnesota’s number this season, and it’s fair to wonder if they have the defense or the goaltending to take down one of the top two seeds. However, it’s impossible to count the back-to-back champs out, especially considering they’ve won twice after making the playoffs by the skin of their teeth on the final day. The week ahead will feature a meeting with the struggling and theoretically desperate Sceptres, before the Frost head out west to finish the season against the expansion franchises, starting with the already-eliminated Torrent.
#4. Ottawa Charge (7-7-1-12, 36 points)
Last Week’s Ranking: 6 (+2)
This Week’s Results:
- Saturday, April 11 @ TOR- 2-0 W
Upcoming Schedule:
- Saturday, April 18 vs NYS- 2 p.m. ET, TD Place, Ottawa, ON (CBC, MSG, PWHL Youtube Channel)
- Wednesday, April 22 @ BOS- 7 p.m. ET, Tsongas Center, Lowell, MA (TSN, NESN, PWHL Youtube Channel)
Song: “Livin’ on a Prayer”- Bon Jovi (1986)
Whoaaaaaaaaaaaaa, the Charge are livin’ on nothing but a prayer and Gwyneth Phillips magic. But it’s working for now, and they just might make the playoffs after all.
The Ottawa Charge had a quintessential Ottawa Charge week. Toronto completely outplayed them, but Phillips turned in the game of her life with a PWHL record 42-save shutout to secure the win. Meanwhile, the offense managed just 18 shots on goal, but Brianne Jenner and Rebecca Leslie continued to carry the team on the scoreboard, combining for the game’s lone non-empty net goal. However, they don’t ask how, just how many. The win leapfrogged the Charge into fourth place, and they now sit two points ahead of the Sceptres and Sirens. However, the season is far from over. This week will feature a key matchup with the Sirens, followed by a date with the Fleet, who are battling for the top seed. The Charge must bring their A-game to keep that final spot.
#5. New York Sirens (9-2-3-13, 34 points)
Last Week’s Ranking: 5 (-)
This Week’s Results:
- Saturday, April 11 @ MIN- 4-1 L
- Wednesday, April 15 vs TOR- 3-2 W
Upcoming Schedule:
- Saturday, April 18 @ OTT- 2 p.m. ET, TD Place, Ottawa, ON (MSG, CBC, PWHL Youtube Channel)
- Tuesday, April 21 @ TOR- 7 p.m. ET, Coca-Cola Coliseum, Toronto, ON (MSG, Scripps Sports Network, Amazon Prime, PWHL Youtube Channel)
Song: “I’m Still Standing”- Elton John (1983)
The Sirens are still standing in the playoff race, and looking like true survivors by doing so with such a banged-up lineup. But the prospect of finally making the playoffs has the room feeling like a bunch of little kids, so injuries, schminjuries.
New York started the week off by inching closer to elimination with a disappointing loss to the Frost. However, they finished it with a heck of a comeback win over Toronto. Thanks in part due to a disastrous week for the Sceptres, the Sirens suddenly find themselves tied for fifth and just two points back of the Charge for the final spot. The week ahead will make or break them, with games against both Ottawa and Toronto on the docket. Win at least one of them, and they’re likely still alive but in a tight spot. Lose both, and they’re finished. But win both, and they’re in an excellent position to grab that last spot.
#6. Toronto Sceptres (9-1-5-12, 34 points)
Last Week’s Ranking: 4 (-2)
This Week’s Results:
- Saturday, April 11 vs OTT- 2-0 L
- Wednesday, April 15 @ NYS- 3-2 L
Upcoming Schedule:
- Sunday, April 19 @ MIN- 1:30 p.m. ET, Grand Casino Arena, St. Paul, MN (TSN, FanDuel Sports Network North, PWHL Youtube Channel)
- Tuesday, April 21 vs NYS- 7 p.m. ET, Coca-Cola Coliseum, Toronto, ON (Amazon Prime, Scripps Sports Network, MSG, PWHL Youtube Channel)
Song: “Holding Out For A Hero”- Bonnie Tyler (1984)
The Sceptres need a hero (or two) to emerge, and they’ve gotta be strong, they’ve gotta be fast, and they’ve gotta be ready for a big fight. And even that might not be enough anymore.
You know how I said last week that this was by far the most important stretch of the Sceptres’ season, and they better be ready for it? Yeah, they weren’t. Two regulation losses in two games against your playoff race opponents is not ideal, to say the least. They started the misery by getting goalie-d by Phillips while outshooting Ottawa 42-18. Then, they led New York 2-0 in the third period, but let the Sirens score three unanswered in the final 10:30 to lose. Toronto is not playing like a team that wants to make the playoffs, and they’re rapidly running out of runway to fix it. This week, they’ll face Minnesota before a rematch with New York that they simply can’t walk away from empty-handed.
#7. Vancouver Goldeneyes (8-1-4-14, 30 points)
Last Week’s Ranking: 7 (-)
This Week’s Results:
- Tuesday, April 14 vs SEA- 4-1 W
Upcoming Schedule:
- Saturday, April 18 @ SEA- 2 p.m. PT, Climate Pledge Arena, Seattle, WA (TSN, PWHL Youtube Channel)
- Tuesday, April 21 vs MTL- 7 p.m. PT, Pacific Coliseum, Vancouver, BC (Amazon Prime, Scripps Sports Network, PWHL Youtube Channel)
Song: “I Guess That’s Why They Call It the Blues”- Elton John (1983)
You don’t want to wish a playoff berth away, but things will only get better once the Goldeneyes do. The time they’re spending now toiling away in no man’s land could be better spent trying to earn the first overall pick. Blue isn’t just the color they’re wearing nowadays.
Under most circumstances, a 4-1 win is something to get excited about. However, thumping Seattle this week was actually a bad thing for Vancouver. It sent the Torrent into the Gold Plan while staving off their own elimination, thus giving Seattle at least one extra game to bank points while Vancouver stays stuck in the abyss. That extra game is likely to be valuable too, considering they play each other Saturday before finishing the season against Minnesota and Montréal. Much like the Torrent did last week, the Goldeneyes reminded everyone this week that their best skill this season is shooting themselves in the foot.
#8. e- Seattle Torrent (7-1-3-16, 26 points)
Last Week’s Ranking: 8 (-)
This Week’s Results:
- Tuesday, April 14 @ VAN- 4-1 L
Upcoming Schedule:
- Saturday, April 18 vs VAN- 2 p.m. PT, Climate Pledge Arena, Seattle, WA (TSN, PWHL Youtube Channel)
- Wednesday, April 22 vs MIN- 7 p.m. PT, Climate Pledge Arena, Seattle, WA (TSN, FanDuel Sports Network, PWHL Youtube Channel)
Song: “Who Wants to Live Forever”- Queen (1986)
Who wants to make the playoffs anyway?
At long last, the Seattle Torrent have activated the Gold Plan with three games remaining. They did it in spectacular fashion too, suffering a 4-1 beatdown by Vancouver, who will almost certainly be joining them soon. The stage is now set for what should be a highly entertaining game on Saturday, where a Seattle win would both put them in a solid position to earn the first overall pick and eliminate Vancouver. Points will be hard for both teams to come by in the final two games, as the Torrent also end the season against Montréal and Minnesota, so any points Seattle can bank on Saturday will be big.