PWHL Game 23 Hub: Ottawa @ New York

The last couple of days have been far from optimal, but Ottawa is still more likely than not to make it into the PWHL's first postseason. They play their second-last game tonight against New York, the league's last-place and only eliminated team. Tonight is the night to clinch!

With a game in hand on Boston and tied at 32 points apiece, a regulation win will guarantee that at the very least, the two teams will be tied at the end of the season. In that situation, Ottawa has the regulation wins tiebreaker 9-8, so it's a playoff berth.

Here's how Ottawa lined up last game against Montreal:

Game Notes:

• An eight-time World Championship medalist and top free-agent signing, Alex Carpenter has led New York in all offensive categories, with 8 goals, 13 assists, and 21 points. While she has been more productive than anyone on Ottawa's roster, New York lacks depth in comparison to the rest of the league, ranking dead-last in goals for and against.
• That said, don't overlook their special teams. New York's power-play is behind only Ottawa, and their penalty kill ranks behind only Toronto.
• Despite being shut out 2-0 by 2nd-place Montreal, Ottawa outshot them 31-23, and generated 21 shots in the 3rd period alone. Yes, Ottawa struggled in the first 40 minutes, but there was a veritable flood of chances (and a disallowed goal) in the third. New York is also capable of generating shots against tougher teams, outshooting Toronto 33-29 despite losing 6-2.
• Tonight's 7:00 pm EST game is available live on TSN5, and will be streamed on PWHL's YouTube channel.

Stats: