{"id":620393,"date":"2026-04-22T05:22:08","date_gmt":"2026-04-22T05:22:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/620393\/"},"modified":"2026-04-22T05:22:08","modified_gmt":"2026-04-22T05:22:08","slug":"new-york-eliminated-from-playoff-contention-despite-overtime-win-in-toronto-pwhl","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/620393\/","title":{"rendered":"NEW YORK ELIMINATED FROM PLAYOFF CONTENTION DESPITE OVERTIME WIN IN TORONTO | PWHL"},"content":{"rendered":"

Highlights and Press Conferences available on\u202fToronto<\/a>\u202fand\u202fNew\u00a0York<\/a>\u00a0YouTube channels\u202f\u202f.\u00a0<\/p>\n

TORONTO\u202f(April 21, 2026) \u2013\u202fAllyson Simpson\u00a0scored the game\u2019s only goal\u00a0to\u00a0lead\u00a0the New York Sirens to a 1-0 overtime win against the Toronto\u00a0Sceptres\u00a0in front of\u00a0a sold-out\u00a0crowd of\u00a08,685 at Coca-Cola Coliseum Tuesday night.\u00a0The victory was\u00a0bittersweet for the Sirens,\u00a0who needed a\u00a0regulation win to keep their playoff hopes alive,\u00a0even\u00a0pulling\u00a0the goaltender\u00a0for an extra\u00a0attacker with the\u00a0game tied in the final\u00a080 seconds to\u00a0push for the\u00a0win.\u00a0The single point for the\u00a0Sceptres\u00a0leaves their playoff\u00a0hopes\u00a0out of their immediate control, needing\u00a0any\u00a0result\u00a0but an Ottawa\u00a0regulation win\u00a0over Boston Wednesday to stay in the race.\u00a0Simpson\u2019s\u00a0winner\u00a0came\u00a02:42\u00a0in the extra frame,\u00a0slipping the puck five hole\u00a0off a feed from\u00a0Casey\u00a0O\u2019Brien, who grabbed Sarah\u00a0Fillier\u2019s\u00a0deflected\u00a0shot.\u00a0Both goaltenders did all they could between the pipes, with Kayle Osborne stopping all 21 attempts in the win and\u00a0Raygan\u00a0Kirk turning away 32 of 33\u00a0with\u00a0the loss.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

All eight PWHL teams will finish the regular season in the second four-game slate of 2025-26 on Saturday. New York will travel to Boston for a 12 p.m. ET puck\u00a0drop\u00a0in\u00a0their lone\u00a0opportunity to collect\u00a0draft order points\u00a0in\u00a0competition\u00a0for the first overall pick in the 2026 PWHL Draft.\u00a0Toronto\u00a0will travel to Ottawa to face their Ontario rivals at 2 p.m. ET\u00a0in what could be a one-game showdown for the fourth and final playoff berth or an opportunity to collect draft order points.\u00a0<\/p>\n

QUOTES\u202f\u00a0<\/p>\n

Sirens Head Coach\u00a0Greg Fargo\u00a0on\u00a0his\u00a0thought process\u00a0surrounding the team needing a win in regulation\u00a0and\u00a0determining\u00a0the right time to pull the goalie: \u201cWe\u00a0knew going into\u00a0this situation\u00a0that\u00a0if we were\u00a0tied,\u00a0we\u2019d\u00a0likely have\u00a0to pull the goalie and try and get the extra attacker.\u00a0I\u00a0would have loved\u00a0to have gotten\u00a0her out a little sooner, but\u00a0we had a tough time a couple\u00a0of\u00a0shifts\u00a0there\u00a0coming up with\u00a0possession in the offensive zone, and it took us a little bit to get her out of the net.\u00a0Ultimately,\u00a0I\u00a0thought we did\u00a0a great job\u00a0once we got her out.\u00a0We\u00a0had six out there\u00a0and\u00a0we had a couple of good bids\u00a0but\u00a0just\u00a0couldn’t\u00a0find it.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

New York\u00a0Captain\u00a0Micah Zandee-Hart\u00a0on what her thoughts are now that the team\u00a0hasn\u2019t\u00a0made the playoffs in all three seasons:\u00a0\u201cIt’s\u00a0obviously disappointing\u00a0and\u00a0it’s\u00a0not where we want to be.\u00a0Greg said in the locker room,\u00a0we\u00a0don’t\u00a0want Saturday to be our last game.\u00a0With that being said, I\u00a0think we can look at our organization being out of the playoffs three years in a row, but this season\u00a0specifically, we were a\u00a0brand-new\u00a0team.\u00a0We had a lot of\u00a0new players,\u00a0a\u00a0lot of injuries. We had\u00a0new players\u00a0coming\u00a0in\u00a0the mix and trying to figure that out. So,\u00a0I guess when I look at it, yes, for me personally,\u00a0it’s\u00a0disappointing as a captain to not help the team get into the playoffs for the first time, for sure.\u00a0But I’m\u00a0really proud\u00a0of this specific team and what we were able\u00a0to\u00a0build\u00a0towards at the end of the season.\u00a0I felt like we were playing our best hockey at the end of the season,\u00a0and\u00a0I’m\u00a0sure a lot of teams say in this situation, maybe if we had five more games, who knows\u00a0what\u00a0would happen.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

