With the PWHL regular season just over 75 per cent done, the first-ever playoffs are not too far away. Five to six games remain for each team before the playoffs begin on May 6th.
PWHL Toronto currently sits first in the standings with 36 points, three more than the next-best team, PWHL Minnesota. Toronto is currently on a tear, winning 11 of their last 12 games after starting the season slowly, only winning one of their first five. Toronto is being led by Natalie Spooner, who sits atop the PWHL in points (20) and goals (15), which is six more goals than the next player, Grace Zumwinkle of Minnesota.
Spooner has been complimented well by fellow countrywoman Sarah Nurse, who leads the league in assists (10) and is second in points on the team with 19. Nurse and Spooner have made big contributions to the team in their inaugural season and unless all goes wrong in their last six games, they will be playing playoff hockey come May 6th.
PWHL Minnesota and Montreal sit in second (33 pts) and third place (30 pts), just three points apart. Minnesota has an exciting young team being the second youngest team in the league and having the first overall pick Taylor Heise. Heise, a 24-year-old from Lake Side, Minnesota, is among the next generation of talent in the game.
She has missed some games this year but is scoring at just under a point-per-game pace with 11 points in 13 games. With Heise back in the lineup over the past five games, they are 4-and-1 and are challenging Toronto for first place in the league.
Montreal has been slipping in the standings lately, losing their last three games. The schedule is not getting any easier for Montreal either, as three of their next four games are against Toronto and Minnesota – three big games that could flip the standings if Montreal can get back on track.
PWHL Ottawa is currently holding the last playoff spot in the league and is four points up on Boston – who sits in fifth place but have a game in hand. Ottawa will need to continue their form as of late to hold on to the last playoff spot.
But Boston determines whether Ottawa will get in easy or not. In the last six games they play New York – currently in last place – twice, which will be big games in determining their fate in the inaugural season.
With New York in last place, you’d assume that they would want to lose these games to thank for the first-overall pick. But no: the PWHL took a different approach to how a team gets the first overall pick when they announced their playoff rules a few months ago.
After being mathematically eliminated from the playoffs, teams will start to accumulate “draft order points” using the standard three-two-one-point system for the league. The team with the most “draft order points” at the end of the year will be awarded the first overall pick in that summer’s draft.
This incentivizes teams to stay competitive after being eliminated from playoffs and eliminates tanking.
With this innovative rule in place, all teams will be playing important games down the stretch.
For more information on the PWHL, visit thepwhl.com.
