New York ends seven-game skid to keep slim PWHL playoffs hopes alive

Pascal Daoust wanted to see a complete 60-minute effort from his team. He needed to see it.

PWHL New York obliged its general manager. And as a result, they kept their slim playoff hopes alive.

“I know this was the most consistent game that we’ve played,” coach Howie Draper said after New York’s 3-2 win over Boston at UBS Arena Monday night.

With the win, New York improved to 7-9-2-1 for 20 points and ended its seven-game losing streak.

“This is a good momentum builder,” said Jade Downie-Landry, who scored two power play goals. Elizabeth Giguere added another power play goal for New York, which finished the game 3-for-6 on the man advantage. Corinne Schroeder made 28 saves.

“We just need to use this win to propel us for our next games and practices in the upcoming weeks,” Downie-Landry said.

With five games remaining in the PWHL’s inaugural season, New York’s 20 points are fewest in the league. They trail Boston by two points for fifth and are seven behind fourth-place Ottawa.

Still, Draper told Newsday prior to the game he believed a playoff berth is a viable goal due to the PWHL’s points format–which awards three points to teams who win in regulation, two points for an overtime or shootout win, one for an overtime or shootout loss, and no points for a regulation loss–would, theoretically, allow New York to make up lost ground.

In earning its first regulation win since Jan. 20–and its first win of any kind since Feb. 21–New York played below the hash marks and forced Boston goaltender Aerin Frankel to work.

Frankel finished with 31 saves on 34 shots.

“We’ve been working a lot on our (offensive zone) movement and just creating chances,” Giguere said. “Take what we were given. That’s where we did a good job.”

Prior to the win over Boston, New York had been 0-0-5-2 dating back to Feb. 23. In that stretch, they were outscored by an aggregate 23-9, including two shutout losses to Minnesota (2-0 on Mar. 3) and Ottawa (3-0 on Mar. 20).

So, yes, it was rather significant when New York took a 1-0 lead 2:12 into the second period on Downie-Landry’s power-play deflection of Micah Zandee-Hart’s point shot.

More than giving New York the lead, the power play tally put an end to what had been a vexing trend. Entering the match, New York had allowed the game-opening goal in each of the last seven games.

Giguere’s power play goal 3:17 after Downie-Landry’s extended the lead to 2-0. Giguere, driving to the net, swatted an Alex Carpenter feed past Frankel while falling to the ice.

The goal was the second of the season for Giguere.

“We actually played a good full 60 [minutes in] this game,” Giguere said. “We haven’t done that really all season long. So it was just nice to get a full 60, get ahead, and get the win.”

Alina Muller cut the lead in half with her third of the season a minute later.

Dowine-Landry’s second power play goal of the game at 7:14 of the third extended the lead to 3-1.

Boston closed to within 3-2 on Sophie Shirley’s third of the season at 10:15.