PREVIEW: Boston Looks to Snap Skid as New York Comes to Town

Boston looks to snap their two-game skid this afternoon against New York, who handed them their first multi-goal loss a few weeks ago. Here’s everything you need to know before the puck drops. 

The Basics: Saturday, February 17, 2024- Boston vs New York- 4 p.m. EST, Tsongas Center, Lowell, MA (NESN, MSG, PWHL Youtube Channel, GEM)

What to Expect:

The last time these two teams met, New York handed Boston their first multi-goal loss of the season, 4-1. Boston outplayed New York for long stretches and outshot them 33-19, but a second-period lapse spelled their doom. 

Boston dropped their game against Toronto on Wednesday despite outplaying and outshooting them by a large margin. Even Toronto head coach Troy Ryan acknowledged after the game that his team was outplayed, calling it “one of our performance[s] I liked the least” but adding that “maybe it was one of those games where we deserved to have a poor performance and come out on the better end of it” after finding ways to lose many games they played well in. Meanwhile, Boston head coach Courtney Kessel said she was “disappointed” and “didn’t feel like it was the result it should’ve been with the way the play went.” So, expect Boston to come out hungry as this one

Meanwhile, New York’s last game was a 4-3 OTW over Ottawa on February 4, so before the international break. As a result, there could be some rust in their game. They have been all over the place this season and have yet to win consecutive games. As such, it’s hard to predict how they’ll look this afternoon. Theoretically, they’ll come out hard as they search for their first consecutive wins. But, that has surely been said before, and look what’s happened. So, we don’t know what version of PWHL New York will show up until the puck drops.

As for the goaltenders, it would be surprising to see anyone but Corinne Schroeder for New York. She is the only goaltender they have won with, and man, has she been good. Schroeder has games for New York and was a big part of why they hung on to win the last game against Boston. She is 2-2-0-2 on the season, with a sparkling 1.98 GAA (tied for fifth in the league) and 0.942 SV% (second in the league). She gives her teammates a chance to win every game. What they do with that chance is a different story, but I digress.

As for Boston, expect Aerin Frankel to get the start. In a surprising move, she did not dress last game against Toronto, but after the game, Kessel said she was fine and would be practicing. Frankel and Emma Söderberg have been rotating starts recently, so if that is true, Frankel will get the start tonight. Last game against New York, Frankel did not let up a goal after relieving Söderberg following Boston’s meltdown at the beginning of the second period. Overall, Frankel has a 1-1-1-1 record this season to go along with an outstanding 1.91 GAA (third in the league) and 0.927 SV% (fifth in the league). 

Boston’s Key to the Game:

More high-danger chances. Boston has gotten a lot of shots on goal recently, but not enough high-danger chances. It’s a big part of why they lost their last game against New York, as well as against Toronto on Wednesday. But, they start doing a better job in the back half of Wednesday’s game, and they have to keep building on that this afternoon. Schroeder is way too good to be beaten by perimeter shots, and volume doesn’t faze her. So, if Boston doesn’t start getting to the dirty areas faster and more frequently, they’re in for another frustrating game.