Wednesday, January 28, 2026 | 6:30 p.m. ET | Place Bell
WATCH LIVE: TSN 5, TSN.ca, TSN App, RDS, PWHL YouTube & thepwhl.com (U.S. / International), More
EN: Matt Cullen (Play-by-Play), Ann-Sophie Bettez (Analyst), Kelly Greig (Reporter);
FR: Claudine Douville (Play-by-Play), Isabelle Leclaire (Analyst), Catherine Savoie (Reporter), Andrée-Anne Barbeau (Studio Host), Karell Émard (Studio Analyst)
TORONTO SCEPTRES
4-1-3-7 | 17 PTS | 7TH PLACE
Top Scorer: Daryl Watts – 14 GP, 6-5-11 PTS
Last Game: 5-0 L at VAN on Jan. 22
MONTRÉAL VICTOIRE
6-3-0-5 | 24 PTS | 3RD PLACE
Top Scorer: Marie-Philip Poulin – 14 GP, 6-7-13 PTS
Last Game: 3-1 W vs. OTT on Jan. 24
2025-26 SEASON SERIES: MONTRÉAL LEADS 5-4 IN POINTS (TORONTO LEADS 25-17 IN POINTS ALL-TIME)
Dec. 7 at MTL: 3-1 MTL | Dec. 17 at TOR (HALIFAX): 2-1 MTL (SO) | Dec. 27 at MTL: 2-1 TOR | Jan. 28 at MTL | Mar. 3 at TOR
WHAT YOU SHOULD KNOW
This will be the first head-to-head series to reach four meetings between two PWHL teams this season. The Victoire picked up wins in Laval (3-1) and Halifax (2-1, SO) before Toronto earned a 2-1 win at the Bell Centre in Montréal. The Sceptres have one win in four visits to Place Bell (1-0-1-2).
Toronto broke a second-place tie with Montréal the last time the teams met but have not won a game in regulation since then and have lost six of seven games overall (0-1-1-5).
The Sceptres are coming off a 5-0 shutout loss in Vancouver, their second shutout loss in their last five games after they fell, 2-0, at home against the Sirens on Jan. 6. They had been shut out just three times in their first 64 regular-season games prior to this stretch.
Blayre Turnbull was credited with eight hits against Vancouver on Thursday. She has only had more hits twice in her PWHL career – nine on March 8, 2024 against Montréal and nine on May 10, 2024 in the playoffs against Minnesota. She has more than two hits in just two of her other 14 games this season. The Sceptres captain recorded her only multi-point game of the season in her last game in Montréal with two assists.
Daryl Watts scored the winning goal in each of Toronto’s last two victories in two iconic venues, including the Bell Centre against the Victoire and Scotiabank Arena in overtime against the Goldeneyes. She’s currently tied for the Sceptres’ all-time scoring lead with 38 points (18G, 20A) alongside Renata Fast (9G, 29A), Natalie Spooner (26G, 12A), and former Sceptre Hannah Miller (17G, 21A).
Emma Maltais leads the Sceptres with six assists and has set up five different teammates for goals this season. Three of those assists helped deliver first, and only goals of the season so far by Kiara Zanon, Savannah Harmon and Kali Flanagan most recently against Vancouver.
Toronto celebrated two birthdays this week with Clara Van Wieren turning 24-years-old on the 25th and Head Coach Troy Ryan who turned 54 on the 26th.
Montréal beat Ottawa, 3-1, at home on Saturday, improving to a league-best 5-1-0-1 at home this season, with the only blemish coming in the loss to the Sceptres at the Bell Centre on Dec. 27. Montréal’s last regular-season loss at Place Bell came on Apr. 1 to New York, 1-0, making it six straight wins at their primary home venue dating back to last season.
Maureen Murphy scored a pair of goals on Saturday after scoring in Montréal’s previous game last Wednesday. The PWHL Player of the Week had zero goals in her first 12 games this season and had three across 28 games last season. She has recorded at least three shots on goal in each of her last five games, the longest such streak of her career.
