Down To The Wire

This weekend's stakes are higher than ever with the Toronto Sceptres and Ottawa Charge fighting for the fourth and final playoff spot against each other; the Boston Fleet and Montreal Victoire fighting for the number one seed; and the Seattle Torrent and Vancouver Goldeneyes battling for the number one draft pick. Here's a preview of what's to come as the regular season wraps up:

Number One Seed 

Saturday’s slate kicks off in Boston as the Fleet look to overtake the Montreal Victoire for the number one seed. The position comes with the ability to decide between the third or fourth seed in the opening round of the Walter Cup Playoffs. The fight for the number one seed will wrap with the last game of the regular season as the Montreal Victoire head to Seattle to take on the Torrent. The Victoire are currently holding a one-point lead over the Fleet, while rumors indicate Marie-Philip Poulin will return to the lineup ahead of playoffs. 

Once the day wraps up either the Fleet or the Victoire will be on the clock, with 24-hours to lock in their decision about their opening round matchup. However, this decision has yet to pay off in the PWHL with the number one seed seeing an early exit the past two seasons. So far the Minnesota Frost have locked in the third seed, but teams may want to avoid the back-to-back champs in the opening round, as they have shown to be a playoff team. 

Battle for the Final Playoff Spot

The biggest decision that will be made is the fourth and final playoff spot as the Toronto Sceptres head to Ottawa to take on the Charge. The Charge are currently in that coveted fourth spot with a three-point lead on the Sceptres. Even though the Charge have the lead the Sceptres hold the tie-breaker with 10 regulation wins to Ottawa’s 8. Toronto will need to put together a full 60-minute effort and secure a regulation win, if they want to get in, anything else and the spot belongs to Ottawa. 

2026 Number One Draft Pick

The final day also holds an important decision for the league’s newest teams, Vancouver and Seattle as they look to continue adding to the Gold Plan to secure this year’s number one draft pick. This year's draft includes Olympic talent: Caroline Harvey, Laila Edwards, Abbey Murphy, Kirsten Simms and many more. Securing the number one pick with more expansion looming could make all the difference for the league's first expansion teams that struggled in their inaugural seasons. 

With lots on the line, this weekend will be one for the books. Stay tuned for how the regular season wraps up as we head into playoff territory.