PWHL Power Rankings: Week 9 (03/04-03/10)
There's a new #1 in town as Disney/Pixar movies take over the power rankings.
Welcome to The Ice Garden’s weekly PWHL power rankings! Check back for new installments every week, and remember: if you think your team is ranked too low, it’s definitely totally 100% because we hate them.
The rankings mirror the standings for the first time this season (although it wasn’t intentional). Some light shuffling aside, things remained fairly steady this week. Teams continued to play about as we expected them to, and while there were a few surprising results, that’s bound to happen in a league this competitive. It’s a light week ahead, with only two teams playing more than one game, so don’t expect a ton of movement next week either.
A few weeks ago, I did a Disney animation quote theme for the power rankings. But, considering the seemingly endless options out there for Disney movie-related power rankings, I decided just one theme wasn’t enough. So, for this week’s installment, I chose a scene from a Disney/Pixar movie to describe each team’s week, because who doesn’t love some childhood nostalgia mixed in with hockey?
#1. Toronto (8-3-0-5, 30 points)
Last Week’s Ranking: 2 (+1)
This Week’s Results:
- Wed, Mar 6 vs BOS- 3-1 W
- Fri, Mar 8 vs MTL- 3-0 W
Upcoming Schedule:
- Sun, Mar 16 @ MTL- 12:30 p.m. EDT, PPG Paints Arena, Pittsburgh, PA (CBC, RDS2, Sportsnet Pittsburgh, Bally Sports North, GEM, PWHL Youtube Channel)
Pixar Scene: Jack-Jack discovers his powers (The Incredibles 2).
While their win streak may have started on the backs of Natalie Spooner and Kristen Campbell, Toronto has been finding other ways to win as it stretches on. They’re getting scoring outside of Spooner (although she remains excellent), the defense is improved, and Campbell keeps on rolling. All I could think of was the scene for The Incredible 2 where Jack-Jack fights off a raccoon as he discovers many of his powers. I don’t know about you, but if I was another team right now and I had to play Toronto, I’d feel a lot like the poor raccoon when he gets stuck in the chair. Do yourself a favor, and if you don’t watch any of the other clips, watch this one.
Winners of nine straight, Toronto looks unstoppable lately. During this streak, they’ve rocketed from last place in the standings to first, and one has to wonder what it’ll take for another team to end their streak finally. During it, they’ve won any way you can think of, between blowouts, shutouts, one-goal games, and both overtime and shootout wins. With eight games left in the season, someone will likely figure out how to beat them at some point, and I remain that how Toronto responds to that will be the true test of the team’s strength. But right now, everything is looking up in Toronto.
#2. Montréal (7-3-3-4, 30 points)
Last Week’s Ranking: 1 (-1)
This Week’s Results:
Upcoming Schedule:
- Sun, Mar 16 vs TOR- 12:30 p.m. EDT, PPG Paints Arena, Pittsburgh, PA (CBC, RDS2, Sportsnet Pittsburgh, Bally Sports North, GEM, PWHL Youtube Channel)
Pixar Scene: Buzz Lightyear’s first flight attempt in front of the toys (Toy Story).
This was not Montréal’s strongest week, to put it lightly, as they lost two consecutive games for the first time. However, I’ve got to give them some style points for it. Much like Buzz’s first attempt to fly in front of the rest of the toys, Montréal created some chaos in the losses. Their first two games of the week took the #1 and #2 spots in penalties in a PWHL game this season. Meanwhile, in their one win, they nearly blew a three-goal lead. Nothing quite went as expected this week for Montréal, just like Buzz’s “flight” didn’t go how he probably pictured, but perhaps a little adversity will be good for Montréal long-term. Woody famously uses the phrase “falling with style” to describe Buzz’s first flight attempt, and Buzz turns it around when he finally does fly at the end of the movie. Barring any surprises, Montréal should return to its positive brand of “falling with style” soon.
After five weeks at #1, Montréal was finally knocked off their pedestal this week. While the losses weren’t good, perhaps the biggest storyline out of Montréal this week is the Marie-Philip Poulin injury. MPP is their MVP, so all eyes are on her and whether or not the injury will keep her out long-term. She was injured during the Toronto game and did not play against Ottawa, and look at what happened. But, as long as Poulin isn’t out long-term, this week shouldn’t cause too much concern for Montréal fans. Bad games and even weeks are bound to happen, and Montréal remains the most complete team in the league. A little adversity can be a good thing for long-term success. Montréal has just one game this upcoming week, and it’s against Toronto, and they have dropped all three games to them this season. It’ll also be a battle for first place in the standings, as the teams are currently tied in points, although Toronto sits in first thanks to a game in hand. So, Montréal is quickly getting the opportunity against a red-hot team to show if they can respond well to adversity.
#3. Minnesota (6-3-3-4, 27 points)
Last Week’s Ranking: 3 (-)
This Week’s Results:
- Tue, Mar 5 vs OTT- 4-3 SOW
Upcoming Schedule:
- Weds, Mar 13 vs BOS- 7 p.m. CDT, Xcel Energy Center, St. Paul, MN (Bally Sports North, NESN, Sportsnet Pittsburgh, TSN, PWHL Youtube Channel)
- Sat, Mar 16 vs NYC- 2:30 p.m. CDT, Xcel Energy Center, St. Paul, MN (Bally Sports North, MSG, CBC, PWHL Youtube Channel, GEM)
Pixar Scene: Mike Wazowski’s face-cover gag (Monsters Inc.).
This one may take place over multiple scenes, but it feels too fitting not to include. Mike Wazowski is one of the main characters of Monsters Inc. He’s Sulley’s right-hand man and attempted voice of reason. Plus, he’s clever and funny and he provides us with some of the most memorable lines in Disney/Pixar history. However, there’s a recurring gag in the movie where his face is covered up in any type of promotion he and Sulley do. That feels like PWHL Minnesota this season. They’ve been a great team and done some memorable things (including briefly breaking the attendance record and scoring the PWHL’s first hat trick). Yet, I don’t know if I’m just not following the right people, but it feels like they keep getting pushed aside and aren’t getting the coverage they deserve. Mike was still ecstatic about being featured, and Minnesota seems to be perfectly happy as they are, but both deserve more respect.
Minnesota had a light week, only playing one game on Tuesday, but they managed to scrap out a shootout win. They’re not the powerhouses they were at the beginning of the season, but they’re still a good team. Even when they’ve lost, they keep every game close (only two of their seven losses have been by more than one goal). That’s largely thanks to perhaps the league’s best goaltending tandem in Nicole Hensley and Maddie Rooney. Minnesota faces two hungry teams this week, with fourth-place Boston and sixth-place New York coming to town, so it’ll be a good test to see how this team matches desperation. But, overall, they are confident in their abilities and are willing and able to win in multiple ways. That’s vital to long-term success, especially in the playoffs.
#4. Boston (4-3-2-6, 20 points)
Last Week’s Ranking: 4 (-)
This Week’s Results:
Upcoming Schedule:
- Weds, Mar 13 @ MIN- 8 p.m. EDT, Xcel Energy Center, St. Paul, MN (NESN, Bally Sports North, Sportsnet Pittsburgh, TSN, PWHL Youtube Channel)
- Sat, Mar 16 vs OTT- 6 p.m. EDT, Little Caesars Arena, Detroit, MI (Bally Sports North, Sportsnet, PWHL Youtube Channel, SN+)
Pixar Scene: The gang crosses the street to Al’s Toy Barn (Toy Story 2).
Boston’s been on a bit of a rollercoaster lately, but they’re still hanging on to fourth place. Meanwhile, Buzz and the rest of the gang also went on quite an adventure in Toy Story 2 as they tried to rescue Woody from Al the Toy Collector. At one point, they crossed a busy street under traffic cones, and despite the danger they faced and the mayhem they caused, they made it to the other side safely. Similarly, Boston has to be careful moving forward that they don’t make a mistake and return to some of their old bad habits, or they’ll get run over and miss playoffs. But, if they buckle down and consistently play like they’ve shown they can, they too will make it to the other side of this regular season safely.