Ann-Renée Desbiens became the first goaltender in PWHL history to record 30 career wins on Saturday against the Charge. She has allowed only four goals in three games against Toronto with a 1.32 goals-against-average and a .952 save percentage in the season series.
Hayley Scamurra has assisted in two straight home games and in three of her last four games overall. Her only goal of the season came against Toronto at Place Bell on Dec. 7, the game-winner in the 3-1 victory.
Kati Tabin leads all Victoire defenders in scoring this season with six points, including a goal and an assist in games against Toronto. Former Victoire defender Anna Kjellbin also has a goal and an assist in the season series, while former Sceptre Kaitlin Willoughby has two assists in the series along with team captains Marie-Philip Poulin and Turnbull.
The Victoire lead the league with an average of 32.0 shots on goal per game, and their 25.5 shots against are the fewest in the league. Their +91 total shot differential is nearly 50 more than the next-best team (New York, +43). Toronto ranks third at +23.
Both teams rank seventh and eighth in scoring in the third period this season with Montréal at eight goals and Toronto at seven goals in the final frame.
WHAT THEY’RE SAYING
“We are excited to play one more game as a team tonight before the Olympic break begins. We know what we can bring as a team – a fast and physical game with a competitive attitude. I know that we are excited to show that off in Laval.” – Sceptres forward Jesse Compher
“We want Toronto's best because we want to play our best, because that's how we are going to get better. We just need to stay focused on how we are operating right now. We just need to play urgent hockey right now, play desperate, and fight for those three points because they're so coveted.” - Victoire Head Coach Kori Cheverie
WEDNESDAY’S GAME: It’s the second of two matchups between Montréal and Toronto at Place Bell and the fourth of five meetings overall between the Canadian rivals this regular season. Tonight’s puck drop launches a record-setting night in the PWHL that features four games and all eight teams competing for the first time in league history on the same night in the Ultimate Send-Off before the schedule pauses for the Olympic break. The first 6,000 fans in attendance will receive an Ann-Renée Desbiens bobblehead, while supplies last, marking the first-ever bobblehead giveaway by the team and one of two this season. The Victoire are proud to welcome a number of Olympians to Place Bell tonight, including France St-Louis who brought home a silver medal with Canada’s Women’s National Team in 1998, and Julie Chu who earned three silver medals and one bronze at the Olympics with Team USA. Also recognized tonight will be Ice Dancer Marjorie Lajoie, Freestyle Skier Chloé Dufour-Lapointe, and Para Ice Hockey players Vincent Boily, Shawn Burnett, Anton Jacobs-Webb and Mathieu Lelièvre. Marie-Claude Poulin will sing the national anthem.
Following the conclusion of tonight’s game, fans in attendance will have the opportunity to cheer on players representing the PWHL at the Olympic Winter Games Milano Cortina 2026 during a ceremony that will recognize all 18 Olympians, with nine on both teams. Montréal’s Olympians include Canada’s Erin Ambrose, Ann-Renée Desbiens, Marie-Philip Poulin, Laura Stacey and Kati Tabin, Hayley Scamurra from the United States, plus Czechia’s Natálie Mlýnková, Germany’s Sandra Abstreiter, and Sweden’s Lina Ljungblom. Toronto has six players on Team Canada, including Renata Fast, Emma Maltais, Ella Shelton, Natalie Spooner, Blayre Turnbull and Daryl Watts, plus Sweden’s Anna Kjellbin and Sara Hjalmarsson, and Italy’s Kristin Della Rovere. Staff from both teams are also part of Team Canada, including Toronto General Manager Gina Kingsbury, Head Coach Troy Ryan, Assistant Coaches Kori Cheverie and Caroline Ouellette of Montréal, Sceptres Video Coach Stef Thompson, Goaltending Consultant Brad Kirkwood, Victoire Strength and Conditioning Coach Vicki Bendus, and Performance Coach Consultant Daniel Tkaczuk and Equipment Manager Alana Goulden from Toronto. Victoire General Manager Danièle Sauvageau holds the same position with Team Italy, joined by Mikael Nahabedian as the team’s Director of Analytics and Alex Tremblay as Skills Coach. A total of 61 PWHL players have been named to Olympic rosters, representing 30% of the league.