3 teams, 2 playoff spots: Everything to play for on final day of PWHL regular season

Karissa Donkin · CBC Sports

· Posted: May 02, 2025 8:58 AM EDT | Last Updated: 10 minutes ago

The PWHL couldn't person scripted it better.

For the 2nd twelvemonth successful a row, the league's playoff representation comes down to the past time of the regular season.

Three points abstracted second-place Boston from third-place Ottawa and fourth-place Minnesota. Only 2 volition marque the Walter Cup playoffs.

The chaos begins connected Saturday with Ottawa connected the roadworthy successful Toronto astatine 12 p.m. ET, arsenic the Charge looks to clinch its archetypal franchise playoff berth.

Ottawa's provincial rivals person already locked down a playoff spot, and person the accidental to play spoiler for Charge fans for the 2nd twelvemonth successful a row. 

It comes aft the Charge fto a playoff spot gaffe distant connected Wednesday successful beforehand of a location assemblage astatine TD Place. The Frost unopen Ottawa retired 3-0, contempt a coagulated show successful nett by rookie Gwyneth Philips.

WATCH | Charge miss accidental to unafraid playoff spot successful nonaccomplishment against Frost:

Ottawa allowed turnovers each nighttime and struggled to get the puck retired of its zone. Eventually it caught up with the team.

"I don't deliberation it was a deficiency of effort," caput manager Carla MacLeod said aft the game. "I conscionable consciousness we were a spot 'blah' today, and you don't privation to spot that successful a infinitesimal similar this. Certainly that's a misstep connected our part."

MacLeod encouraged her players to conscionable the moment, and to beryllium excited to gain a playoff spot alternatively than frightened to lose. 

The squad volition beryllium successful the driving spot again connected Saturday. Ottawa needs a triumph implicit Toronto (12 p.m. ET) oregon a nonaccomplishment by Minnesota to marque the cut. Should the Charge necktie the Frost, Ottawa's cushion of regularisation wins would beryllium the tiebreaker. 

In different words, triumph and you're in. It's arsenic elemental arsenic that. 

"We person the summons successful our hands still," MacLeod said. "That hasn't changed. It's conscionable making definite that we're learning from this acquisition and recognizing present we're a small spot up against the wall."

Championship crippled rematch

A Walter Cup last rematch is connected pat astatine 1 p.m. ET erstwhile the Boston Fleet big the Frost. Both teams are successful the hunt for a playoff spot, but the Fleet beryllium a afloat 3 points up of Minnesota. Making it to overtime should beryllium capable for the Fleet to get in. 

The Frost went into a large TD Place successful Ottawa connected Wednesday having mislaid 4 of the past 5 games. But the team's seasoned leaders showed up.

Captain Kendall Coyne Schofield opened the scoring, earlier adjunct skipper Lee Stecklein extended the pb with a laser of a changeable from the point. Stecklein besides added an bare netter.

Minnesota limped into the playoffs past season. The squad mislaid 5 successful a row, and past the archetypal 2 playoff games, too.

But we each cognize what happened aft that. Minnesota stormed backmost to stun Toronto and past earned a hard-fought crippled 5 triumph implicit Boston to triumph the archetypal Walter Cup. 

You tin ne'er number them out.

"They're a bully team," Stecklein said aft her team's regular-season finale against the Fleet. "We saw them rather a spot past year, too. We cognize it's going to beryllium a battle. I deliberation it's going to beryllium a antithetic crippled than any of the others we've played earlier due to the fact that we're playing a spot desperate."

Montreal looking to fastener up apical spot

The time ends with the New York Sirens hosting the Montreal Victoire astatine 2 p.m. ET. You tin ticker the crippled connected CBC Gem and streaming connected CBCSports.ca.

On the surface, it whitethorn not look similar overmuch is connected the line. The last-place Sirens person been eliminated from playoff contention and person secured the first-overall prime successful June's introduction draft. 

Montreal, meanwhile, is sitting successful archetypal spot with a guaranteed spot successful the playoffs.

But the crippled could find whether the Victoire spell into the post-season successful the driver's seat.

With that, comes power. Once again, the archetypal effect volition get to prime its hostile betwixt the third- and fourth-place team.

But aft struggling to find secondary scoring implicit the past month, Montreal could usage the momentum that comes with going into the playoffs connected a winning streak. 

Victoire caput manager Kori Cheverie said the crippled volition besides beryllium important to proceed to get her players into a rhythm after the planetary break. Defender Kati Tabin volition besides beryllium returning from a two-game suspension.

"Any mode you benignant of look astatine it, it's going to beryllium an important crippled for our group," Cheverie said.

Toronto, meanwhile, rallied down beloved 3rd goaltender Carly (CJ) Jackson for a shootout triumph implicit New York earlier this week. Head manager Troy Ryan described it arsenic 1 of his team's astir important wins of the twelvemonth due to the fact that of what Jackson brings to the team.

"Sometimes that small other information that a idiosyncratic similar CJ brings retired successful your radical is truly important," Ryan said aft the win. 

Now, they request to transportation that into 1 past game. Only a regularisation triumph by Toronto and a regularisation nonaccomplishment by Montreal volition beryllium capable for Toronto to leapfrog into first.

The best-of-five semifinal circular of the Walter Cup playoffs statesman adjacent week.