PWHL Power Rankings: Week 1 (01/01-01/07)

Welcome to The Ice Garden’s weekly PWHL Power Rankings! This week's power rankings are coming to you a day late for content planning purposes, but check back for new installments every Monday and remember: if you think your team is ranked too low, it’s definitely totally 100% because we hate them.

This week’s power rankings look a lot similar to the overall standings, but when you only have one or two games to go off of for each team, that’s bound to happen. There’s likely going to be a lot of movement over these next couple of weeks as we see what each team is truly made out of. In the meantime, please enjoy the inaugural edition of TIG's PWHL Power Rankings. This week’s theme is: one word to describe each team’s start

Note: team records are written in descending order of points awards, so they go: regulation wins-overtime/shootout wins-overtime/shootout losses-regulation losses. 

#1 Minnesota (2-0-0-0, 6 points)

This Week’s Results:

• Weds, Jan 3 @ BOS- 3-2 W
• Sat, Jan 6 vs MON- 3-0 W

Upcoming Schedule: 

• Wed, Jan 10 vs TOR- 7 p.m. CST, Xcel Energy Center, St. Paul, MN (Bally Sports North Extra, NESN, Sportsnet Pittsburgh, TSN, PWHL YouTube Channel)
• Sun, Jan 14 vs NYC, 3 p.m. CST, Xcel Energy Center, St. Paul, MN (Bally Sports North, MSG, NESN, Sportsnet, PWHL YouTube Channel, SN+)

One Word: Surprising

I will be the first to admit that I was wrong about Minnesota. Pre-season, I had them in the bottom of the league, as did many others. And sure, this could just be a hot start. But wow, they look good. They dominated the first half of their game against Boston and were able to hold on for the win when Boston surged. Then, they became the first PWHL team to win their attendance record-breaking home opener as they shut out Montréal. They were simply phenomenal, and well-deserving of the #1 spot in this week’s rankings.

#2 New York (1-0-0-1, 3 points)

This Week’s Results:

• Mon, Jan 1 @ TOR- 4-0 W
• Fri, Jan 5 vs TOR- 3-2 L

Upcoming Schedule:

• Wed, Jan 10 vs MON- 7 p.m. EST, UBS Arena, Elmont, NY (MSG, PWHL YouTube Channel, TSN+)
• Sun, Jan 14 @ MIN, 4 p.m. EST, Xcel Energy Center, St. Paul, MN (MSG, Bally Sports North, NESN, Sportsnet, PWHL YouTube Channel, SN+)

One Word: Captivating

New York started off the PWHL season with a bang, with a road shutout vs Toronto in the inaugural game. It was a close game for the first two periods, but Corinne Schroeder was simply outstanding and New York’s offense came alive to support her in the third period. They lost the rematch at home four days later, but it was close. This team is just a lot of fun to watch, so they come in second.

#3 Montréal (0-1-0-1, 2 points)

This Week’s Results:

• Tues, Jan 2 @ OTT- 3-2 OTW
• Sat, Jan 6 @ MIN- 3-0 L

Upcoming Schedule:

• Wed, Jan 10 @ NYC- 7 p.m. EST, UBS Arena, Elmont, NY (MSG, RDS2, PWHL YouTube Channel, TSN+)
• Sat, Jan 13 vs BOS- 3:30 p.m. EST, Verdun Auditorium, Montréal, QC (CBC, NESN+, SRC, TOU.TV, PWHL YouTube Channel, GEM)

One Word: Tenacious

Montréal and Toronto were hard to choose between this week. Both won one game while getting shutout in the other. However, Montréal’s overall play gave them a slight edge for this week. They gave a relentless, 60-minute effort in their overtime win versus Ottawa, and while they didn’t look their best against Minnesota, Minnesota also just played an outstanding game. Their overall play was more impressive than Toronto's across both games, so Montréal takes home the third spot.

#4 Toronto (1-0-0-1, 3 points)

This Week’s Results:

• Mon, Jan 1 vs NYC- 4-0 L
• Fri, Jan 5 @ NYC- 3-2 W

Upcoming Schedule:

• Weds, Jan 10 @ MIN- 8 p.m. EST, Xcel Energy Center, St. Paul, MN (TSN, Bally Sports North Extra, NESN, Sportsnet Pittsburgh, PWHL YouTube Channel)
• Sat, Jan 13 vs OTT- 1 p.m. EST, Mattamy Athletic Centre, Toronto, ON (CBC, PWHL YouTube Channel, GEM)

One Word: Resurgent

There’s not much to add here for Toronto that I haven’t already said. They did not look good for the majority of their home opener against New York, as they struggled to adapt in-game to New York’s stifling defensive play. However, they made the necessary adjustments before their rematch four days later and they pulled off the win while looking much better overall. They’re not the best team in the league, but they’ll probably keep things interesting in most games. That being said, Montréal looked like a better team in their games, so Toronto comes in fourth.

#5 Ottawa (0-0-1-0, 1 point)

This Week’s Results:

• Tues, Jan 2 vs MON- 3-2 OTL

Upcoming Schedule:

• Mon, Jan 8 @ BOS- 6 p.m. EST, Tsongas Center, Lowell, MA (TSN, NESN, PWHL YouTube Channel) **POSTPONED due to inclement weather impacting player travel, new date TBA**
• Sat, Jan 13 @ TOR- 1 p.m. EST, Mattamy Athletic Centre, Toronto, ON (CBC, PWHL YouTube Channel, GEM)

One Word: Stiffed

It feels silly to have Ottawa ranked so low. After all, even though they lost, they played a great game and took perhaps the deepest team in the league to overtime. They also only got to play one game this week and it was in the middle of three consecutive days of home openers, which limited their time in the spotlight despite a historic opening game. But, ultimately, they lost the only game they played this week. Sure, they played great, but considering it’s the first week of the season, wins factored most heavily into these rankings. But, given Ottawa’s play in their lone game and the fact that they lost it in overtime, they stay out of last place.

#6 Boston (0-0-0-1, 0 points)

This Week’s Results:

• Weds, Jan 3 vs MIN- 3-2 L

Upcoming Schedule:

• Mon, Jan 8 vs OTT- 6 p.m. EST, Tsongas Center, Lowell, MA (NESN, TSN, PWHL YouTube Channel) **POSTPONED due to inclement weather impacting player travel, new date TBA**
• Sat, Jan 13 @ MON- 3:30 p.m. EST, Verdun Auditorium, Montréal, QC (NESN+, CBC, SRC, TOU.TV, PWHL YouTube Channel, GEM)

One Word: Hopeful

Boston brings up the rear this week, as they dropped their only game in regulation. They also didn’t play great for the first 40 minutes of that game, so they’ve earned this spot. However, they gave fans reasons for optimism in the third period. If they keep up that level of play going forward, don’t be surprised to see them rise quickly.