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 officially playoff clinching season in the PWHL, with two teams punching their ticket this week. Minnesota isn’t too far behind, while it looks increasingly likely that the final spot will be determined in the final days, if not on the final day, of the season. Meanwhile, the Gold Plan nears for one club, with Seattle having a small chance of activating it late this week. In the meantime, off the ice, the U.S. attendance record is set to be broken tomorrow at Madison Square Garden. And on the ice, unlike last week, there are no games between teams directly scrapping with each other in the standings. So, don’t expect any major standings swings, although the playoff race has the potential to clear up a smidge if things go awry for anyone in the fourth-place pack.
No need to get tested, you’re not crazy: it’s The Big Bang Theory week in the PWHL power rankings. The kings and queens of the nerds meet their PWHL matches for the second season in a row, this time with all-new quotes.
#1. x- Boston Fleet (13-5-2-4, 51 points)
Last Week’s Ranking: 1 (-)
This Week’s Results:
- Friday, March 27 @ TOR- 4-0 W
- Sunday, March 29 @ MIN- 4-2 W
Upcoming Schedule:
- Tuesday, April 7 @ VAN- 9:30 p.m. ET, Rogers Place, Edmonton, AB (NESN, Scripps Sports Network, Amazon Prime, PWHL Youtube Channel)
Quote: “Do you realize what this means? All I need is a healthy ovum and I could grow my own Leonard Nimoy!”- Sheldon Cooper (S2, E11)
If the Fleet just had a functional power play, they’d be the complete package.
This was a big week for the Fleet, and boy, did they deliver. They departed for the road again after a three-game homestand, where they shut out Toronto to set a new PWHL shutout streak record. They then traveled to Minnesota and took down the Frost, who they’re battling for positioning with, in third goaltender Amanda Thiele’s debut. That win also earned them the title of “fastest team to ever clinch a PWHL playoff berth.” Along the way, they scored four goals a game, which seemed like a pipe dream for this team just a few short weeks ago. All in all, Boston could not have asked for a better week, and now they’ll look to pick right back up where they left off in Edmonton despite over a week in between games.
#2. x- Montréal Victoire (13-4-2-5, 49 points)
Last Week’s Ranking: 2 (-)
This Week’s Results:
- Saturday, March 28 vs NYS- 3-1 W
- Wednesday, April 1 vs VAN- 3-0 W
Upcoming Schedule:
- Friday, April 3 @ OTT- 7 p.m. ET, Canadian Tire Centre, Ottawa, ON (TSN, RDS, PWHL Youtube Channel)
- Tuesday, April 7 vs SEA- 7 p.m. ET, Place Bell, Laval, QC (Amazon Prime, Scripps Sports Network, PWHL Youtube Channel)
Quote: “I often forget other people have limitations. It’s so sad.” – Sheldon Cooper (S2, E4)
With how the Victoire have been playing lately, it’s easy to forget that it’s not normal for a team to not only survive long-term injuries to key players, but continue to thrive.
With points in 11 straight games, which ties the PWHL record, the Victoire just keep rolling. They’ve become the first team to clinch three straight playoff berths, and they did so with a personal-best number of games remaining this year. Despite not always playing a complete game, like they didn’t against New York, Montréal has shown a remarkable ability this season to flip a switch and take over games when the time comes. And remember, they’ve done most of this without Erin Ambrose and Marie-Philip Poulin. Ambrose made her return on Wednesday after getting injured in the Olympic gold-medal game, but Poulin missed the first game out of the break, played the next three, and has since spent the past five games on LTIR. The rest of the league should be concerned about what this team will be capable of once fully healthy again.
