Saturday, May 3, 2025 | 12:00 p.m. ET | Coca-Cola Coliseum
WATCH LIVE: TSN 1/3, TSN.ca, TSN App, PWHL YouTube & thepwhl.com (U.S. / International)
Kenzie Lalonde (Play-by-Play), Becky Kellar (Analyst), Rob Pizzo (Reporter)
OTTAWA CHARGE
12-1-4-12 | 42 PTS | 4TH PLACE
Top Scorer: Tereza Vanišová – 29 GP, 15-6-21 PTS
Last Game: 3-0 L vs. MIN on Apr. 30
TORONTO SCEPTRES
12-3-5-9 | 47 PTS | 2ND PLACE
Top Scorer: Daryl Watts – 29 GP, 12-15-27 PTS
Last Game: 2-1 SOW vs. NY on Apr. 29
2024-25 SEASON SERIES: TORONTO LEADS 8-7 IN POINTS (OTTAWA WON 9-6 IN 2024)
Dec. 3 at OTT: 3-2 OTT | Dec. 31 at TOR: 2-1 OTT | Jan. 14 at OTT: 4-2 TOR | Feb. 1 at TOR: 4-2 TOR | Feb. 16 at OTT (EDMONTON): 3-2 TOR (OT)
WHAT YOU SHOULD KNOW
The first game of the only tripleheader in the PWHL schedule this season has playoff implications for both teams. Ottawa can clinch their first-ever playoff spot with a win of any kind, or a loss of any kind by Minnesota against Boston. If the Charge lose in OT/SO, their path to playoffs relies on the Frost not beating the Fleet in regulation. Toronto can finish in first place with a regulation win combined with a New York regulation win over Montréal.
This is the second straight season Ottawa can secure a playoff berth with a win in Toronto in their final game. Last season at Mattamy Athletic Centre on May 5, 2024, Ottawa needed a regulation win to clinch but suffered a 5-2 loss to Toronto.
Ottawa’s 3-0 loss on Wednesday to Minnesota snapped a three-game winning streak and marked the ninth time the Charge have lost by multiple goals this season, tied with New York for most in the league. However, the Charge have won in regulation in the game following each of their last four such losses.
Ottawa scored regulation wins in their first two meetings with Toronto this season (Dec. 3 & 31) but has just one point in the three games since then, an overtime loss on Feb. 16. The Sceptres have gone 6-for-19 (31.6%) on the power play against Ottawa this season, and the Charge have been the most penalized team in the league (8:14 of PIM per game).
Kateřina Mrázová, two games removed from LTIR, leads the Charge with four points (1G, 3A) in three games against the Sceptres. Mannon McMahon has three goals in the season series and defender Jincy Roese has scored in both of the team’s wins – including the game-winner in this building on New Year’s Eve with 1:10 left in regulation. Roese (1G, 3A) and Shiann Darkangelo (3G, 2A) have points in three straight road games.
Tereza Vanišová leads Ottawa with 15 goals this season, six more than any other player on the Charge (Emily Clark, 9). That six-goal gap is tied for the largest among any team’s goal leader and second place (Marie-Philip Poulin 17, Laura Stacey 11).
Since the February break, the Charge are 7-1-2-4 (.595), the league’s second-best record behind Toronto (7-3-1-3, .667). The Ottawa offense has been leading the way in that span averaging 3.00 goals per game. The Charge have three games with at least five goals in that span – the other five PWHL teams have combined for six such games, with none having more than two. Ottawa averaged 1.80 goals per game prior to Feb. 11, fewest in the league.
Toronto holds the best home record in the PWHL at 7-2-2-3 (.643), while Ottawa is tied for the best road record at 7-0-1-6 (.524).
Carly ‘CJ’ Jackson made their PWHL debut on Wednesday, delivering 25 saves while allowing just one goal in a shootout win. It was the fourth time in PWHL history a goaltender made 25+ saves while allowing no more than one goal in a shootout victory, joining Ann-Renée Desbiens (this season) and Kristen Campbell & Aerin Frankel (last season).
Toronto’s 35 shots on goal in their shootout win over New York were the Sceptres’ most in a game since having 40 against Montréal on Jan. 30. Toronto leads the league in SOG per game this season at 28.9 but since the beginning of February that average is just 26.4.
Campbell is 13 saves away from becoming the fourth goaltender to reach 1,000 career regular season saves.
Hannah Miller leads the season series with seven points (2G, 5A), followed by Sarah Nurse (1G, 4A) despite missing the last meeting in Edmonton. Captain Blayre Turnbull has scored three of her season’s five goals in the series.
Miller also leads the team in plus/minus at +14 with the next-highest rating by any Toronto skater being +4 (Julia Gosling). The next-largest gap between a team leader and second in a season in PWHL history is five (New York this season).
Renata Fast has filled up the statsheet for Toronto this season. She leads defenders in scoring with 21 points, is tied for first among all skaters with 15 assists, leads the league in average time on ice at 24:59, leads the league in hits with 62, and is tied for third with 48 blocked shots.
Daryl Watts has a four-game home point streak and is the only player in PWHL history to notch multiple goals against each of the league’s six teams, including two against her former team Ottawa.
Eleven Sceptres are poised to play in all 30 of the team’s games this season, including seven players who also played in all 24 of Toronto’s inaugural season games (Fast, Turnbull, Jesse Compher, Maggie Connors, Kali Flanagan, Emma Maltais, Allie Munroe). Of the Charge’s five players to appear in all 29 of the team’s games to date, only Clark played every game for Ottawa last season.
WHAT THEY’RE SAYING
“We have our own ticket in our hands still. That hasn't changed since the last game. We just need to recognize that we have our backs against the wall now. We must get excited to win a hockey game, versus the fear of losing a hockey game. It’s all about our mentality. So, we’ve got to make sure we're excited to go win a hockey game on Saturday.” – Charge Head Coach Carla MacLeod.
“At the end of the day, we want to win a hockey game, so we have to execute a game plan that’s going to help us do that. We want to win a hockey game because we want to give ourselves the opportunity to finish in first place – why wouldn’t you want to do that? We’re competitors, we want to finish in first place and set us up for the best possible playoff run.” - Sceptres forward Sarah Nurse.
SATURDAY’S GAME: The Sceptres will celebrate Fan Appreciation presented by MILK, against their provincial rivals. Fans can expect some familiar activations including the Canadian Tire ‘My Team My Sign’, Scotiabank’s ‘Make It Merch’, the Royale ‘Kitten Toss’ and more from Hilberg and Berk, and e.l.f. The Brampton Canadettes will take to the ice in the first intermission, and the Sceptres will welcome some Season Ticket Members to the ice post-game for a special giveaway.