We have just a few weeks left in the 2025-26 regular season, and the push for the Walter Cup Playoffs is heading toward its zenith.<\/p>\n
From the thrilling fight for first place between the Montreal Victoire and Boston Fleet, to the multitude of teams battling for the fourth and final playoff spot, it begs the question: What team is willing to sneak into the postseason, only to have the prospect of facing the two more dominant lineups in the league? Either you go up against the best goaltender and most defensively sound team in Boston, or face the high-powered and fierce attack from Montreal.<\/p>\n
Regardless, the playoffs are always unpredictable, as we\u2019ve learned in the first two years of the PWHL\u2019s existence. Today, Hunter Crowther, Scott Maxwell and Tyler Kuehl rank the eight teams as we come down the home stretch.<\/p>\n
1. x-Montreal Victoire <\/p>\n
Record:\u00a014-4-2-5, +32
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Tyler: Let\u2019s call it as we see it, the Victoire are rolling at the right time of the season. Consecutive donuts on the board last week, including a notable 3-0 win over the Charge in front of a packed house near the nation\u2019s capital (with Sandra Absreiter stealing the show<\/a>, mind you), Montreal is showing an ability to rise to the occasion, even with the elongated absence of their captain. The only concern I have is whether the team will be able to keep that going into the playoffs. We\u2019ve seen Montreal choke in back-to-back years, and while I believe this year is different, past postseason failures might still be in the back of this team\u2019s head.<\/p>\n Hunter: It has been all business for the Victoire, who have won four straight in regulation and currently sit in the No. 1 spot in the PWHL standings. Not even the absence of Marie-Philip Poulin \u2014\u00a0who has been out since March 15<\/a>\u00a0\u2014 can put a damper on a Montreal run that\u2019s seen the likes of Hayley Scamurra and Kaitlin Willoughby step up, with Abby Roque snapping a five-game goalless drought and now leading the team in points with 19.\u00a0<\/p>\n We haven\u2019t even brought up Ann-Renee Desbiens, who has stopped 62 of 63 shots in her last three games and has given up more than two goals just once in 21 games this season. I repeat:\u00a0Desbiens has given up more than two goals just once in 21 games this season. Can she and the rest of the Victoire carry this into the playoffs?<\/p>\n The Victoire look to take another step toward finishing first for the second year in a row on Tuesday night, when they host the Seattle Torrent.<\/p>\n 2. x-Boston Fleet<\/p>\n Record:\u00a013-5-2-4, +23 Hunter: There were no games for the Fleet last week, but they go into Tuesday\u2019s matchup against the Goldeneyes on a four-game heater and wins in 11 of their last 13 games. And as my colleague\u00a0Tyler pointed out last week<\/a>, despite not having Aerin Frankel in the crease in their last game against the Frost, they were dominant and proved they\u2019re more than just a team riding a hot PDO wave.\u00a0<\/p>\n Boston will try to take care of business in Vancouver before what feels like a potential Walter Cup final matchup against the Victoire on Saturday night. It\u2019s still early, but that game could prove to be a litmus test for who the top dog is going into the playoffs.\u00a0<\/p>\n Tyler: I don\u2019t want to make it seem like I knocked the Fleet down a peg despite not playing any games last week, but the current numbers don\u2019t lie: Boston is slightly behind Montreal on a couple of levels. Offensively, the Fleet still has more to be desired, especially compared to the Victoire and Minnesota Frost. Yet, Boston still has one of the better defenses in the league, with goaltender Aerin Frankel carrying the load with an MVP-esque season. That said, the way this team is built and performs, they have a good chance to make a deep run in the playoffs.<\/p>\n The Fleet return to play on Tuesday night, as they take on the Vancouver Goldeneyes in the final Takeover Tour game in Edmonton.<\/p>\n 3. x-Minnesota Frost<\/p>\n Record:\u00a012-3-4-6, +20 Hunter: Tinfoil hat time: Are the Frost trying to lose games so they can enter the Walter Cup Playoffs as the lower seed and win the championship for a third straight year? No, that\u2019s preposterous! But with losses in three of their last four games \u2014 and the lone victory coming in what can only be described as a barnburner against the Goldeneyes \u2014 Minnesota may start the postseason on the road.