New York can clinch the first overall draft pick, Ottawa can clinch a playoff spot
NEWARK, NJ (April 30, 2024) – This final week of Professional Women’s Hockey League (PWHL) regular-season action begins with a Tuesday night game between New York and Ottawa at 7:00 p.m. ET at Prudential Center.
WHERE TO WATCH
Fans in the United States can watch the game live on MSGSNHD/MSGSNZ1/Z2 channels. In Canada, fans can watch live on TSN5, TSN.ca, and the TSN app. The game will also be streamed on the league’s YouTube channel. Jamie Hersch will have the play-by-play call with analyst David Starman.
TONIGHT’S CLINCHING SCENARIOS
Ottawa can clinch a playoff berth with a regulation win tonight. New York is eliminated from playoff contention but can secure the first overall pick in the 2024 PWHL Draft with one point in tonight’s game. Toronto and Montréal have already clinched the top two playoff seeds, with first place still to be determined. Minnesota, Ottawa, and Boston are competing for the third and fourth playoff spots. Boston is the only other team that could potentially play for ‘Draft Order Points’ if they are eliminated from playoff contention prior to their final regular-season game on Saturday.
MENTAL HEALTH AWARENESS
During tonight’s game at Prudential Center, PWHL New York will bring awareness to mental health in partnership with Shoulder Check – a mental health organization that focuses on showing kindness and support to one another with a particular focus on hockey at all levels. At 5:30 p.m. ET, the team will host a group of fans for a Q&A with Sarah Thompson, one of the Shoulder Check founders, and two of the organization’s ambassadors. Members of PWHL New York will wear Shoulder Check branded jerseys for their walk-ins, and during the team’s huddle before puck drop, they will have a ‘Shoulder Check Moment’ by placing their hands on each other’s shoulders to symbolize reaching out, checking in, and making contact with one another. Special guests for tonight’s game include members of the NWSL’s Gotham FC.
SETTING THE STAGE
It’s the final week of the inaugural regular-season and both teams have two games remaining and a lot on the line. Ottawa (8-1-6-7) enters the action with 32 points, tied with Boston in fourth place, but can take advantage of the extra game in hand to lock up a playoff position. New York (3-4-3-12) is in sixth place with 20 points and can focus on playing spoiler while also securing the first overall pick in the 2024 PWHL Draft. Ottawa wrapped up its home schedule on Saturday with a 2-0 loss to Montréal which snapped a season-high four-game winning streak. That streak began with a 3-0 shutout victory on Mar. 20 against New York at Bridgeport’s Total Mortgage Arena, and part of a stretch where the team earned 16 of a possible 21 points in seven games. New York rebounded from their loss to Ottawa with a 3-2 win over Boston on Mar. 25 at UBS Arena but have lost three straight games since returning from the break. That stretch includes a 2-1 loss to Boston in their Prudential Center debut on Apr. 20, and most recently a 6-2 loss to Toronto on Sunday at UBS Arena. New York will look to improve their record on home ice over the final two games having won just twice with six points in 10 home games. Ottawa has won four times on the road and collected 15 points in 10 games away from home. Tonight’s game features the top two powerplays and two of the league’s best penalty kill units. Ottawa has outshot opponents in 14 games, tied for the league-lead, but New York has outshot its opponents in three of their last four games.
THE SEASON SERIES THROUGH THREE GAMES
Ottawa has won two of three meetings and lead the season series 7-2 in points over New York. The first two games were played at The Arena at TD Place beginning Feb. 4 when New York completed the biggest comeback of the season by erasing a 3-0 third period deficit to win 4-3 in overtime. Ottawa won the rematch on Feb. 28 by a 4-2 score. The most recent game was played Mar. 20 at Bridgeport’s Total Mortgage Arena won 3-0 by Ottawa. Daryl Watts’ first period goal held as the game winner, with captain Brianne Jenner scoring a goal and an assist. Kateřina Mrázová contributed two assists to bring her total to three in games against New York. Emerance Maschmeyer recorded her first shutout of the season with a 26-save performance and has started all three games with a head-to-head save percentage of .928. Alex Carpenter has two goals and one assist, and Abby Roque has a goal and two assists to lead New York offensively against Ottawa. Corinne Schroeder turned aside 39 of 42 shots to pick up the win in her only game of the season series. This series consists of four games with both teams playing all other opponents five times throughout the season.
PLAYERS TO WATCH
A PWHL scoring title is within reach for New York’s Alex Carpenter and Ottawa’s Brianne Jenner. Carpenter ranks third in league scoring with 21 points, including eight goals and 13 assists in 22 games, and Jenner is fifth with 19 points, including nine goals and 10 assists in her 22 games played. Before Saturday’s shutout loss, Jenner had a four-game goal streak and nine total points in that stretch. Kateřina Mrázová (6G 11A) is second on Ottawa with 17 points, followed by Daryl Watts (8G 7A) with 15 points, and Emily Clark (4G 10A) with 14 points. Both Watts and Clark had their lengthy streaks snapped on Saturday at four and six games respectively. Buffalo native Hayley Scamurra (4G 4A) has eight points and is tied with Mrázová for the team-lead with three powerplay goals. New York’s Ella Shelton is tied for second in league scoring among defenders with 15 points and leads the position with five goals. Jessie Eldridge (7G 5A) is third in New York scoring with 12 points and scored the team’s lone goal in their last appearance at Prudential Center. Abby Roque (5G 7A) also has 12 points and scored in Sunday’s loss. Jade Downie-Landry (6G 5A) and defender Jaime Bourbonnais (3G 8A) are tied for fifth in team scoring with 11 points each.
