There are five games left in the season and every single point will be crucial if Boston wants to avoid missing the playoffs, and staying out of last place.
Knight Court
We talked a lot about Hilary Knight at the midseason check in, and she has definitely shown signs of life in PWHL play. She is however playing true to herself in the World Championships which shows she has it left in the tank so what is the issue in Boston? The quick answers might be more densely talented teammates she is used to playing with, and so far she has not played against goaltenders that are up to the same levels as the PWHL talent in net. In the PWHL all six teams boast a goalie that has either logged major minutes fro the US or Canada or has had major questions about why they aren’t getting those minutes since they deserve it, so far the US has played some very good goalies but the coming game against Canada and then the knock out rematch will be telling.
Don’t tell me the odds
Right now Boston is five points out of the last playoff spot and only two points clear of the basement. They have 15 points they control as do everyone else. Until the loss in regulation to New York Boston controlled their destiny with their upcoming meeting with Ottawa win hand. The good news is Boston has taken 8 of 12 points so far against Ottawa so they will have the head to head. Problem is of the 30 points remaining between the two teams Boston needs 20 of them to go their way, while only controlling 18, 15 of their own plus they can directly take 3 from Ottawa when they head up there for the final time, so Ottawa would have to drop at least 2 points in a game not against Boston which isn’t unlikely but every point Boston drops Ottawa would also have to drop. It also means that even if Ottawa were to drop all five remaining games giving Boston at least 3 points, Boston would have to take 2 points elsewhere. This is also assuming New York doesn’t go on a run and surpass both of these teams.
Coaching Changes
Will Boston make a move in the final stretch to get a new coach in? At this point likely not. If they were going to do that doing so before the international break so whoever came in had the two weeks to work with the remaining players would have made the most sense. Now, however, it all rests on Coach Kessel. Squeaking into the playoffs will likely keep enough heat off that it won’t be a forgone conclusion, but missing the playoffs would be a disaster after the roster that was built and touted going into the season. This isn’t to say all of the responsibility is on the staff, there is plenty of blame to go around, but she would likely be the first move and we will see what other dominoes fall come the off season.
Draft Positioning
If Boston isn’t going to make the playoffs the next thing to consider is where they will be drafting for next year. The PWHL has implemented a new rule where once you are eliminated from playoff contention you start to gather points to compete with the other team that misses the playoff for the first pick. Right now New York is only two points behind Boston so theoretically they would be eliminated first, so it will come down to when a team gets eliminated and luck of who is left on the schedule. It could very well come down to neither team getting a point after elimination if they are making an honest attempt at a playoff spot.
Outlook
Boston still has a chance, as Ottawa is almost certain to drop points. Problem is Boston is almost certain to as well. They have shown signs of life at different points in the season but have never put together a solid stretch where they play complete games and made the fans feel confident in their ability to make a title run. It does not seem like a playoff berth its in the cards after that collapse against New York going into the break. Their meeting against New York in New Jersey will likely decide the first overall pick as neither team seems likely to beat the top teams down the stretch.