\u00a0<\/p>\n Still, it\u2019s hard to look at the last two seasons and come away thinking Ken Klee\u2019s group is in trouble. Sure, there are things to tighten up on the defensive end, but the Frost have proven time and time again that they\u2019re cooler than the other side of the pillow.\u00a0<\/p>\n Tyler: If the rest of the playoff contenders weren\u2019t so bad, I would\u2019ve knocked the Frost down a spot or two. Holy smokes, the way they lost that game to the Sirens, regardless of whether it was on the road, was pathetic. Then, falling behind to the lowly Vancouver Goldeneyes, relying on a great performance from Kelly Pannek to come away with a 6-5 win to punch their ticket to the playoffs<\/a>, is eye-opening.<\/p>\n Sure, the Frost have the fun, wild and high-powered offense, but if they continue to be unreliable in terms of keeping the puck out of the net, we might be looking at a new Walter Cup champion this year. I know Ken Klee\u2019s team has the ability to turn things up in the playoffs, but things are looking a little icy in Minnesota.<\/p>\n Minnesota is off until Saturday, when the team gets to face the Sirens once again, this time on home ice.<\/p>\n 4. Toronto Sceptres<\/p>\n Record:\u00a09-1-5-10, -16 Hunter: The Sceptres defeated the Charge 2-1 in front of more than 16,000 fans inside Calgary\u2019s Scotiabank Saddledome, thanks to the line of Blayre Turnbull, Claire Dalton and Maggie Connors, who each had a point on the team\u2019s two goals. Raygan Kirk stopped 28 shots in her first game back since injury. Toronto is clinging to the No. 4 playoff spot and has a chance to hold onto it in a rematch against Ottawa at home this weekend.\u00a0<\/p>\n Speaking of Turnbull, the Sceptres\u2019 captain hit career highs in all offensive categories with nine goals, seven assists and 16 points, and she sits second on the team in points behind Daryl Watts.<\/p>\n Tyler: That win for Toronto over Ottawa in Calgary was huge. The Sceptres had lost back-to-back games on home ice and seemed to be spiraling out of the playoff picture. Yet, they enter the week holding that last playoff spot, and the ball is in their court. They just need to find a way to get the offense going again. The team has scored three goals in a game just twice since coming back from the Olympic break. Daryl Watts has been helping out in a big way, but outside of her and captain Blayre Turnbull, scoring has been slim throughout the roster.<\/p>\n Having a healthy Raygan Kirk return to action is helpful, as she had been playing well prior to suffering an upper-body injury. However, if she doesn\u2019t get any goal support, Toronto might be fighting an uphill battle down the stretch.<\/p>\n The Sceptres are off until Saturday, when they have an important matchup with the Charge at home.<\/p>\n 5. New York Sirens<\/p>\n Record:\u00a08-2-3-12, -11 Hunter: I think what\u2019s frustrated me most about the Sirens in 2025-26 is that it\u2019s clear the ingredients for a Walter Cup Playoff-caliber team are there, but they haven\u2019t been able to get in the kitchen and cook the damn food. New York won both their games last week, albeit in overtime and a shootout, meaning they\u2019re still three points back of the Sceptres for fourth in the standings.\u00a0<\/p>\n Sarah Fillier<\/a>\u00a0has stepped up in\u00a0Kristyna Kaltounkova\u2019s absence, recording six goals in her last five games, including a hat trick last week against the Frost. Whatever caused her to score just once in her first 17 games is in the rearview mirror, and she might just drag this group into the playoffs herself.\u00a0<\/p>\n Tyler: The Sirens did what they had to do on Saturday, and that was simply win at MSG. That said, you\u2019re playing the last-placed Torrent in one of the biggest games on the calendar, and you fail to pick up three points. Yes, the home fans walked away happy that their team got a win, but I can\u2019t sit here and say that grabbing two points is enough for a team in New York\u2019s position. I understand Kristyna Kaltounkova is still out<\/a>, but this group needs to find that drive deep down inside to overcome this adversity and finally clinch a playoff spot. New York has the talent and players to get it done, it\u2019s just getting out of their own way that\u2019s proving to be the biggest hurdle.