WELCOME BACK AURARD AND BAKER
New York will get a boost with the return of forward Chloé Aurard and defender Taylor Baker back in the lineup after competing in Austria at the IIHF Women’s World Championship Division I – Group A tournament. Aurard represented France and tied for fourth in overall scoring with seven points, including one goal and six assists in five games. Baker represented Hungary and helped the country earn promotion into the top division event in 2025. Hungary’s success is also good news for Ottawa forward Fanni Garát-Gasparics who was unable to compete due to injury. She has been a fixture for the national team program for over a decade including three straight top division appearances from 2021-23.
WHAT THEY’RE SAYING
“Despite not having a spot in the playoffs this year, the opportunity remains to set the table for next season. It’s important for our team to play as close to our potential today to keep that opportunity alive.” – Howie Draper, New York
“I remember that we had a solid game (last time against New York). That time of the year was a turning point for us. We were playing more consistently, and it was good to shut them out. If memory serves, we had a 3-on-5 — a 5-minute major — late in the game. That kill was huge for us. It’s one of those moments that can give you momentum. I think that is what we did. We took it, we accepted the challenge. It was great.” – Emerance Maschmeyer, Ottawa
“This (Prudential Center) is an incredible facility! You come in and you feel like a pro right away. The Prudential Center is a great home for the New Jersey Devils. You get on the ice and you see the massive jumbotron. These rinks get you excited to keep going. It will be fun to play on the road and to play in such a great facility.” – Carla MacLeod, Ottawa
QUICK HITS
Ottawa (+3) is fourth in goal differential and New York (-18) ranks sixth…Ottawa (2.59) is second in goals-per-game average and New York (2.00) is tied for fifth…Ottawa (2.45) allows the second most goals-per-game and New York (2.82) allows the most on average…Ottawa has scored the game’s first goal 11 times and won seven of those games, New York has scored first seven times and won five of those games…Ottawa is tied for the league-lead with 20 goals in the first period and 23 goals in the third period, New York’s eight goals in the first period are the lowest in the league and their best offensive period is the third with 18 goals…New York has won five of their 12 one-goal games, while Ottawa has one win in 10 one-goal decisions…Ottawa (+31) is third in shot differential and New York (-133) ranks sixth…Ottawa (29.23) is second in shots-per-game average and New York (27.59) ranks sixth…Ottawa (27.86) allows the third most shots-per-game and New York (33.59) allows the most on average…Ottawa has outshot its opponents 14 times, New York has only outshot its opponents four times…New York (7.14) averages the most penalty minutes per game and Ottawa (6.41) averages the third fewest…Ottawa (16/61) is first in powerplay efficiency at 26.2%…New York (16/73) is second on the PP at 21.9%…New York (57/65) is second in penalty kill efficiency at 87.7%…Ottawa (52/60) is third on the PK at 86.7%…Alex Carpenter (NY) is third in league scoring with 21 points…Carpenter is tied for the league-lead with 13 assists…Ella Shelton (NY) is second in scoring among defenders with 15 points…Carpenter leads the league with nine powerplay points followed by Shelton with eight…Gabbie Hughes (OTT) is tied for second in the league with three game winning goals…Kateřina Mrázová (OTT) is tied for the league-lead with three shootout goals…Tereza Vanišová (OTT) leads the league with 35 penalty minutes followed by Abby Roque (NY) with 31…Carpenter leads New York with 82 shots on goal…Hayley Scamurra leads Ottawa with 77 shots…Roque (191/313) leads New York with a 61.0% face-off percentage…Carpenter (59.4%) leads the team with 404 draws…Brianne Jenner (118/217) leads Ottawa with a face-off percentage of 54.4%…Hughes (46.0%) leads the team with 383 draws…Corinne Schroeder (NY) has won six of her 14 starts, with one shutout, and a goals-against-average of 2.35 and a save percentage of .931 that ranks second…Emerance Maschmeyer (OTT) has won nine of her 20 starts, with two shutouts, and a 2.17 GAA and .919 SV%.
PROJECTED LINEUPS
NEW YORK:
Carpenter | Roque | Giguère
Aurard | Woods | Eldridge
Labelle | Downie-Landry | Levis
Vespa | Saulnier | Norcross
Packer
Hobson | Shelton
Zandee-Hart | Bourbonnais
Fällman | Baker
Schroeder | Levy
Scratches: Gruschow, Olivier, Post, Zafuto
OTTAWA:
Clark | Hughes | Scamurra
Watts | Mrázová | Jenner
Gilmore | Snodgrass | Shiga
Demers | Darkangelo | Davis
Schneider
Harmon | Bell
Roese | Tejralová
Isbell | Buckles
Maschmeyer | Abstreiter
Scratches: Boyd, Della Rovere, Gasparics, McQuigge, Vanišová
OFFICIALS:
Referees: Andrew Bell (Downington, PA) and Samantha Hiller (Chicago, IL).
Linespersons: Greg Offerman (Madison, WI) and Kirsten Welsh (Conway, PA).
Follow the league on all social media platforms @thepwhlofficial plus team accounts @pwhl_newyork and @pwhl_ottawa.