Five Takeaways from Week 11 of the PWHL: Bell Centre success, Ottawa and Boston compete for final playoff spot

Aaaaaaaand: we’re back! After a nearly one-month international break, the PWHL returned with five games, with all but one being one-goal games. 

Here’s this week’s takeaways from Week 11 of the PWHL season for Daily Faceoff.

1. ‘Duel at the Top’ was a massive success

The league is less than a year old, but I can confidently say the defining rivalry is Montreal and Toronto, because every time the two teams play, it has the feel of a deciding playoff game. Montreal hosted Toronto at the Bell Centre last weekend, home of the Montreal Canadiens, and the third NHL rink they’ve competed in this season.

The event was a success, setting another women’s hockey attendance record with 21,105, breaking the previous record of 19,285 from last February when the two teams faced off at Scotiabank Arena, home of the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Along with the New York Islanders’ UBS Arena, the Minnesota Wild’s Xcel Energy Center, the Detroit Red Wings’ Little Caesars Arena and PPG Paints Arena, home of the Pittsburgh Penguins, the PWHL is proving that it can fill rinks with fans, and selling out venues like Scotiabank Arena and Bell Centre highlight to the league that, yes, those teams can host more fans in their home venues. 

Mattamy Athletic Centre, home of Toronto, says it holds about 2,600 for hockey, and they sold out every single game before the season even started. It’s not hard to imagine the team playing their 2025 home games at Coca-Cola Coliseum, home of the AHL’s Toronto Marlies and with a capacity of over 7,000.

2. Toronto becomes first team to clinch playoff spot 

When you have a winning streak that lasts nearly half the season, it practically guarantees you a spot in the playoffs. That’s why, with three games to go in the 24-game schedule, Toronto was able to become the first team in PWHL history to clinch a postseason birth after Saturday’s 3-2 overtime win over Montreal. 

Toronto’s main goal now is to clinch the No. 1 spot in the league and guarantee home ice throughout the playoffs. Three points ahead of Montreal and Minnesota, Toronto would need to pick up at least seven out of a possible nine points in their last three games of the regular season to guarantee first place.

But that could change, depending on how Montreal and Minnesota perform in the next week or so.

3. Sophie Jaques is making her impact on the game

After going pointless in her first seven games with Boston, Sophie Jaques, the 2023 Patty Kazmaier Award winner and one of hockey’s most promising defenders, was traded to Minnesota in exchange for Abby Cook and Susanna Tapani. It was the league’s first transaction and shocked those who follow the women’s game, considering the Ohio State alumnus was coming off one of the best seasons for a college defender in modern history. 

But sometimes in life, a change of scenery can make all the difference. That seems to be the case for Jaques, who in 12 games with Minnesota has scored two goals and eight assists, including a three-assist effort last Thursday in a 4-3 loss to Montreal. Before being held pointless in Saturday’s 4-0 loss to Ottawa, Jaques had points in four straight games and five of her last six contests. 

Sitting with the No. 3 spot with three games to go, it seems likely that Minnesota will be in the playoffs. Keep an eye out for Jaques to make an impact when it matters most. She’s already making one right now. 

4. Boston could catch Ottawa on Wednesday

Before the international break, I said both Boston and New York were as good as done when it came to competing for a spot in the PWHL’s inaugural postseason. I just couldn’t envision a world where, with Ottawa stringing together some wins and the top-three teams in the league pulling ahead, either of the Northeast U.S. cities could catchup.

Well, Boston certainly proved me wrong. I don’t think anyone outside of the team locker room or front office thought they had a shot against No. 1 ranked Toronto, but they handed them a loss in the first game back from the World Championships. For good measure, they beat New York two days later, and with both wins coming in regulation, a six-point boost put them within two points of fourth-place Ottawa.

Boston and Ottawa faceoff Wednesday night, and a Boston win in regulation would put them in a playoff spot for the first time, since, well, it’s been awhile. Ottawa still has a game in hand, and if they win out their remaining games (or at least get points in their remaining four contests), they’re in.

But credit to Courtney Kessel’s group for pulling together and getting to this point. Similar to how Ottawa surpassed my expectations, I’m always happy to be proven wrong, and this is no exception.

5. Canada wins gold at World Championships

Not much to say other than Canada has taken its rightful place on the throne of hockey supremacy. This little blurb doesn’t do much, other than allow me to rub it in my American colleague Tyler Kuehl’s face.

Canada rules and the U.S. drools. Nah nah nah nah nah nah. Okay, back to our regularly scheduled programming.