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.
Welcome back, rankings fans! It’s been quite a month since last we ranked. The Olympics were a huge success, and it’s led to a boom in interest in the PWHL, which they’re taking in stride so far. However, the Olympics also knocked several key players out with long-term injuries, plus many others with short-term ones. So, here’s hoping for speedy recoveries for everyone so the league’s new fans can see the teams at their best as the playoff race tightens. In the meantime, there have been eight games since the PWHL returned. Four teams have found themselves going on streaks, for better or for worse. One is on such a streak that for the first time this season, the Fleet do not have sole possession of the #1 spot. It’s a fairly light week ahead, with just four games on the docket, but a light week certainly doesn’t mean it’ll be boring.
Hey, hey! It’s time for another Modern Family-themed PWHL power rankings! Last year, it was memorable quotes from the beloved sitcom, but this time around, various scenes take center stage.
#1 (tied). Boston Fleet (9-3-2-2, 35 points)
Last Week’s Ranking: 1 (-)
This Week’s Results:
- Sat, Feb 28 @ OTT: 3-2 SOW
- Thu, Mar 5 @ NYS: 1-0 W
Upcoming Schedule:
- Tue, Mar 10 @ VAN: 10 p.m. ET, Pacific Coliseum, Vancouver, BC (NESN, Amazon Prime, PWHL YouTube Channel)
- Wed, Mar 11 @ SEA: 10 p.m. ET, Climate Pledge Arena, Seattle, WA (NESN, TSN, PWHL YouTube Channel)
Scene: Gloria insists on high heels at Disneyland (S3, E22)
Despite Jay’s warnings, Gloria insisted on wearing high heels to Disneyland. After watching her walk around in pain for hours, he eventually went and bought her a pair of comfy slippers, which she reluctantly tried on but soon fell in love with. In that vein, the Fleet have insisted on making life difficult for themselves recently, playing in nine straight one-goal games. Here’s hoping they have someone in their lives who makes them realize there is a more comfortable path soon.
The Fleet sure do not like to make things easy on themselves. In most of their past nine games, they’ve had ample opportunity to extend leads, but they seem insistent that a one-goal game is the way to go. But frankly, it’s a bit difficult to argue with the results. They’ve managed to go 3-3-2-1 in those nine games and are now on a five-game win streak. They still sit atop the league’s standings in points percentage, although they’re tied with Montréal in raw points. Even though there have been flaws in their game, the Fleet have been able to grit out wins, and right now, that’s what’s most important. There’s still plenty of time to work kinks in play out before it’s playoff time.
#1 (tied). Montréal Victoire (9-4-0-5, 35 points)
Last Week’s Ranking: 3 (+2)
This Week’s Results:
- Thu, Feb 26 @ NYS: 4-1 W
- Sun, Mar 1 vs MIN: 4-0 W
- Tue, Mar 3 @ TOR: 4-3 SOW
Upcoming Schedule:
- No games next week.
Scene: Haley and Dylan’s twins’ introduction (S10, E22)
May I present to you…the Montréal Victoire’s depth scoring.
Do my eyes deceive me? Or have the Victoire continued their success from the final week before the break? Could it be that they’ve finally solved the mystery that is depth scoring for more than just a game or two? It certainly looks like it. Montréal has emerged from the break with a vengeance, scoring 12 goals while only allowing four. Those 12 goals came from all over the lineup, with Marie-Philip Poulin only scoring one of them, plus the shootout winner on Tuesday. She missed the first game back due to an injury sustained in the Olympics, and anything the Victoire can do to alleviate some of the strain on her going forward is positive. Overall, this is how the Victoire need to keep playing if they want to finally solve their postseason woes. They have this upcoming week off from games, which, theoretically, should only help them with nine Olympians on the roster–seven of whom played for medals–who have not had much time to rest or practice recently.
