We’re over 10% of the way through the regular season schedule, and in that time, the New York Sirens have already experienced a little bit of everything. Here’s some conclusions we can draw from their enigmatic start.
Kayle Osborne is legit.
Osborne entered the season as the only clear-cut starter previously unproven as a #1, and so far, the Sirens putting their faith in her is paying off and then some. Any questions about her capabilities have been swiftly answered by a 1.53 GAA, .939 SV%, and a shutout through four games. Osborne retained her spot on Canada’s Rivalry Series roster and even if she may not get into a game, the week off will be just as valuable for her, having made four starts for New York already.
The penalty kill was great! … Until it wasn’t.
Despite missing the playoffs the last two seasons, New York has had a top-two penalty kill in each of them, including the league’s best last year at 86.2%. The PK has been tested early and often in 2025-26, and heading into the last five minutes of Wednesday’s game they had killed off 14 of 15 opposing power plays on top of scoring two jailbreaks. However, the two goals they allowed on a back-breaking major penalty to Kristýna Kaltounková has dropped them back down to earth. This doesn’t invalidate the early success the Sirens have had shorthanded, but with how often the penalty kill’s been put to work thus far, it may have been inevitable.
The defense has bent, but not broken.
Raise your hand if you predicted the first Sirens rookie to score this season would be Nicole Vallario. No? Don’t worry, me neither.
ROOKIE’S FIRST PWHL GOAL 🥹 pic.twitter.com/R8EEnjK0Rt
— New York Sirens (@PWHL_NewYork) November 29, 2025
Even with Dayle Ross on the shelf to begin the season, it was reasonable to expect Vallario not to get into games at all, given Greg Fargo’s preference for forward Savannah Norcross as the extra rather than a seventh defender. However, a day-to-day injury to Jaime Bourbonnais and Micah Zandee-Hart’s early ejection in the opener has complicated things for the Sirens’ blueline in three of four contests. Vallario’s been solid in a larger-than-expected role, as have Lauren Bernard and Ally Simpson, but they’re being thrown into the fire of situations they normally wouldn’t be tasked with. In an ideal world, Jincy Roese isn’t your go-to on a four-on-three penalty kill, but the Sirens are making do for now.
The offense has the right formula.
The Sirens are one of two teams averaging over 30 shots per game, but what’s more notable is where those shots are coming from. Per HockeySkytte, New York has a higher concentration of shots from the high slot than any other team in the PWHL, and it isn’t particularly close. The results have been inconsistent so far, but with chances like the Sirens have created, it’s bound to even out over a larger sample of games. Look for the line of Sarah Fillier, Casey O’Brien, and Anne Cherkowski—shooting a combined 1-for-37 to this point—to be the beneficiaries of some good old regression to the mean.
The Sirens continue their West Coast road trip in Vancouver on Saturday at 3:00 p.m. Eastern, 12:00 p.m. Pacific.