Are the Sirens heading in the right direction?

The New York Sirens are beginning to look like a different hockey team. Last season, playing as PWHL New York, the Sirens were over-dependent on their power play, the goaltending of Corinne Schroeder, and superstar center Alex Carpenter to carry the offense at even strength. It was not a winning recipe. 

In the 2024 season, the Sirens averaged 27.83 SF/GP (shots for per game) and allowed 33.63 SA/GP (shots against per game) – that -5.79 SDIFF/GP (shot differential per game) was the worst average shot differential in the league. New York struggled in much more than just the shot share. They finished the season with a -23 even-strength goal differential, with 31 EV (even strength) goals scored and 54 EV goals against. That deficit is evidence of serious problems at evens, including poor transition play, defense, and almost certainly tactics.

A Team Sv% of .917 and a 24.4% success rate on the power play was not enough to lift the Sirens into the playoffs because of those struggles at even strength. New York finished last in the standings and had just five regulation wins in 24 games. It was a season defined by growing pains. Things needed to change.

Through eight games this season, the Sirens have a 3-1-1-3 (three regulation wins) record. Is a .500 record worth planning a parade about? Hardly, but it’s already evident that this iteration of PWHL's New York franchise is an improvement.

The Sirens already have half as many even-strength goals as they did in 2024 and are moving the puck significantly better this year. New York has averaged 3.13 GF/GP (the 2024 average was 2.21 GF/GP) and average a +1.0 shot differential even after being outshot 37-23 by the Sirens on Tuesday. That's a good sign.

Unsurprisingly, Carpenter is playing like a woman possessed and Sarah Fillier, New York's first-overall pick, is right there with her. The addition of another franchise forward would be good medicine for any team, but the application of that medicine is important to consider. Together, Carpenter and Fillier have scored nine of New York's 25 goals. They're electric together. But would New York get more out of its other talented forwards if that dynamic duo was separated more often at evens?

On paper, New York's forward depth is a step above what it was last year but potential offense doesn't show up on the scoreboard or in the standings. It is up to head coach Greg Fargo to get more out of this forward group. One option would be to prioritize speed by moving Abby Roque down in the lineup and giving more ice time and opportunity to Gabby Rosenthal and/or Jade Downie-Landry. Alternatively, Fillier could center the second line with Eldridge and Noora Tulus on her wings.

At the moment, Tulus represents the most untapped potential offense in New York's lineup. Her ice time has dropped significantly in her last five games, dipping below 11 minutes in her last two appearances. Less ice time will not get Tulus to perform and produce like the player who led the SDHL in scoring in the 2023-24 season with 61 points in 36 GP.

Behind that forward group is a revamped blue line headlined by Shelton. Rookies Allyson Simpson and Maja Nylen Persson have proven to be welcome additions to a group that doesn't seem to get stuck in its own zone nearly as often as last year. One early anecdotal stat that serves as a pH test for how different things appear to be is captain Micah Zandee-Hart already having seven points. Last season, she had three points in 19 GP. That’s about as night and day as it gets.

All things considered, it feels like we have the ingredients for a winning recipe in New York. You can feel optimism and energy in the Prudential Center and it is not misplaced. Perhaps the best takeaway from the first eight games is that New York's strengths from 2024 remain strengths in 2024-25 – Schroeder looks sharp, Carpenter is a force of nature, and the power play looks sharp. New York has a brand, but it also needs to shake off some of the traits that held the team back in year one.

The next eight games will be a test to find that balanced attack at evens that eluded them last season. As entertaining as the duo of Carpenter and Fillier is to watch, the Sirens can't afford to get all their offense from their top line.

Data from the PWHL, EliteProspects.com, and the author's own notes and tracking.