Three Takeaways: Sirens Fall 5-1 to Charge in Crucial Game for Playoff Hopes
Courtesy of Spencer Colby - The Canadian Press
There is only one playoff spot left in the PWHL this season and three teams, including the New York Sirens, are fighting for it. After defeating the Toronto Sceptres 3-2 on Wednesday, April 15, the Sirens were just two points behind the Charge for that last playoff spot. However, New York hasn’t been a great road team this season and their playoff hopes depend on them securing wins away from Prudential Center for the rest of the season. On Saturday, April 18, the Sirens headed to TD Place to take on the Charge in what could be considered a must-win game, and it did not go their way. Here are three takeaways from Sirens’ 5-1 loss to the Charge.
1. Special Team Struggles
The Sirens power play and penalty kill both had a rough outing in this contest. New York got four different power play opportunities throughout the game and scored on one of them as Paetyn Levis found the back of the net just over halfway through the first period. That power play goal stood as the only tally the Sirens would score in the entire game. To make matters worse, the Sirens got several opportunities on the player advantage in the second period and instead of capitalizing on them, it was the Charge who scored two jailbreak goals to lengthen their lead at the time to 3-1. Ottawa became the first team in PWHL history to score two shorthanded goals in a single game. Following this game, the Sirens power play is now 13.8% on the season (5th best in the league) and the penalty kill is 79.1% (last in the league). Special teams have proved to be an important part to winning games across the PWHL this season and the Sirens need to figure out how to improve both units in the remaining two games, even with several key players out of the lineup.
2. Clinging Onto Playoff Hopes
As previously mentioned, the Sirens had pulled within two of the Charge for that fourth and final playoff spot with their win last week, but the loss on Saturday now puts them five points back with the Sceptres also sitting ahead of them with 37 points. Even if New York wins their last two games of the season (at Toronto, at Boston), they need both Ottawa and Toronto to drop at least one game to keep them in the race. The way it’s shaping up, it looks like the fight for that final playoff spot might come down to the wire. Just as a reminder, the Sirens are the only one of the Inaugural Six teams that have not qualified for the playoffs yet and could miss for the third straight year. With just two games remaining, it will be tight and if the Sirens do happen to not qualify for the postseason, there will be several things you can look back on that contributed to them missing the cut.
3. Road Woes Continue
The Sirens’ last two games of the season are both on the road and they have struggled away from Prudential Center all season. After Saturday’s loss, New York is now 2-0-1-10 on the road this season and have lost their last eight road games. They have earned seven points in those 13 road games, tied with the Seattle Torrent (who are eliminated from playoff contention) for the fewest road points. The lack of wins and success on the road has definitely contributed to where the Sirens currently sit in the standings this late into the season. In fact, the last road game New York won was a 2-0 decision over Toronto on January 6, over three months ago!
Sirens Head Coach Greg Fargo spoke on what has contributed to the team losing eight straight games on the road. “I can’t put a finger on one specific thing, but we haven’t consistently scored first, especially at home. On the road, when you fall behind, you start chasing the game and it becomes tough to climb back. At home, even if you don’t score first, the crowd can help shift momentum quickly. But when you’re chasing too often, it catches up to you — matchups get tougher and things start stacking against you.”
The Sirens are back in action on Tuesday, April 21 as they take on the Sceptres at Coca-Coca Coliseum with puck drop scheduled for 7 PM EDT. They look to secure a win to stay in the playoff hunt as time continues ticking down on the 2025-26 PWHL season.