#3. Minnesota Frost (11-3-4-6, 43 points)
Last Week’s Ranking: 3 (-)
This Week’s Results:
- Sunday, March 29 vs BOS- 4-2 L
- Wednesday, April 1 @ NYS- 4-3 OTL
Upcoming Schedule:
- Saturday, April 4 vs VAN- 1 p.m. CT, Grand Casino Arena, St. Paul, MN (FanDuel Sports Network North, CBC, PWHL Youtube Channel)
Quote: “Oh frickity frack, not this again”- Sheldon Cooper (S4, E9)
Oh frickity frack, the Frost are skidding down the stretch again.
Minnesota has followed up their impressive five-game winning streak with an equally disappointing three-game losing streak. In that time, they’ve lost to both of their fellow top three teams, plus a desperate Sirens squad. Their offensive attack has dropped off considerably, and the rest of the team hasn’t been good enough to keep their opponents low scoring. This skid may feel all too familiar to Frost fans, as the team has sputtered into the playoffs in both previous seasons. Sure, it’s worked out in the end for them, but perhaps it would be wise to secure a spot before the final day of the regular season for once.
#4. Toronto Sceptres (9-1-5-10, 34 points)
Last Week’s Ranking: 4 (-)
This Week’s Results:
- Friday, March 27 vs BOS- 4-0 L
- Sunday, March 29 vs VAN- 3-2 L
- Wednesday, April 1 @ OTT- 2-1 W
Upcoming Schedule:
- No games this week.
Quote: “It’s a little wrong to say a tomato is a vegetable. It’s very wrong to say it’s a suspension bridge.”- Stuart Bloom (S2, E20)
It’s a little wrong to call the Sceptres a quality hockey team. But it’s very wrong to call them a good offensive one.
The Sceptres squandered an excellent opportunity this week to build a little cushion between them and the rest of the pack in the race for the fourth seed. However, they did manage to win the game that mattered the most, and that was Wednesday’s meeting with the fifth-place Charge. It was enough to keep them in fourth place in points for now, although Ottawa is slightly ahead of them by points percentage. They now have the upcoming week off, and it’s their last extended stretch to try to banish whatever demon has cursed their offense this season. Once they return, they’ll have to play the Charge and Sirens twice and the Frost once. With the standings so tight, there will be no room for error.
#5. Ottawa Charge (6-7-1-10, 33 points)
Last Week’s Ranking: 5 (-)
This Week’s Results:
- Sunday, March 29 @ SEA- 2-0 W
- Wednesday, April 1 vs TOR- 2-1 L
Upcoming Schedule:
- Friday, April 3 vs MTL- 7 p.m. ET, Canadian Tire Centre, Ottawa, ON (TSN, RDS, PWHL Youtube Channel)
- Wednesday, April 8 vs SEA- 7 p.m. ET, TD Place, Ottawa, ON (TSN, PWHL Youtube Channel)
Quote: “Notify the editors of the Oxford English Dictionary, the word plenty has been redefined to mean two.”- Sheldon Cooper (S2, E2)
The Charge have scored more than two goals just once in their past five games, yet they’re a respectable 1-2-0-2. Apparently, two is plenty sometimes.
Ottawa started the week with a strong win over the floundering Torrent, but they lost the week’s marquee matchup with Toronto. Luckily for them, there are two more of those on the schedule before the end of the season, and the Charge already hold fourth place in points percentage by a whisper-thin margin. They won’t play any of their fourth-place sparring partners this week, but Ottawa still has a key game ahead in the sense that they cannot afford to leave any points on the table against Seattle. Getting something from Montréal would be a big bonus, but if they can at least beat the Torrent, they’ll keep themselves firmly in the playoff race ahead of a massive final four games, three of which will be played against Toronto and New York.
#6. New York Sirens (8-1-3-12, 29 points)
Last Week’s Ranking: 6 (-)
This Week’s Results:
- Saturday, March 28 @ MTL- 3-1 L
- Wednesday, April 1 vs MIN- 4-3 OTW
Upcoming Schedule:
- Saturday, April 4 vs SEA- 8 p.m. ET, Madison Square Garden, New York, NY (MSG2, TSN, PWHL Youtube Channel)
Quote: “Sheldon’s escaped and is terrorizing the village.”-Leonard Hofstadter (S3, E14)
With a hat trick on Wednesday and seven goals in her past six games, Sarah Fillier is terrorizing the PWHL again.