Sceptres\u00a0goaltender\u00a0Raygan Kirk\u00a0on handling the uncertainty of the playoff race: \u201cWe\u2019ll\u00a0definitely be\u00a0glued to the TV tomorrow\u2014it\u2019s\u00a0a bit out of\u00a0our control. We did that to ourselves today, unfortunately, but hopefully it works in our\u00a0favour, and then we just\u00a0have to\u00a0focus on Saturday.\u00a0We\u2019ve\u00a0been fighting since the\u00a0international\u00a0break, so\u00a0it\u2019s\u00a0just going to be another battle Saturday if things work out well for us tomorrow.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

Toronto Head Coach\u00a0Troy Ryan\u00a0on Kirk\u2019s play: \u201cShe\u2019s\u00a0been great.\u00a0Couldn\u2019t\u00a0happen to a better person, just a great character person, a great teammate. I thought tonight, a lot of times she plays a very controlled game, and I thought tonight she battled so hard. They were throwing some pucks at\u00a0her\u00a0and I thought she battled hard.\u00a0She once again gave us a chance to win.\u00a0The disappointing part for me is not finding a way to set us up for success. When someone like Kirk plays the\u00a0way\u00a0she does, and some of our key players and leaders are playing through injuries, so you kind of expect a little bit more from someone else to find a way to get it done, but ultimately, it\u2019s me, honestly.\u00a0Tonight\u00a0I would say their\u00a0[New York\u2019s]\u00a0coach convinced them the right way to play,\u00a0better than I did.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

NOTABLES\u202f\u00a0<\/p>\n

New York wins the season series\u00a08-4 in points,\u00a0outscoring Toronto\u00a09-6\u00a0in four games.\u00a0The\u00a0Sceptres\u00a0hold the all-time advantage\u00a027-18\u00a0in points over the\u00a0Sirens.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The Sirens earned just their third win in an opposing\u00a0PWHL market this season and first since their 2-0 shutout over the\u00a0Sceptres\u00a0at Coca-Cola Coliseum on Jan. 6. Including Takeover Tour games, the last New York win away from home was Jan.\u00a018 in Washington D.C.,\u00a0snapping a streak of\u00a0eight straight losses.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u00a0New York earned its fourth shutout of the season, good for the third-most among PWHL teams behind Montr\u00e9al\u2019s eight and Boston\u2019s seven.\u00a0Toronto has\u00a0had a\u00a0shutout\u00a0result\u00a0in\u00a0six\u00a0of their last nine games, either shutting out its opponent or being shut out.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

Toronto\u00a0is winless at home in four consecutive games, including three shutouts.\u00a0They\u00a0closed out their 2025-26 home schedule with a 2-1-4-6 record in 13 true home games (excluding Takeover Tour), the worst mark in the league.\u00a0Two of their 12 home points were recorded at Scotiabank Arena, earning only two wins and 10 points at\u00a0Coca-Cola Coliseum. Last season, the\u00a0Sceptres\u00a0won eight of 13 games for 25 points at their primary home venue.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The last\u00a0and only other\u00a0time a PWHL\u00a0game\u00a0went\u00a0to extra time\u00a0scoreless\u00a0was in New York\u2019s\u00a01-0\u00a0overtime\u00a0win\u00a0over Toronto on Jan. 12, 2025,\u00a0at Prudential Center.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Seven PWHL games have\u00a0remained\u00a0scoreless through 40 minutes of play this season, with Toronto involved in three such games. Before tonight\u2019s overtime loss, the\u00a0Sceptres\u00a0were previously deadlocked through two periods in a 2-0 win over Boston on Mar. 17 and a 2-0 loss to Ottawa on Apr. 11.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Kayle Osborne\u00a0earned her\u00a0second shutout\u00a0against Toronto and\u00a0fourth\u00a0of the season,\u00a0the most\u00a0behind\u00a0Ann-Ren\u00e9e Desbiens and Aerin Frankel\u2019s seven, and\u00a0her 11 wins this season\u00a0rank fourth.\u00a0She has\u00a0appeared in a league-high\u00a027\u00a0games and\u00a0has\u00a0allowed\u00a0one or fewer goals in eight contests during 2025-26,\u00a0finishing\u00a0the four-game series against Toronto with a\u00a0.952\u00a0save\u00a0percentage.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Allyson Simpson\u00a0recorded her first career game winner with her third goal of the season, ending an eight-game pointless drought.\u00a0The second-year defender last scored on Mar. 15\u00a0with\u00a0her first multi-point performance (1G, 1A)\u00a0in New York\u2019s 4-3 loss to Minnesota.\u00a0She\u00a0has tied\u00a0her 2024-25 output of five points\u00a0to\u00a0reach\u00a0the\u00a0double-digit\u00a0mark for her career.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Casey O\u2019Brien\u00a0is the seventh player to reach 15 assists in the PWHL this season\u00a0and just the second rookie to do so. She\u00a0improved her points mark to 22,\u00a0good for the lead among rookies, and led all skaters with 12 faceoff wins tonight. The\u00a0third overall draft pick\u00a0finished with one goal and four assists\u00a0in four games\u00a0against Toronto to lead all skaters in the season series.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