Despite a rocky couple of weeks, there’s reason for optimism in Boston after the last game against New York. While it took overtime, Boston finally played with urgency for most of the game, and they got a remarkable amount of quality chances. Those had been the team’s biggest problems this season. If they can keep that up going forward and even keep building on it, they’ll put themselves in a good position. It’s another big week for them, as they kick the week off in Minnesota, who currently sits in third place with 27 points. As large of a gap as that is, Boston holds a game in hand. So if they can pull off a regulation win over on Wednesday, who knows what could happen? Then, they’ll cap off the week with a massive tilt against Ottawa. The two are currently tied in points, but Boston is in the driver’s seat thanks to a game in hand. However, they’ll be making up that game this week. Ottawa will be desperate for a win to keep their playoff hopes alive, and even if they win on Wednesday, Boston will need to match that desperation. Two wins this week could go a long way to putting Boston comfortably in the fourth and final playoff spot, but things will stay hairy (or get worse) with any other combination.
#5. Ottawa (5-0-5-6, 20 points)
Last Week’s Ranking: 6 (+1)
This Week’s Results:
- Tue, Mar 5 @ MIN- 4-3 SOL
- Sun, Mar 10 @ MTL- 4-2 W
Upcoming Schedule:
- Sat, Mar 16 @ BOS- 6 p.m. EDT, Little Caesars Arena, Detroit, MI (Sportsnet, Bally Sports North, SN+, PWHL Youtube Channel)
Pixar Scene: Dash’s incredulous teacher (The Incredibles).
Ottawa has gotten into plenty of trouble this season, just like Dash in The Incredibles. For a while, they had a real knack for finding ways to lose even when they played well, just like Dash tempted fate by using his powers to cause trouble before finally getting “caught” on camera by his teacher, Bernie Kropp. I’m sure many Ottawa fans felt like Mr. Kropp, unable to believe that things were going the way they did.
However, the main reason why I picked this scene is because of the famous “coincidence? I think not!” line from Mr. Kropp. After starting Emerance Maschmeyer in every game since the season began, head coach Carla McLeod finally turned to Sandra Abstreiter on Tuesday. Then, on Sunday, Maschmeyer gave perhaps her best performance of the season against one of the league’s best teams. It’s not that Maschmeyer had been outright bad before, but it looked like the grind of a full professional season was catching up to her. So, is it a coincidence that she has arguably her best game after finally getting a break from that grind? I think not.
After four weeks in the power rankings basement, Ottawa has finally escaped. It continues to be a rocky road, but there’s a little believability returning to this team that they seemed to lose for a while. Ottawa still has a lot of things to figure out, and they’ll have to bring their A-game against what should be an equally hungry Boston team this week. But, if they can keep performing like they did on Sunday, they might just be able to squeak into the playoffs, especially if Boston also continues their recent rollercoaster ride.
#6. New York (2-4-3-7, 17 points)
Last Week’s Ranking: 5 (-1)
This Week’s Results:
- Wed, Mar 6 vs MTL- 4-3 L
- Sun, Mar 10 @ BOS- 3-2 OTL
Upcoming Schedule:
- Sat, Mar 16 @ MIN- 2:30 p.m. CDT, Xcel Energy Center, St. Paul, MN (MSG, Bally Sports North, CBC, PWHL Youtube Channel, GEM)
Pixar Scene: Sulley watching the trash compactor (Monsters Inc.).
Right now, a lot of PWHL New York fans probably feel like Sully watching what he thought was Boo get smashed in the trash compactor. The team is in last place thanks to a five-game losing streak, and just when you think it’s over and they’re finally going to figure it out, they find another way to lose. That said, it’s not too late yet, and just like Boo, they might be able to find a way to escape if they hurry up.
The vibes are bad in New York. Not only have they lost five straight, but they haven’t won in regulation since January 20 (10 games ago). The only time they’ve been able to string together wins this season was three straight from February 4-21, but all of them came in overtime or a shootout. The only consistent part of this team is goaltending. Corinne Schroeder has been a bonafide star, somehow sitting in second in the league in save percentage and third in goals-against average, and Abbey Levy has also been solid. Her numbers aren’t like Schroeder’s, but you don’t make 46 saves (many of them high-danger) by accident. However, the goalies can only carry them so far. If the rest of the team doesn’t figure it out soon, they’ll be on the fast track to the Gold Plan.
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