PWHL Power Rankings: Minnesota – still unbeaten in regulation, still No. 1

A handful of exciting games have led to some movement in DFO’s Professional Women’s Hockey League Power Rankings.

Hunter Crowther and Tyler Kuehl break down which teams continue to impress while looking at the lineups still searching for answers.

1. Minnesota

Record: 4-0-1, +6
Last Week: 1st
Hunter’s Rank: 1st
Tyler’s Rank: 1st

Tyler: You have to like how Minnesota responded to losing for the first time. We wondered how tough they would be on the road, given their success in St. Paul, but they rallied from a two-goal deficit to beat Ottawa. The fact they are a team that can play with the lead, and battle back when the chips are down, proves this team can be something special.

The biggest thing will be continuing to play well, on the road, and during a busy week of action.

Hunter: Meet the new boss! Same as the old boss! Alright that’s enough of The Who for one day, I don’t want us to turn into Joe Pera. We’re three weeks in, and Minnesota continues to layeth the smacketh down on the PWHL standings.

I mean, who can we focus on? Grace Zumwinkle and her five goals in five games? Or maybe fellow rookie Taylor Heise, producing at a point-per-game pace? Why not their goalie tandem of Nicole Hensley and Maddie Rooney, number two and three in save percentage, respectively?

Either way, I don’t see how anything will change this week or the next. Prove me wrong, kids. Prove me wrong.

Minnesota returns home on Wednesday night to host Montreal. They will then be visiting Boston Saturday afternoon.

2. Montreal

Record: 3-1-2, 0
Last Week: 3rd
Hunter’s Rank: 2nd
Tyler’s Rank: 3rd

Hunter: Two major factors go into me bumping Montreal up to number two this week:

1) Marie-Philip Poulin scored three goals in two games, including a game-winner with five minutes to go against New York and a game-tying goal with 18 seconds to go against Toronto. The GOAT is .. GOATing? Is that it? Anyway …

2) Ann-Renee Desbiens, who had both a 30- and 36-save performance this week and looked fantastic in Montreal’s loss to Toronto on Saturday. Yes, Poulin tied it up, but Montreal wouldn’t have even gotten to that point if Desbiens didn’t stand tall against Toronto’s 39 shots. 

Tyler: I really wanted to knock Montreal down a peg after losing to Toronto in the skills comp…I mean shootout on Saturday. However, the way Marie-Philip Poulin has just blasted the doors off the competition after a slow start, and how Ann-Renee Desbiens has come in clutch, Montreal still has a chance to do something big. The question is, will they?

Also…what was with Poulin shooting four times?!

After taking on Minnesota, Montreal is back home to take on Ottawa in Laval on Saturday.

3. New York

Record: 3-3-0, +3
Last Week: 2nd
Hunter’s Rank: 3rd
Tyler’s Rank: 2nd

Hunter: No surprise, considering we saw some fantastic individual performances from them this week. For me, Corinne Schroeder and her league-leading .949 save percentage through four games is most impressive. Just like Desbiens, she’s looked dominant in each of her appearances, and will be a major factor in the team’s success. Then again, having two of the league’s top-three point scorers doesn’t hurt, either. 

Tyler: I know, I know…”But Tyler, you named three players as your Players of the Week, how can they still be No. 3?” Listen, just because Jade Downie-Landry, Ella Shelton and Schroeder were outstanding, that does not mean they can surpass the only unbeaten team (in regulation). Also, they missed an opportunity when they faced Montreal last week.

They will get their chance, as New York visits Minnesota next Sunday.

New York has just one game this week, their second visit to Toronto on Friday night.

4. Boston

Record: 2-2-0,
Last Week: 5th (+1)
Hunter’s Rank: 4th
Tyler’s Rank: 4th

Hunter: You know what? Screw it, Boston is fourth! That’s right, fourth! I had them sixth last week, but after seeing them beat Toronto 3-2, then play a deceivingly good game in a 4-1 loss against New York, I can tell you that they’re better than the remaining two teams on this list. 

Alina Muller might have some of the nicest hands in hockey, the passes she made in last Wednesday’s game were crispier than the breaded shrimp I made last weekend. 

Tyler: After beating Toronto, on the road, I though Boston was ready to make a jump up the standings, but their inability to cash in on their chances against New York shows cause for concern. They have plenty of firepower to rack up the goals, but something is missing. Even captain Hilary Knight has yet to find the back of the net. I would like to see Muller and Loren Gabel play more with her.

Boston pays a visit to Ottawa on Wednesday before returning home for another matchup with Minnesota.

5. Ottawa

Record: 1-0-2, +2
Last Week: 4th (-1)
Hunter’s Rank: 5th
Tyler’s Rank: 5th

Tyler: Blowing a two-goal lead is cause for concern. Surrendering a 2-0 lead on home ice is even worse. Yes, Minnesota is the best team in the league, but with the fight that this Ottawa team has, I would expect them to get the job done. However, with having played the fewest games played, they have plenty of time to make up for it.

Hunter: Again, you know what? They played one game last week, and they lost, but there’s a lot to like about this Ottawa squad. For the most part, I thought they looked like the better team in their 3-2 overtime loss to Minnesota last Wednesday, and they got something cooking with four players at a point-per-game pace.

Ottawa has a busy week. They have a back-to-back on Tuesday and Wednesday at home, taking on Toronto and Boston respectively, before traveling to meet with Montreal on Saturday.

6. Toronto

Record: 2-0-4, -9
Last Week: 6th
Hunter’s Rank: 6th
Tyler’s Rank: 6th

Hunter: I had Boston ranked sixth last week, and Toronto lost to Boston, and I’m no janitor from Harvard doing complex equations in my off-time, but the math tells me that Toronto is my new sixth-place team. They had their moments, but Boston sealed it in the third period. 

And yes, before you write your letters, I know they won against Montreal on Saturday in a shootout, and yes, they got 40 shots on Montreal. But through six games, Toronto has only managed to get five points, and their goal differential is a league-worst minus-nine. At some point, they have to snap out of it.

Tyler: It was a shootout win. Sorry, those do not count in my book. They also had a whole week to prepare of the game against Montreal, and only coming away with two points is a letdown. I feel like it is only a matter of time before Blayre Turnbull breaks out, which is probably what this team needs.

I also am still concerned why Troy Ryan keeps going back to Kristin Campbell. I know there is plenty of rest in between games, but eventually he is going to have to give Erica Howe a shot, right?

Toronto gets another crack at Ottawa in the Battle of Ontario on Tuesday, before coming back to The Six to host New York.