Five Takeaways From New York’s 1-0 OT Victory Over Toronto

On Sunday, the New York Sirens welcomed the Toronto Sceptres back to the Prudential Center. Both teams were coming off losses in the previous week, while New York won this pair's earlier meeting by a score of 4-2. While this game had the potential to be a fast and furious face-off, we were instead treated to a goalie battle that ended regulation as a scoreless tie. Jessie Eldridge scored the lone goal of the game, turning a down-ice pass from Sarah Fillier into a beautiful shot over Kristen Campbell’s left shoulder to win it in overtime for the Sirens. Corinne Schroeder logged another perfect game, becoming the first PWHL goaltender with back-to-back shutouts in the regular season. 

Takeaways 

1. Goaltending made the difference. 

It’s a goalie’s world and everyone else is just living in it… or so it seemed during this game. It’s a bit surprising that the Sirens and Sceptres are the teams behind the PWHL’s first regulation scoreless tie since neither is known for being particularly strong defensively. Indeed, it wasn’t the defense that hampered scoring but the goaltending. Schroeder was lights-out for the Sirens, particularly in the second and third periods. In stopping all 28 of Toronto’s shots, she bailed her team out of a lot of mistakes. “I think Schroeds [Corinne Schroeder] has been our number one goalie for a long time within the organization,” Sirens head coach Greg Fargo said. “She’s been demonstrating the level of her play since day one, but in particular there’s a calmness to her game, there’s a competitiveness to her game that we really like right now.”

Campbell, meanwhile, seemed perhaps the most solid she has this season. The reigning PWHL Goaltender of the Year was playing only her second game since Dec. 18, and during Wednesday’s match-up against the Montréal Victoire, she let in four goals. Against the Sirens, Campbell faced her biggest challenge in the first period but kept everything out, including recovering from when leaving the net left Alex Carpenter with a great chance. With Raygan Kirk looking to steal starts for the Sceptres, Campbell’s ability to keep up this level of play could be crucial in Toronto. 

2. The physicality was noticeable.

From the start of the game, the physical play that has become characteristic of the PWHL was on full display. Toronto seemed to be driving the physicality early, but New York rose to meet them. Abby Roque led the Sirens in hits with four, while Allie Munroe and Hannah Miller tied for the most for the Sceptres with three each. Sceptres head coach Troy Ryan approved. “I love when our team plays physical, I love when the league plays physical,” he said after the game. “I thought today was just a typical game in the PWHL as far as physicality is concerned, and I hope it continues.”

3. Officiating continues to be inconsistent yet influential.

The increase in physicality in the PWHL has also brought issues with officiating into sharp relief. While there were five penalties called in this game, three on Toronto and two on New York, there likely should have been many more, and some of the more blatant missed calls for cross-checking or interference were particularly frustrating. However, the moment of officiating that most directly shaped the course of the game was a play late in the third period with a cluster of players in Campbell’s net that resulted in a loose puck. On-ice officials and the PWHL Central Situation Room reviewed the play for a potential Sirens goal but ultimately ruled no goal because the play was blown dead before the puck crossed the goal line. Looking at the video, it seems obvious that the puck fully crossed the goal line, but also that Campbell did not have control of it. I can understand the decision to not allow the goal despite the jeers that rained down at the Rock, but I was confused by the decision to blow the play dead.

4. New York has a power play problem.

Despite a hot start earlier this season, the Sirens' power play seems to be struggling lately. They couldn't capitalize on any of Toronto’s penalties in this game, and when we add Tuesday’s match against the Ottawa Charge, New York is 0 for 7 on the player advantage. Accounting for their last five games, the Sirens are just 2 for 16, with both power play goals coming during their Jan. 4 game versus the Minnesota Frost. “I don’t know if it was as much to do with what we were or weren’t doing, but Toronto’s kill did a great job,” Fargo said of the Sirens’ power play performance. “I think there’s some areas we’ve got to continue to grow there on the PP, but like our game today, there’s good moments and there’s not so great moments, and that’s what happens to a power play over the course of a season.” It will be interesting to see if the lack of power play production is something Fargo and his staff make a point to address ahead of New York’s next few games. 

5. Neither team particularly built momentum in a messy game. 

The 0-0 score at the end of regulation is perhaps a testament to the odd way this game flowed. The Sirens led the offense at the beginning, outshooting the Sceptres 10 to 3 in the first third of the game, but they never seemed particularly in control of play. That was certainly the case following the first intermission when Toronto tallied 24 shots to the home team’s eight across the next two periods, including 17 in the second period alone. Sceptres forward Emma Woods acknowledged the slow start after the game. “It’s kind of been a trend that we’ve got to get rid of for us, but we trust our game,” she said. “Obviously, we have to have a better start, that's on us. But the way that we responded and came out hot in the second and third is good.” Between the physicality, the penalties both called and missed, and both sides’ special teams’ performances, it seemed difficult for either New York or Toronto to get a solid grasp of this one. New York in particular seems to play to their opponent, so we’ll have to see if this slipperiness remains when the Sirens host the league-leading Minnesota Frost on Wednesday, Jan. 15.