Battle for final playoff spot heating up in final week of PWHL regular season

9 transactions into the thirdly geological period of Wednesday's biz against the Toronto Sceptres, the New York Sirens were trailing by two goals in a must-win situation.

Yielding three points in regulation to Toronto would have dealt a massive blow to New York's playoff chances. The prospect was stark: three straight seasons out of the playoffs.

But the Sirens battled back, scoring three unanswered third-period goals to snatch three points from a standings rival.

"At this point of the year, our team knows who we are," Sirens head coach Greg Fargo told reporters after the game. "We know how to play. Ultimately it comes down to their belief in one another and how hard we want to fight together."

Heading into a slate of four PWHL games this weekend, the Ottawa Charge own the fourth and final playoff spot with 36 points. But the Sirens and the Sceptres are close behind, tied with 34 points. All three teams each have three games left.

One of the most important games in the battle for the final spot is set for Saturday at 2 p.m. ET, when the Charge host the Sirens. The Sirens will be looking to carry on the momentum from Wednesday's comeback win, while the Charge should be rested after a week-long break.

New York rookie Casey O'Brien scored the game winner on Wednesday, her latest feat in a season where she's showed why many people considered her the top prospect in last year's draft.

O'Brien leads all rookies in points (21) and is tied with Sarah Fillier atop the Sirens' leaderboard.

Her seven goals trail only teammate Kristýna Kaltounková among rookies, but O'Brien has scored those goals while putting only 56 shots on net.

With Kaltounková on long-term injured reserve, the Sirens have leaned more on O'Brien and she's delivered, with nine points in her last seven games.

Some questioned O'Brien's size heading into last year's draft. But she's proven the skill she showed at the University of Wisconsin, where she smashed Hilary Knight's scoring record and was named the top player in college hockey, can translate to the professional league.

She's part of a young core that the Sirens have built around this season. Even though they're new to the league, players like O'Brien, a three-time national champion at Wisconsin, know how to win.

That's something GM Pascal Daoust has prioritized in rebuilding this team.

Fillier, the 2025 first-overall pick, has also found the net after some bad puck luck to begin the season. Eight of her nine goals have come since the Olympic break.

One area where Fillier hasn't found her scoring touch yet is on the power play. She's yet to register a goal with an extra player this season. New York has scored only once in 19 power-play opportunities over the last five games.

The one power-play goal was a big one, tying the game against Toronto.

"We know our power play, if we’re going to make a push here, it’s got to be better," Fargo said. "But I think scoring that goal at an important moment of our season hopefully can be something we can build on moving forward in these last three games and beyond."

Ottawa, which holds the coveted fourth playoff spot, will have the advantage of its loud TD Place crowd in its bid to hang on to it on Saturday.

Ottawa's last game, a 2-0 win over Toronto, wasn't its best game. The Charge frequently turned over pucks and struggled to win board battles.

But starting goaltender Gwyneth Philips stood on her head, saving 42 shots in the kind of performance that made her playoff MVP last season.

Toronto went into last weekend holding the final playoff spot. Instead of cementing the lead, the team has lost back-to-back must-win games against New York and Ottawa.

As New York clawed back in the third period on Wednesday, the Sceptres shortened the bench. Defenders Savannah Harmon (31:04), Renata Fast (29:15) and Ella Shelton (24:44) all logged big minutes as Toronto tried to defend its lead.

Now, Toronto has to try to make up those points on the road in Minnesota on Sunday.

"Sometimes when you try to grind out a game that’s so important and you come up short, it doesn’t set the table for the next one," Toronto head coach Troy Ryan said.

If there's a tie for the final playoff spot, the first tiebreaker will be regulation wins, something Ryan reminded his team of on Wednesday. Heading into the weekend, Toronto has nine regulation wins, the same as New York, while Ottawa has only seven.

Sirens rally in 3rd period to edge Sceptres

"We've just got to win," Shelton said after Wednesday's loss. "I think we’ve got to find a way. We have all the skill in the world and all the talent in the world in that dressing room."

While the stakes may not feel as high as the battle for the last playoff spot, Boston and Montreal will meet on Friday at 7 p.m. ET with the top spot in the standings on the line. Only one point separates first-place Montreal from second-place Boston.

Whichever team finishes the season in first place will have the opportunity to select its first-round opponent among the third- and fourth-seeded teams.

Even though the first-place team has lost to the opponent it selected the last two seasons, it's still an advantage. It's a chance to avoid a first-round matchup with the back-to-back champions, the Minnesota Frost.

The Victoire are on a six-game winning streak, with all of those wins coming in regulation. Most recently, the Victoire defeated the Fleet 1-0 in front of a sold-out TD Place in Boston last weekend.

It wouldn't be surprising to see another low-scoring battle between Boston and Montreal on Friday in front of the top two goaltenders in the game.

Both Boston's Aerin Frankel and Montreal's Ann-Renée Desbiens have put up MVP-calibre campaigns. Both have earned seven shutouts, and have saved more than 95 per cent of the shots that have come their way this season.

Every chance to see them compete against one another is an opportunity to see the best of the best. It could even be a preview of the Walter Cup Finals.

"We actually have a lost of respect for each other," Desbiens said after her team's win over Boston last week. "I think what we've both been able to accomplish not only this year but the past few years, how consistent we've both been, you know every game is going to be tough to score against her. I hope they feel the same way. It's just amazing to see how two goalies can be very different, look very different, but still get things done."

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