This is a crucial week for the PWHL playoff race. Now that teams are beginning to clinch playoff spots, the tight battle for the final spot is getting closer.

Sunday morning, I woke up with a few scenarios to hope for. Best-case scenario, I needed the Sceptres to win against the Goldeneyes and the Charge to lose against the Torrent. I could live with the Sceptres winning and the Charge winning, or both Toronto and Ottawa losing.

Basically, I wanted any situation that would keep my Sceptres in that elusive fourth playoff spot to start this crucial week.

Based on Seattle’s current record (2–8–0 since returning from the Olympics), I wasn’t going to put my eggs in Seattle’s basket to keep Toronto in that fourth-place spot and to keep Ottawa from the single point needed to bump Toronto out of that spot, so I was really hoping for a Vancouver loss. After Seattle’s shutout loss against Ottawa Sunday night, my pessimism proved correct.

In classic Toronto hockey fan fashion, I was not so lucky. Watching former Sceptres Izzy Daniel, Sarah Nurse, and Hannah Miller log points against the Sceptres in Sunday’s crucial game made this loss even worse.

If my Sceptres couldn’t keep their hypothetical playoff spot from the Charge this week, will Ottawa be able to keep it? Who will take it from them?

With Sunday’s results, the standings sit as follows:

📊 End of Night Standings Update – Mar 29, 2026#PWHL #ThePurpleSheet pic.twitter.com/PJ0TOm9jsB

— The Purple Sheet (@ThePurpleSheet) March 30, 2026

IN FIRST AND NOW FIRST IN 🔥@PWHL_Boston becomes the first to clinch a spot in the 2026 PWHL Walter Cup Playoffs presented by SharkNinja — the fastest team to do so in PWHL history! pic.twitter.com/iSHkHpELi6

— PWHL (@thepwhlofficial) March 29, 2026

The Big Three

Even though Boston is the first team of the season to clinch a playoff spot (and the fastest team to do so in PWHL history, an exciting start to the postseason for the team that just missed the playoffs last year), it feels like those top three spots are pretty much locked in. With Montreal and Minnesota being the only other teams with over forty-point seasons, they would have to start losing a lot of games for Ottawa or Toronto (our current 30+ points teams) to catch up.

Interestingly, Sunday’s loss to Boston was the first time Minnesota has lost back-to-back games this season. Especially exciting for the Fleet, with rookie goaltender Amanda Thiele crushing it in her debut.

I personally think it’s Boston’s year to take it home, but we aren’t ruling out Montreal over here. If Montreal beats Vancouver in regulation on Wednesday (which, considering they have in both their previous meetings this season, could be plausible) and Ottawa on Friday, they’ll be clinched as well, sitting at 52 points.

Battle of Ontario?

We have two days to panic about potential playoff pairings, with every team except the Torrent playing a game Wednesday night.

Toronto’s Wednesday night match-up is against Ottawa, who just may be their biggest direct rival for that fourth-place slot. Especially with the Ontario teams having three games against each other in April. With Ottawa only two points ahead of Toronto, and grabbing that fourth-place slot Sunday night, I expect they’ll be doing some flip-flopping for that slot. As long as New York doesn’t get in their way, which they very well could.

If the Sirens win two in a row this week, and the Sceptres lose their only game this week, New York will take that fifth-place spot. The Sirens most likely will not sneak into the fourth-place spot on their own this week. The Toronto-Ottawa match-up means that one of those teams will get at least two points. If the trailing Toronto wins that game in Overtime, and the Sirens win both their games this week, then New York and Toronto would be tied with the Charge with 33 points for the fourth-place spot. Unless, of course, Ottawa beats Montreal on Friday, before the Siren’s second game of the week. I do have to stop assuming that the current Big Three are going to spend the rest of the month beating the teams battling for that fourth-place spot.

A disadvantage for Toronto?

Toronto is definitely at a disadvantage during this crucial week by only having one game. However, a Takeover Tour crowd in Calgary will be an equal playing field for this Battle of Ontario. And, as a Sceptres fan, I’m hoping the Charge will still be jet lagged 48 hours later when they face Montreal at home. Interestingly, yesterday’s Charge win against Seattle was Ottawa’s first regulation win on the road. It will be interesting to see if that gives them momentum for their Takeover Tour game this week.

Counted out

I don’t want to count Vancouver out just yet. Especially now that they’re tied with New York, but this week is going to be tough if they want to stay in the race for that spot. The Goldeneyes have not won two in a row since January. Although, two out of five of their losses since coming back from the Olympics have been in Overtime, so there is a dash of hope. As I said above, Wednesday doesn’t feel like the day they’ll get two wins in a row. Vancouver is also at a disadvantage in the race this week, facing the powerhouses of Montreal and Minnesota.

Unfortunately for Seattle, I think they can start thinking about Draft Picks. In Sunday night’s game against Ottawa, Ottawa had fourteen penalty minutes that the Torrent weren’t able to capitalize on. They now have five days off before their next game (The Sirens at MSG). This will be a tough game against a team clawing for a postseason berth.

Fourth-Place is the New First

That fourth-place spot could still be anyone’s, with each team having six or seven games in April. I’m personally hoping for Toronto, betting on Ottawa. I’m excited to see what New York and Vancouver pull off this April.

Which exhausted team that has crawled its way into that last-place spot is going to have to face the #1 seed? I doubt (assumedly) Boston will pick a Big Three match-up. However, it might take a miracle for whoever wins this battle for fourth to beat the Fleet in the first playoff round.