Top 5 takeaways from Week 3 of the PWHL: Suspension debate; Toronto, Boston rivalry brewing

The PWHL is starting to ramp things up with the first international pause and holiday breaks out of the way. There was plenty to talk about last week, with more physical play and a couple of standout performances across the league.

Here are some of the notable takeaways as the PWHL inches toward the New Year.

A worthy suspension?

The PWHL Player Safety Committee was called into action for the first time this season last week, needing to make a decision on a high hit thrown by Toronto Sceptres defender Rylind MacKinnon on Montreal Victoire blueliner Amanda Boulier.

Toronto’s rookie caught Boulier in the head with a hit in Montreal’s 4-3 overtime win on Dec. 21. MacKinnon received a five-minute major penalty and a game misconduct for an illegal check to the head. As we’ve seen in the past, the PSC took longer than the NHL Department of Player Safety would to make a decision, waiting all the way to Boxing Day to announce that MacKinnon was suspended for one game.

Unlike last year, the league produced a video, similar to what the NHL DoPS does, explaining the suspension and what MacKinnon should’ve done differently.

The big question is – is the suspension worth the act?

For comparison, a one-game suspension in the PWHL is close to missing three games in the NHL.

It’s clear that MacKinnon intended to throw a hit rather than gain possession of the puck, and it led to Boulier getting hurt, and was later placed on long-term injured reserve. That means Boulier will have to miss at least four games. Considering how aggressive as the hit was, taking a player out for that long, regardless of the lack of history of supplemental discipline, feels like it should resemble how many games the affected player will miss.

Editor’s note: Boulier’s placement on LTIR came before PWHL suspended MacKinnon

Another Toronto vs. Boston rivalry?

As if fans in the hockey mecca of the world and New England don’t have enough of a reason not to like each other, games between the Sceptres and Boston Fleet are starting to become a little hostile.

In just two meetings so far this season, the Fleet and Sceptres have tested the league’s new policy on physical play.

The Sceptres beat the Fleet in the league’s season opener back in November, which saw plenty of bumps and bruises. This past Friday in Toronto, star forward Sarah Nurse had to leave the game briefly after taking a hit from the Fleet’s Hannah Bilka.

Toronto’s Emma Woods responded a few minutes later with a firm check of her a little later.

In total, 55 hits were thrown in the Sceptres 4-2 win. 30 of which came from the Fleet, who have quickly garnered a reputation as one of the more physical teams in the PWHL, and 25 to Toronto.

There are four more meetings between the Sceptres and Fleet, with the next matchup coming in Lowell on Jan. 22. If the first two times they have faced off means anything, it will be must-see TV.

Sign here…score there

Speaking of the Sceptres, a relatively new face made an immediate impact just hours after signing a contract.

With MacKinnon out of the lineup for its game against the Fleet, Toronto signed defender Jessica Kondas off the reserve list to a 10-day deal. The Minnesota State product didn’t waste time getting involved, scoring the Sceptres’ second goal of the game early in the second period.

It was a great moment for Kondas, who was on Toronto’s reserve list for the entirety of the inaugural season. It led the 24-year-old to head over to Sweden to play for SDE HF. How she played in her PWHL debut shows that she can be a viable asset if another spot opens up on the blue line for Troy Ryan’s team.

Kondas is eligible to play in the Sceptres’ New Year’s Eve contest against the Ottawa Charge before her temporary contract expires.

The Victoire is picking up steam

One of the teams we had our eyes on heading into this season was the Montreal Victoire, and deservedly so. A team loaded with experienced and established stars, such as Marie-Philip Poulin and Erin Ambrose, paired with a number of top-tier rookies headlined by Cayla Barnes and Jennifer Gardiner.

However, a convincing loss at the hands of the New York Sirens in game two of the season brought some cause for concern. Yet, Montreal bounced back by using grit and timely goal-scoring, winning each of their last three games.

Along with beating the Charge, they took down rival Toronto before beating the first-place Minnesota Frost, handing the defending Walter Cup champions its first regulation loss of the season.

Poulin has started to find her footing after a slow start, putting up three points during the winning streak, including the game-winning goal against the Frost this past Saturday.

The stretch of good fortune has pushed the Victoire into second place in the PWHL, two points back of Minnesota. If they can continue this level of play into the New Year, they might be at the top of the pops before you know it.

Goaltending has been…okay

As my colleague Hunter Crowther pointed out last week, there has been an uptick in offense early this season compared to last year, which saw teams put on defensive displays. That said, it has led me to wonder if the rise in goals is attributed to players figuring out how to create more chances in the young league or because the goaltenders haven’t been playing as well.

During the 2024 regular season, the six teams combined for a 2.42 goals-against average per game. Through the first three weeks of the year, teams have allowed 2.82 goals per game. That might not sound like a big change, but there is a noticeable difference when you look at the league average save percentage.

This season, which has seen 12 goaltenders see game action, the average SV% is .910, down from .922 during season one. While .910 isn’t terrible by any stretch, especially considering the talent level across the league. However, teams are having to score their way out of problems rather than being able to rely on those behind the mask to steal games.

Granted, this might just be an early-season blip due to such a choppy schedule, and these top-notch backstops will get into a rhythm and become unbeatable once again, but that certainly isn’t keeping coaches from losing sleep in the present.

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