PWHL Preview: Toronto @ Montréal

Toronto at Montreal – 8:00 p.m. ET – Verdun Auditorium
Watch on: no broadcast option
Streaming: CBC Gem, YouTube French: ICI TOU.TV

An unusual Saturday night game for PWHL Toronto sees the game not on broadcast television – CBC will be showing HNIC and TSN has tennis and football.

Toronto lost their last game to Boston at home in a heartbreaking way. They dominated, but just can't seem to buy a goal when they need one. They have one win in five games played and desperately need points.

Montréal has two wins in regulation and an OT win for nine points in five games. Their last game was a 3-2 win over New York.

Them

We haven't seen Montréal yet, but they aren't strangers. Led by possibly (probably?) the best player in history, Marie-Philip Poulin, they are strong on offence, and tough in net with Team Canada's best Ann-Renée Desbiens. Erin Ambrose, who is for me the one who got away from Toronto, is their most well-known defender, and if they are weak anywhere it's defence.

They are built to score their way out of trouble. So far they're just barely getting it done with a goal differential of 13-12. Regardless the Montréal offence is going to be a huge challenge for the PWHL's busiest goalie, Kristen Campbell.

Us

Will Toronto return to Campbell in net? Toronto is last in points, last in Shooting % and last in Save %. They have the worst goal differential, and Campbell has seen the most shots at 121 while playing all but 40 minutes of the season so far.

While I'm enumerating all the things Toronto hasn't done: they have one goal on 14 power play opportunities and have allowed two against. Offset that with one shorthanded goal, and they are at a 0 goal differential on special teams. Their success percentages are the worst and the second worst for the PP and the PK.

There are two ways you can get a record like this. You can be absolutely dreadful and get outshot by a tonne, or you can be in percentages hell. Toronto is in a deep dark hellish hole on their shooting %, and that's not going to stay that way forever, but remember the rule: regression doesn't have a due date. So far the league is at 2.46 goals scored per game per team. League average Save % is .916, and Toronto's 1.4 goals a game, and team Save % of .875 is miles away, but also just a goal or two here and there. In a very low-scoring league, variance in goalie performance and shooting luck can kill you or make you a goddess.

For reference, the NHL averages this season are 3.12 for goals and .904 for Save %.

The Game

All hockey is simple: get more chances to score than the other team. When you do that and aren't rewarded, your only option is to do it some more.

Do it some more, Toronto.

This is the first time a PWHL game has overlapped with a Leafs game, so while the Lines will get posted here when available, there might not be much action in this post. Feel free to watch both games at once in the GDT.