#3. Minnesota Frost (7-2-3-4, 28 points)
Last Week’s Ranking: 2 (-1)
This Week’s Results:
- Sun, Mar 1 @ MTL: 4-0 L
Upcoming Schedule:
- Sun, Mar 8 @ TOR: 11 a.m. CT, Coca-Cola Coliseum, Toronto, ON (FanDuel Sports Network North, TSN, PWHL YouTube channel)
Scene: Cam and Mitch lock Lily in the car (S1, E6)
After Mitch and Cam accidentally lock Lily in a car, Cam gets hysterical and threatens to break the window. Mitch, on the other hand, still freaks out but keeps his wits and gets on the phone with their emergency services provider to send a signal to unlock the car. Similarly, the Frost entered the break on such a high note that a 4-0 loss coming out of it might make you want to freak out. However, there’s currently no reason to believe that it won’t also be an easy fix, provided they keep their heads screwed on semi-straight.
The Frost may have entered the Olympic break red-hot, but they returned with a whimper. Not only did they get shut out 4-0, but they were outshot 33-17, and that’s despite having two more power plays than Montréal. They also let up a shorthanded goal to rub further salt into the wound. Bad games happen to every team, so there’s no reason to panic. However, they’ll need to put on a much better show than that when they face a hot and desperate Toronto squad on Sunday. After that, eight of their final 13 games will be at home, which will be a welcome change for a squad that has had one of the gnarliest schedules so far this season.
#4. Ottawa Charge (5-5-1-7, 26 points)
Last Week’s Ranking: 5 (+1)
This Week’s Results:
- Sat, Feb 28 vs BOS: 3-2 SOL
- Wed, Mar 4 vs SEA: 4-3 W
Upcoming Schedule:
- Sun, Mar 8 @ NYS: 12 p.m. ET, Prudential Center, Newark, NJ (Sportsnet, MSG, PWHL YouTube Channel)
Scene: Phil and Luke go full “Godfather” (S4, E13)
Their methods may still be questionable, but after a horrible start to the season, the Charge are getting results. Just don’t ask them too much about it.
The week didn’t start quite the way the Charge wanted, with a 3-2 home shootout loss to the Fleet, but they rallied to outlast the Torrent and secure a big three points in the standings. Despite their issues, the Charge are finding ways to get points in most of their games lately, while getting regulation wins in two of their past four. There’s a long way to go, but they now sit in a playoff spot by both points and points percentage. They don’t ask how you got points at the end of the season, just how many you have.
#5. New York Sirens (7-0-3-8, 24 points)
Last Week’s Ranking: 4 (-1)
This Week’s Results:
- Thu, Feb 26 vs MTL: 4-1 L
- Thu, Mar 5 vs BOS: 1-0 L
Upcoming Schedule:
- Sun, Mar 8 vs OTT: 12 p.m. ET, Prudential Center, Newark, NJ (MSG, Sportsnet, PWHL YouTube Channel)
Scene: Mitch and Cam’s wedding mishaps (S5, E23 and E24)
Things don’t go smoothly for Mitch and Cam when it’s finally time for them to get married. From their officiant, Sal, going into labor to a wildfire to four different venues, it nearly didn’t happen. But, in the end, they had a beautiful wedding at Jay’s country club. Similarly, the Sirens have had a chaotic season, with two extended losing streaks and just one win streak, and they’re currently on the outside looking in at the playoffs. However, there’s still plenty of time to rally and get the beautiful ending to their season that they so desperately want after two straight Gold Plan wins.
If there’s one thing the Sirens know how to be, it’s streaky. So far this season, they’ve gone on a four-game regulation losing streak, immediately followed by a four-game regulation win streak. And now, after a two-game repreieve from a streak, they’re on a five-game losing streak. It’s knocked them out of the playoff picture, as they sit two points back of fourth-place Ottawa. That’s far from a terrible position to be in at this stage of the season, but New York simply has to figure out how to stop these extended losing streaks. Excessively streaky teams don’t make playoffs in a league this tight.
