PWHL Power Rankings: Contenders are starting to separate from the pack
As the PWHL gets ready for the Olympic break, teams are starting to separate themselves from the pack.
Boston, Minnesota and New York continue to reign atop the standings, while expansion teams Vancouver and Seattle languish at the bottom, and the contingent of Montreal, Ottawa and Toronto sit somewhere in the middle.
It’s a first for the power rankings this week as there has been no movement. Let’s get into it.
1. Boston Fleet
Record: 8-1-2-2
Plus/Minus: +10
League position: 1st
Last power ranking position: 1st
Boston had a solid week, recording two 2-1 wins over Toronto and Seattle, but the story continues to be goaltender Aerin Frankel, who turned aside 56 of 58 shots faced across both contests.
Frankel leads the league in goals-against average (1.23), save percentage (.950), wins (eight) and shutouts (three). She’s backstopped the Fleet to every win this season and with no Boston players in the top-six of league scoring, Frankel is the definition of MVP.
2. Minnesota Frost
Record: 5-2-2-3
Plus/Minus: +11
League position: 3rd
Last power ranking position: 2nd
Minnesota secured a 3-2 win in New York this week with the offence once again leading the way. The Frost have scored a league-high 37 goals in 12 games, so it’s no surprise they boast three of the top-six scorers in the PWHL.
Kendall Coyne Schofield (9G, 5A) and Britta Curl-Salemme lead the league with 14 points apiece, while Nicole Hensley (1.48 GAA, .949 SV) seems to have established herself as the No. 1 option in net.
If there’s one knock on this team it’s their league-worst penalty kill, which is sitting at 76.9 per cent. The Frost’s three-game homestand is a good opportunity to work on special teams and turn things around in that regard.
3. New York Sirens
Record: 7-0-1-5
Plus/Minus: +2
League position: 2nd
Last power ranking position: 3rd
New York did well to pick up four of a possible six points against two of the hotter teams in the league this week, Minnesota and Montreal. Leading the way are Kayle Osborne (1.94 GAA, .930 SV), who remains one of the top goalies in the league and Kristyna Kaltounkova, who has the second-most goals (eight).
However, special teams have been a struggle on both sides of the ice. The Sirens have produced the third-worst power play (10 per cent) and the second-worst penalty kill (80 per cent). If they can figure things out at 5-on-4 they’ll be a scary team to face come playoff time.
4. Montreal Victoire
Record: 5-2-0-5
Plus/Minus: +6
League position: 4th
Last power ranking position: 4th
The Victoire split their pair of games last week, winning 2-1 against Ottawa before a 2-1 loss against New York. Marie-Philip Poulin (5G, 7A) and Abby Roque (4G, 6A) carry the load offensively and remain a constant threat to score.
The concern is the depth after Poulin and Roque, who are the only Montreal players with 10 points on the season. A tough road game in Minnesota on Wednesday serves as a perfect measuring stick for the Victoire and it’s an opportunity from some of the depth players to step up and start chipping in.
5. Ottawa Charge
Record: 3-4-0-6
Plus/Minus: -2
League position: 6th
Last power ranking position: 5th
Ottawa was the biggest riser in last week’s power rankings, but a 2-1 loss in Montreal last Tuesday halts their momentum. The Charge continue to work on their roster, linking up with Vancouver to make a six-player trade.
Two-time Walter Cup champion Michela Cava and Brooke McQuigge were brought in to bolster the forward group, while Emma Greco was added to the blue line. We’ll see if those additions can get Ottawa’s goal differential back into the positives when they visit Montreal and New York.
6. Toronto Sceptres
Record: 4-1-3-5
Plus/Minus: -8
League position: 5th
Last power ranking position: 6th
Toronto bounced back from a 2-1 loss in Boston to beat Vancouver 2-1 in overtime. This team is majorly concerning offensively as they have the second-worst goal differential (-8), they’ve scored the second-fewest goals (23) and they’ve only scored more than two goals in a game three times this season.
At this point it’s a chicken or the egg debate when it comes to the Sceptres’ lack of offensive production and their terrible power play, which is clicking at a 9.7 per cent rate, the second-worst mark in the league.
7. Seattle Torrent
Record: 3-1-2-5
Plus/Minus: -7
League position: 7th
Last power ranking position: 7th
It’s been a tough inaugural season for the Torrent, but they held their own in a 2-1 home shootout loss against league-leading Boston on Sunday. There’s not one area you can point to as a problem for Seattle, but there’s also nothing they really excel at, so it’s hard to imagine them turning things around and making a run at a playoff spot.
The MVP for the team is Julia Gosling, who leads the Torrent with 10 points (5G, 5A). Gosling’s even plus/minus is pretty admirable considering she plays on a team with one of the worst goal differential’s in the league.
8. Vancouver Goldeneyes
Record: 3-1-2-7
Plus/Minus: -12
League position: 8th
Last power ranking position: 8th
It hasn’t been any better for fellow expansion team Vancouver, who have now dropped three straight games. The Goldeneyes sit last in almost every major statistic, including posting the worst goal differential in the league by scoring the fewest goals (22) and giving up the most (34).
It has to at least be a huge relief to get Sarah Nurse back in the lineup. Nurse opened the year scoring the first goal in franchise history before missing the next 11 games. She found her way back on the scoresheet in her return on Saturday.
Nurse will be a big addition to the forward group that now includes Anna Meixner, Mannon McMahon and Anna Shokhina, the three players acquired in the trade with Ottawa this week.