Sarah\u00a0Fillier,\u00a0from\u00a0nearby Georgetown, ON,\u00a0extended\u00a0her point streak to three straight games with her 14th\u00a0assist\u00a0and 23rd point\u00a0in 28 games. The Sirens alternate captain became the 15th player in PWHL history to reach 30 career assists.\u00a0She led all skaters on the ice with seven shots on goal,\u00a0matching her second\u00a0highest\u00a0total this season, and has\u00a0now surpassed\u00a0100 shots on\u00a0goal in\u00a0each of her first two PWHL seasons.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Raygan Kirk\u00a0recorded her eighth game of the season with at least 30 saves, second behind Ottawa\u2019s Gwyneth Philips with 10.\u00a0She has allowed one or fewer goals\u00a0against in\u00a0six of her last\u00a0seven games,\u00a0previously allowing three to New York\u00a0last\u00a0Wednesday.\u00a0Her shutout streak of\u00a0125:12\u00a0came to a close\u00a0in her\u00a0fifth loss since the league returned from the Olympic break, and her\u00a013th\u00a0in 22\u00a0appearances\u00a0in\u00a02025-26.\u00a0\u00a0The second-year\u00a0Sceptre\u00a0holds a\u00a0goals-against-average of 1.85 and save percentage of .935 that rank third among league netminders.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Daryl Watts\u00a0and\u00a0Renata Fast\u00a0shared the\u00a0Sceptres\u00a0lead for shots on goal tonight with four\u00a0apiece.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Emma Maltais\u00a0led the\u00a0Sceptres\u00a0in the faceoff circle going 9-for-13 and has surpassed\u00a0400 faceoffs (403) for the first\u00a0time in her career. She is\u00a0one of\u00a0only\u00a0eight\u00a0PWHL skaters to exceed\u00a0400\u00a0faceoffs\u00a0this\u00a0season\u00a0along\u00a0with teammate\u00a0Blayre Turnbull\u00a0(458),\u00a0though\u00a0the\u00a0Sceptres\u00a0captain has not taken\u00a0a draw in each of her last two games.\u00a0<\/p>\n

THREE STARS \u202f\u00a0<\/p>\n

1.\u202f\u202fAllyson\u00a0Simpson (NY) OT GWG\u00a0
2.\u202f\u202fRaygan Kirk (TOR)\u00a032\/33 SV\u00a0
3.\u202f\u202fSavannah Harmon (TOR)\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

STANDINGS\u202f\u00a0<\/p>\n

Toronto:\u202f38\u202fPTS (10-1-6-12) \u2013\u202f5th\u202fPlace\u202f\u00a0
New York:\u202f36\u202fPTS (9-3-3-14) \u2013\u202f6th\u202fPlace\u202f\u00a0<\/p>\n

UPCOMING SCHEDULES\u202f\u00a0<\/p>\n

New York: Saturday,\u00a0Apr.\u00a025\u00a0at Boston\u00a0at\u00a012\u00a0p.m. ET\u202f\u00a0
Toronto:\u00a0Saturday,\u00a0Apr.\u00a025\u00a0at\u00a0Ottawa\u00a0at\u00a02\u00a0p.m. ET\u00a0<\/p>\n

CLICK HERE FOR STATS<\/a>\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Highlights and Press Conferences available on\u202fToronto\u202fand\u202fNew\u00a0York\u00a0YouTube channels\u202f\u202f.\u00a0 TORONTO\u202f(April 21, 2026) \u2013\u202fAllyson Simpson\u00a0scored the game\u2019s only goal\u00a0to\u00a0lead\u00a0the New York…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":620394,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[194291],"tags":[49,48,3302],"class_list":{"0":"post-620393","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-toronto","8":"tag-ca","9":"tag-canada","10":"tag-toronto"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/620393","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=620393"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/620393\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/620394"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=620393"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=620393"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=620393"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}