The #2 Boston Fleet are off to the playoffs for the second time in team history, where they’ll meet the #4 Ottawa Charge in the semifinals. The series is set to kick off on Thursday, April 30, which means it’s already time to take a look at what’s to come, along with some to players to watch and the keys to winning for Boston.
Season Summary
The Boston Fleet exceeded the preseason expectations of most this year. They got off to the best start in the PWHL and kept that success up all season. Led by first-year head coach Kris Sparre, they finished tied with the Montréal Victoire for the PWHL record for points in a single season with 62, thanks to a 16-5-4-5 record. However, the Victoire held the tiebreaker, so the Fleet finished second in the standings. Along the way, Boston was carried by otherworldly goaltending from Aerin Frankel, an excellent draft class that all got into the lineup and made an impact, and stellar seasons from defenders Megan Keller and Haley Winn. They struggled a bit offensively throughout the year, but added Jessie Eldridge last month to bolster their scoring. Overall, this is a well-rounded team that is extremely comfortable in tight, physical games like this series will feature.
Past Playoff Performances
The Fleet have made one previous playoff appearance, back in the inaugural season. They swept the Montréal Victoire in the first round, with all three games going to overtime, and Game 2 needing three extra periods. They then took on the Minnesota Frost in the finals, where they fell on home ice in Game 5 of a thrilling back-and-forth series.
Key Players to Watch
Forward: Jessie Eldridge
Eldridge has been electric for the Fleet since joining them on March 16. She has seven goals and ten points in 11 games with Boston, with many of them featuring Müller. Her 23 points landed her in a five-way tie for fifth in the PWHL, while her 14 goals were tied for second in goal scoring. But, her impact goes beyond scoring, and Sparre sang her praises during a pre-playoff Zoom media availability.
“What we were looking to do in the trade was executed tremendously,” Sparre said. “We wanted to bring in scoring, and I think that Jessie’s provided that. What I think maybe she hasn’t been getting though credit for is her detail away from the puck. She’s come into our culture and our system right away, and she’s adapted. You see her on the forecheck, she’s physical, she’s got a good stick, she tracks back hard. She plays a great defensive game. There’s a lot of intangibles to Jessie Eldridge’s game that maybe she doesn’t get a lot of credit for.”
Defender: Haley Winn
This one was a toss-up between Winn and Megan Keller, who both had outstanding seasons. However, Winn is a bit more intriguing, as this will be her first trip to the PWHL playoffs. The Rookie of the Year candidate finished the season as part of a three-way tie for second in rookie scoring with 19 points (5G, 14A). Meanwhile, she led the entire PWHL in time on ice (802:42). Keller was right behind her, clocking in at 799:32, 58:27 ahead of Vancouver’s Sophie Jaques in third place. Winn is not an overly physical player, logging 32 hits this season (tied for 26th in the league). However, she isn’t afraid to throw her body on the line, with 45 blocks this season (tied for fourth in the league). Keller had high praise for her teammate’s overall play during a pre-playoff Zoom media availability.
“She stepped in right away and she didn’t play like a rookie,” Keller said. “She’s been a part of the national team for years, and she’s incredible to watch, incredible to play with … When she has the puck, I find myself sometimes just watching her do her thing because she’s so fun creating space and creating opportunities for our team to create some offense. And then defensively too, she’s so hard to play against and also one of the hardest workers. A lot of people don’t get to see, but she’s on the ice all hours of the day, in the gym all hours of the day. You have to kind of peel her away from that. But incredible teammate, and it’s just been fun to watch her grow this season.”
Potential Unsung Hero: Jill Saulnier
Saulnier plays playoff-style hockey year-round: physical and tenacious. She’s speedy and throws her body around frequently, both at her opponents and in front of pucks. Saulnier may not put up a ton of points or play the most minutes, but she is a pain to play against. She’s also a key part of Boston’s outstanding penalty kill. Her overall relentlessness is exactly the style the rest of the team needs to emulate, and it will make her key to the team’s success this series.
Three Keys to a Series Win
- Good defensive structure.
It’s no secret that the Fleet do not possess the PWHL’s most high-octane offense. So, if they hope to get out of this series, not only will they need Frankel to stay brilliant, but they need their defense to lock back into the level they were playing at just a few weeks ago. It’s great that they have an MVP-caliber goaltender, but they would be wise to minimize the strain on her by minimizing the high-quality saves Frankel has to make. Offense and goaltending are fairly equal in this matchup, but the Fleet can gain an edge if they play get back to the their defensive structure.
- Complete efforts
The Fleet have gotten into a terrible habit lately of starting games slowly. They’ve often still managed to score the first goal, but their overall early play has been uninspired. They got away with it in the regular season, but you can’t take periods off in playoff hockey and hope to win. At least part of their slow starts lately can be attributed to the fact that they locked up a playoff spot with nearly a month remaining, and had home ice advantage all but secure for a few weeks. However, they need to quickly flip the switch and get back to playing complete games, or they’ll find themselves in an early hole.
- Strong special teams
Last but not least, considering each team’s goaltending, special teams are likely to be a difference maker in the series. Neither team consistently generates tons of offensive chances, nor do they boast elite power plays. Ottawa’s power play sat at 17.8% this season, third in the PWHL and among playoff teams. Meanwhile, the Fleet’s has a 14% success rate, which was fifth in the league and last among the playoff teams. However, it has looked significantly better since Jessie Eldridge arrived last month. If the Fleet can find a way to catch the power play on fire while keeping Ottawa’s at bay, they’ll put themselves in a strong position to win the series.
The good news is, Boston might just have a chance to do that. Ottawa’s penalty kill has been average, with an 81.8% success rate. That sat sixth in the PWHL and third among playoff teams. Meanwhile, the Fleet’s penalty kill has been elite all season with a 91.6% success rate, just 0.2% behind the first-place Victoire. Given the physicality of the regular season series, it won’t be a surprise to see a fair amount of penalties in this series. So, if Boston can keep up their stellar penalty killing while exposing Ottawa’s average success while down a player, it’s hard to imagine them bowing out in the first round.
Semifinal Matchup
Regular Season Series
- Saturday, December 27 @ OTT- 3-2 SOL
- Sunday, January 11 vs OTT (Halifax Takeover Tour game)- 2-1 SOL
- Saturday, February 28 @ OTT- 3-2 SOW
- Wednesday, April 22 vs OTT- 2-1 OTL
Semifinal Schedule
- Game 1 vs OTT- Thursday, April 30, 7 p.m. ET, Tsongas Center, Lowell, MA
- Game 2 vs OTT- Saturday, May 2, 7 p.m. ET, Tsongas Center, Lowell, MA
- Game 3 @ OTT- date/time TBA, Canadian Tire Centre, Ottawa, ON
- Game 4 @ OTT- date/time TBA, Canadian Tire Centre, Ottawa, ON
- Game 5 vs OTT- date, time, and venue TBA
All games will be broadcast nationally in the U.S. on Scripps Sports Network and the PWHL YouTube Channel. NESN/NESN+ will also carry them in New England. Meanwhile, TSN will exclusively broadcast them in Canada.
What to Expect
This is sure to be a physical, hard-fought, low-scoring, long series. It would not be surprising if every game was won by a single goal (maybe two if there’s an empty net situation). Overtime is likely in at least a game or two, and a multi-OT game is not out of the question. Look for this to be a four or five-game series, with whichever team manages to score more than one goal first likely to win each night.