After kicking the week off with another loss, New York bounced back with a comeback overtime win over Minnesota. Fillier put the team on her back offensively, while rookie Callie Shanahan secured her first PWHL win in her second career start. Not falling behind 3-1 and also winning in regulation would’ve been preferable, but it’s a start after a gnarly stretch for the Sirens. Their sold-out, likely U.S. attendance record-setting MSG debut is finally upon them tomorrow, against the basement-dwelling Torrent, and the Sirens simply cannot walk away with fewer than three points. They need to turn Wednesday’s overtime win into a sizeable win streak, or they’ll soon hold the undesirable title of “first team to miss the playoffs in all three seasons.”
#7. Vancouver Goldeneyes (7-1-4-12, 27 points)
Last Week’s Ranking: 8 (+1)
This Week’s Results:
- Sunday, March 29 @ TOR- 3-2 W
- Wednesday, April 1 @ MTL- 3-0 L
Upcoming Schedule:
- Saturday, April 4 @ MIN- 11 a.m. PT, Grand Casino Arena, St. Paul, MN (CBC, FanDuel Sports Network North, PWHL Youtube Channel)
- Tuesday, April 7 vs BOS- 6:30 p.m. PT, Rogers Place, Edmonton, AB (Amazon Prime, Scripps Sports Network, NESN, PWHL Youtube Channel)
Quote: From S2, E14:
Leonard: “Okay, is everyone clear on the plan?”
Howard: “Yes. Koothrapali’s going to wet himself, I’m gonna throw up, Sheldon’s gonna run away, and you’re going to die. Shall we synchronize our watches?”
The Goldeneyes are facing a long, difficult quest to get into the playoffs. Any plan they may concoct is likely to lead to death, so some might wonder what the point is.
The good news is, Vancouver beat Toronto this week, which was vital to them staying in the playoff race. The bad news is, they followed it up with a shutout loss to Montréal on the same night Toronto beat Ottawa. The Goldeneyes now sit seven points back of the final playoff spot in seventh place, with a game in hand over fourth-place Toronto. That’s a big enough hill to climb on its own, but Vancouver also has no games remaining against the three teams they’re battling for that spot with, while the rest of them all play each other at least once. Those games can cause big standings swings, and Vancouver won’t get to truly benefit from any of them, considering they have to pass all three teams to get in. They’re not dead yet, but they sure do feel like they’re on their last leg.
#8. Seattle Torrent (6-1-2-14, 22 points)
Last Week’s Ranking: 7 (-1)
This Week’s Results:
- Sunday, March 29 vs OTT- 2-0 L
Upcoming Schedule:
- Saturday, April 4 @ NYS- 5 p.m. PT, Madison Square Garden, New York, NY (MSG2, TSN, PWHL Youtube Channel)
- Tuesday, April 7 @ MTL- 4 p.m. PT, Place Bell, Laval, QC (Scripps Sports Network, Amazon Prime, PWHL Youtube Channel)
- Wednesday, April 8 @ OTT- 4 p.m. PT, TD Place, Ottawa, ON (TSN, PWHL Youtube Channel)
Quote: “Game over, Moonpie.”- Will Wheaton (S3, E5)
Game over, Seattle. You may not technically be dead yet, but making up 12 points and passing four teams is simply too tall an order to complete in seven games, even with two games in hand.
The losing continued for Seattle this week, which, again, is for the best now. On the bright side, they got captain Hilary Knight back for the first time since the Olympic break, which is great for morale. But other than that, the vibes remain low in Seattle. Luckily for them, barring a sudden slew of wins, it shouldn’t be too much longer before they activate the Gold Plan. In fact, they might even do it this week. Then, chances are, they’ll have several games to start earning points before anyone else joins them.