#6. Toronto Sceptres (6-1-4-8, 24 points)
Last Week’s Ranking: 8 (+2)
This Week’s Results:
- Fri, Feb 27 @ SEA: 5-2 W
- Sun, Mar 1 @ VAN: 2-1 W
- Tue, Mar 3 vs MTL: 4-3 SOL
Upcoming Schedule:
- Sun, Mar 8 vs MIN: 12 p.m. ET, Coca-Cola Coliseum, Toronto, ON (TSN, FanDuel Sports Network North, PWHL YouTube Channel)
Scene: Mitchell vs. The Pigeon (S1, E24)
The Sceptres may have entered the break with a whimper, but boy, have they emerged with a vengeance. There’s a lot of clean-up left to do, though.
After going a pathetic 0-1-1-6 in their last eight pre-break games, including getting shutout in their final two, the Sceptres are 2-0-1-0 in the three games since. Their West Coast trip marked the first time all season that they won back-to-back games, and they did so in regulation. There is still a *lot* of work to do to make up for their skid, as they sit sixth in the standings by points percentage, ahead of only the expansion teams. But this is a heck of a step in the right direction, and should give them the morale boost they needed to rejoin the playoff race.
#8 (tied). Seattle Torrent (4-1-2-9, 16 points)
Last Week’s Ranking: Tied for seventh (-1)
This Week’s Results:
- Fri, Feb 27 vs TOR: 5-2 L
- Wed, Mar 4 @ OTT: 4-3 L
Upcoming Schedule:
- Wed, Mar 11 vs BOS: 7 p.m. PT, Climate Pledge Arena, Seattle, WA (NESN, TSN, PWHL YouTube Channel)
Scene: Phil’s camping trip goes wrong (S9, E9)
After sinking his raft full of supplies by shooting it with a flare gun, Phil’s camping trip to boost his confidence continues to spiral out of control until finally, he quits and checks into his hotel early. Similarly, virtually everything that can go wrong for the Torrent has done so this season, and it sure looks like they’ll be exiting the playoff race and headed for the Gold Plan sooner rather than later.
The Torrent and Goldeneyes continue their fierce battle over the basement of the league’s standings. Seattle is currently winning, although they have a game in hand over the Goldeneyes. But regardless, things are as bad as they seem. This week alone, they suffered two regulation losses to opponents they desperately need to close the standings gap with. Next week, league-leading Boston comes to town, and while any points they get against them would be great, they have little chance of catching them in the standings. Games against the teams closest to them are arugably a lot more important right now, and they simply have to find a way to start winning them. Otherwise, they’ll be well on their way to, if not in, the Gold Plan by the end of the month.
#8 (tied). Vancouver Goldeneyes (5-1-2-9, 19 points)
Last Week’s Ranking: Tied for seventh (-1)
This Week’s Results:
- Sun, Mar 1 vs TOR: 2-1 L
Upcoming Schedule:
- Tue, Mar 10 vs BOS: 7 p.m. PT, Pacific Coliseum, Vancouver, BC (Amazon Prime, NESN, PWHL YouTube Channel)
Scene: Phil gets beaten up in Australia (S5, E20)
In Season 5 of Modern Family, the family makes a pilgrimage to Phil’s “homeland” of Australia. He has high expectations for how it’s going to go, but instead, he has a series of accidents at the beginning of the trip. Likewise, the Goldeneyes had high expectations heading into the season, but so far, their existence has been plagued by problems. Even their home has turned on them now, as they’ve lost two of their last three at Pacific Coliseum after winning their first three.
This was a problematic week for the Goldeneyes. It’s no secret this team has had a lot of struggles on the road, but they’ve kept their playoff hopes semi-alive with decent home success. However, they returned from the break to a five-game home stand, and kicked it off by losing to a team they’ve been scrapping with to stay out of the league’s basement. Those points were arguably more critical than the ones in their upcoming game against Boston (although points are points). Barring a miraculous turnaround in their final 13 games, it looks like the Gold Plan is in their future.