<\/p>\n The Sirens are off until Saturday, when they have the tough task of facing the Frost on the road.<\/p>\n 6. Ottawa Charge<\/p>\n Record:\u00a06-7-1-11, -10 Tyler: The Charge was dealt a huge blow with the announcement that Carla MacLeod<\/a> was going to be stepping away from the team as she continues her breast cancer treatment. You can only hope the team rallies around their head coach as they continue to fight for fourth place. Losing in front of a boisterous crowd at CTC on Friday night certainly didn\u2019t help their chances, but there\u2019s still time for Ottawa to bounce back in the final weeks, especially since they face the Sceptres twice before things are all said and done.<\/p>\n Hunter: It feels like for a good chunk of 2025-26, the Charge were heavily outshot and relied on strong goaltending and keeping the majority of chances to the perimeter of the rink. But Ottawa has outshot its opponents in four straight games, including a 39-26 gap against the Victoire last Friday. However, they\u2019ve only earned five of a possible 12 points during that span and remain one point back of the Sceptres for the fourth and final playoff spot.\u00a0<\/p>\n The Charge can take that spot back on Wednesday against the last-place Torrent, and then create some space between them and the Sceptres in a road game this weekend in Toronto.\u00a0<\/p>\n 7. Vancouver Goldeneyes<\/p>\n Record:\u00a07-1-4-13, -15 Tyler:\u00a0It\u2019s insane to think that Vancouver is one loss away from tying the league record for most defeats in a single season, but still has an outside chance of getting into the postseason. The team is coming off a crucial four-game road trip, which saw them go 1-3-0. Yet, with five games left, the Goldeneyes still have a chance to make one last run, especially with three of their final four games of the season coming on home ice. Yes, they\u2019ll actually need to win hockey games and get a ton of help to make it happen, but the door isn\u2019t fully shut\u2026yet.<\/p>\n Hunter: It\u2019s hard to come away with positives after a week where a team earned zero of a possible six points, but that\u2019s where I\u2019m at with the Goldeneyes, who were shutout by the Victoire then responded with a 6-5 loss to the Frost over the weekend. Sophie Jaques matched last season\u2019s goal total of seven and Sarah Nurse snapped a five-game goalless drought.\u00a0<\/p>\n Bonus fact: Saturday\u2019s loss was the first time Emerance Maschmeyer allowed more than three goals in a game since Dec. 20, a stretch of 10 games. Despite giving up six, she still maintains a fourth-ranked .923 save percentage.<\/p>\n The Goldeneyes are in Edmonton on Tuesday night, taking on the Fleet in the final Takeover Tour game of the season.<\/p>\n 8. Seattle Torrent<\/p>\n Record:\u00a06-1-3-14, -20 Hunter: It was a heartbreaking loss for the Torrent against the Sirens at Madison Square Garden over the weekend, giving up a late goal to Sarah Fillier before losing in the shootout. Lots of credit should go to\u00a0Corinne Schroeder<\/a>, who stopped 37 of 38 New York shots, including a 16-shot barrage in the third period.\u00a0<\/p>\n Hey, at least\u00a02026 Patty Kazmaier Award-winner Caroline Harvey<\/a>\u00a0was in attendance for the game. Maybe she just wanted a first-hand look at the team that\u2019s going to select her No. 1 overall in the 2026 PWHL Draft.\u00a0<\/p>\n Tyler: By the end of their back-to-back this week, the Torrent could be eliminated from playoff contention\u2026mercifully. Outside of that surprising win over the Sirens in Chicago almost two weeks ago, Seattle has been heading down the wrong path, despite playing in a series of close games. The team has lost six of its past seven games, though all but one of those games were on the road. You almost have to hope the Torrent fall out of contention sooner rather than later, giving them plenty of time to accumulate Gold Plan points and secure the first overall pick in the 2026 PWHL Draft.<\/a><\/p>\n The Torrent face the Victoire on Tuesday before taking on the Charge on Wednesday.<\/p>\n
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