The Ottawa Charge hosted the Toronto Sceptres on neutral ice Wednesday night (April 1) as part of the Professional Women’s Hockey League’s (PWHL) Takeover Tour. The game took place at the Scotiabank Saddledome in Calgary, Alberta.
Related: 3 Takeaways From Torrent’s 2-0 Shutout Loss to Charge
This was a game with massive playoff implications. Ottawa sat just two points ahead of Toronto before this one, with the Charge hanging on to the fourth and final playoff spot.
The Charge’s lone goal came from Fanuza Kadirova. It was a chippy affair that ultimately came down to an unfortunate turnover and a game-deciding goal early in the final period. Ottawa pushed late but couldn’t get one past and force extra time. The Sceptres won by a score of 2-1.
Charge’s League-Best Power Play Flounders
Ottawa came into the game with the PWHL’s best power-play unit, and left with second-best. They were unable to convert on four opportunities and couldn’t really generate any solid chances during them. Whether it’s a testament to the Sceptres’ killing ability or the Charge’s inability to set things up, it was overall an ugly evening on the player-advantage.
The Sceptres may have done a fine job stopping them from scoring, but they also have a bottom-three-ranked penalty kill. The Charge are going to need to convert against lowly units like that to win games.
Kadirova Keeps Scoring
Her first season in the PWHL just keeps getting better. Kadirova has certainly been doing her part in pushing the Charge to the playoffs, scoring six goals in her last 10 games. Her goal in this one was an absolute snipe, as she took a pass and wired one from outside the slot into the top corner.
Kadirova now has eight goals and 10 points this season. Her impressive play has been rewarded lately as head coach Carla MacLeod has elevated her to the second line alongside Katerina Mrázová and Sarah Wozniewicz. She brings a special combination of scoring touch and tough play in the corners that has allowed her quite a bit of success so far. Having her in the top-six and around some other established skill players is a good recipe for the Charge.
Ottawa Loses Playoff Spot
With the 2-1 loss in regulation and three points awarded to Toronto, it means the Charge drop back into fifth place for the time being and will need to work their way back to the playoff spot they were in. It’s no reason for panic with half a dozen games left and only trailing by one point. On the flip side of that, Ottawa can’t sit back and rely on help from other teams either. True playoff teams take matters into their own hands.
The upcoming schedule (which I’ll briefly talk about) isn’t exactly easy for them either. They see the Montreal Victoire, Seattle Torrent, New York Sirens, Boston Fleet, and these same Sceptres two more times. And with the PWHL’s “Gold Plan” in place, everyone is playing for something right until the very end. It’ll be an interesting finish, and we could very well see playoff spots decided on the final day of the regular season as we did in 2024-25.
Charge Head Home for Next Two Games
Ottawa will have their next two games at home before seeing Toronto again in a little under two weeks. They will first see the Victoire at the Canadian Tire Centre on Friday night (April 3) with puck drop set for 5 p.m. MDT. After that, they host the Torrent at TD Place on Wednesday night (April 8) starting at the same time.
