The PWHL playoffs are just around the corner, and the post-season picture is about to get a whole lot clearer.
With four games remaining on the regular-season schedule, two playoff berths are still up for grabs and we still don’t quite know which team will earn the No. 1 seed and with it, the honour of picking their first-round opponent.
Here’s a look at where things stand as we look ahead to the final matchups of the inaugural PWHL season.
Who’s in? Who’s out?
Toronto and Montreal have both punched their tickets to the post-season, but the top seed in the standings — and the right to pick their opponent between the third- and fourth-place teams — remains up for grabs between the two rivals.
New York is the only team mathematically eliminated from post-season contention.
No. 1 seed still up for grabs
Toronto (11-4-0-7) and Montreal (10-3-5-5) sit tied in points (41) atop the PWHL standings. That means both clubs will have home-ice advantage for the semi-final round. But who will finish in first place?
With a game in hand, and one more regulation win than Montreal, Toronto holds the advantage here and can secure the No. 1 seed Wednesday night at home against Minnesota with a regulation win. Anything less than that opens the door for Montreal to claim the top spot with a regulation win over Boston on Saturday, though even then they can’t do it alone — they’d still need Toronto to lose their final game of the season against Ottawa on Sunday night.
Minnesota on brink of clinching
Hold on tight, Minnesota fans. The team’s three-game losing streak dropped them out of contention for one of the top two playoff slots, but they’re still in great shape for a berth… if only they can snap this streak. Sitting third in the standings with 35 points and two games to go, all Minnesota needs is one single point to officially punch a playoff ticket. They can earn that Wednesday night in Toronto with anything but a regulation loss.
However, there’s still a scenario where Minnesota could fall out of the playoff picture altogether. If Minnesota loses both of their final games in regulation and both Ottawa and Boston win theirs in regulation, we’d be wading into a tangle of tie-breaking procedures.
PWHL New York is on the clock…
Thanks to the PWHL’s adoption of the Gold Plan, which awards draft-order points for wins following a team’s mathematical elimination from playoff contention, New York had more than pride to play for Tuesday night against Ottawa.
Tuesday’s matchup had major implications for both clubs: while New York was vying for draft points, Ottawa could’ve become the third team to clinch a playoff spot had they won in regulation. Doing so would’ve capped an incredible turnaround for the club, which spent much of the first half of the season at the bottom of the standings.
New York’s win earned them a Gold Plan victory, securing them the top pick in the 2024 PWHL draft in Minnesota this upcoming June.
Can Ottawa complete its sprint to the post-season?
Now, Ottawa’s entire season hinges on the final weekend of the PWHL schedule. Ottawa and Boston are tied for fourth place with 32 points each and one game to go. Ottawa holds the tiebreaker based on its eight regulation wins (versus Boston’s seven).
Ottawa has a date with Toronto on Sunday — the final regular-season game of the inaugural PWHL campaign — but it’s possible they’ll have clinched a playoff spot before they even hit the ice. If Boston loses in regulation to Montreal on Saturday, Ottawa clinches based on the tiebreak procedure. A regulation or overtime win or an overtime loss for Boston puts the pressure on Ottawa to match it on Sunday.
Remaining regular-season schedule:
Wednesday, May 1: Minnesota @ Toronto, 7 p.m. ET
Saturday, May 4: Minnesota @ New York, 1 p.m. ET; Montreal @ Boston, 3:30 p.m. ET
Sunday, May 5: Ottawa @ Toronto, 7 p.m. ET
When do the playoffs start?
Post-season action is set to start May 8. Toronto announced earlier this week they’ll be hosting home games at Coca-Cola Coliseum, while Montreal will host theirs at Place Bell.
The PWHL announced the first portion of the playoff schedule, with Toronto and Montreal each having locked up home-ice advantage for their respective five-game series, as follows:
Wednesday, May 8: Toronto vs TBD, Game 1 (7:00 p.m. ET)
Thursday, May 9: Montreal vs TBD, Game 1 (7:00 p.m. ET)
Friday, May 10: Toronto vs TBD, Game 2 (7:00 p.m. ET)
Saturday, May 11: Montreal vs TBD, Game 2 (7:00 p.m. ET)