Sunday, March 23, 2025 | 12:00 p.m. ET | Place Bell
WATCH LIVE: TSN 4, TSN.ca, TSN App, RDS, PWHL YouTube & thepwhl.com (U.S. / International)
EN: Kenzie Lalonde (Play-by-Play), Cheryl Pounder (Analyst), Kelly Greig (Reporter);
FR: Claudine Douville (Play-by-Play), Isabelle Leclaire (Analyst), Catherine Savoie (Reporter), Andrée-Anne Barbeau (Studio Host), Karell Émard (Studio Analyst)
TORONTO SCEPTRES
10-2-5-7 | 39 PTS | 3RD PLACE
Top Scorer: Hannah Miller (10-13) & Daryl Watts (8-15)
Last Game: 2-1 W vs. NY on Mar. 19
MONTRÉAL VICTOIRE
10-6-3-5 | 45 PTS | 1ST PLACE
Top Scorer: Marie-Philip Poulin – 24 GP, 14-5-19 PTS
Last Game: 3-2 SOL at BOS on Mar. 18
2024-25 SEASON SERIES: MONTRÉAL LEADS 10-5 IN POINTS (TORONTO WON 13-2 IN 2024)
Dec. 21 at TOR: 4-3 MTL (OT) | Jan. 8 at TOR (VANCOUVER): 4-2 MTL | Jan. 30 at MTL: 4-3 MTL (SO) | Feb. 25 at MTL: 3-1 MTL | Mar. 6 at TOR: 4-1 TOR
WHAT YOU SHOULD KNOW
Montréal has won four (two regulation, one OT, one SO) of the five meetings with Toronto this season but the Sceptres earned a 4-1 victory in the most recent game in March. It was Toronto’s third win by at least three goals over Montréal in the all-time series with the Victoire not having a single such win in the matchup.
Toronto scored a 2-1 win over New York on Wednesday, their seventh time this season allowing zero or one goals (tied for most such games this season with Minnesota and Montréal). Since Valentine’s Day, the Sceptres’ five such games are the most in the PWHL.
Daryl Watts has points in all three of Toronto’s games in March, including two assists the last time the Sceptres played the Victoire, and both goals in their win on Wednesday for her second multi-goal game this season (Feb. 16 at Ottawa). The only PWHL skater with more games with two or more goals this season is Montréal’ Marie-Philip Poulin (three).
Renata Fast has 19 games this season with both a hit and a blocked shot, five more than any other PWHL skater this season. Fast has 11 games with multiple hits and multiple blocked shots, also five more than any other PWHL skater this season.
Sarah Nurse has been activated from LTIR and will be in the Sceptres lineup for the first time since Feb. 1. She had previously suffered a lower-body injury while competing with Canada at the Rivalry Series on Feb. 6. This will be Toronto’s first game all season without anybody on LTIR.
Anna Kjellbin returns to Montréal and Kaitlin Willoughby faces her former Toronto teammates for the first time since the Mar. 13 trade deadline deal between the teams. Kjellbin recorded an assist in her Sceptres debut, a 2-1 win over New York on Wednesday, while Willoughby played her first game as a member of the Victoire on Tuesday in Boston.
A Montréal win in regulation (three points) against Toronto would clinch a playoff berth for the Victoire. Based on the remaining matchups in the League schedule, it would not be possible for four other teams to all finish ahead of Montréal with 48 or more points in the standings.
The Victoire have lost two straight games for the second time this season. Their last two-game losing streak was snapped with a victory over Toronto on Feb. 25 - the first of a current three-game winning streak on home ice.
Five of Montréal’s six games in the month of March have gone to overtime including each of the last three. Entering the month, the Victoire had played a PWHL-low four non-regulation games this season.
On Tuesday, Amanda Boulier became the second Montréal defender this season to have a game with both a goal and assist, joining Kati Tabin (Jan. 19). It was Boulier’s second multi-point game in 2024-25, tying Tabin and Erin Ambrose for most by a Victoire defender.
Laura Stacey leads the head-to-head series with seven points (3G, 4A) in five games against Toronto with a plus-8 rating.
More than half of Team Canada’s roster for the upcoming Women’s Worlds features talent on these two teams with 14 players in total. Toronto is represented by Fast, Nurse, Watts, Kristen Campbell, Emma Maltais, Hannah Miller, Natalie Spooner and Blayre Turnbull. Ambrose, Poulin, Stacey, Ann-Renée Desbiens, Jennifer Gardiner and Kristin O’Neill will represent Montréal.
Fourteen players between the two teams have a rooting interest in the Women’s Frozen Four final including Wisconsin alumnae Campbell, Desbiens, Nurse, Turnbull, Watts, Jesse Compher, Dara Greig and Anna Wilgren. Ohio State grads include Gardiner, Maltais, Spooner, Cayla Barnes, Clair DeGeorge and Raygan Kirk.
WHAT THEY’RE SAYING
“I am very excited to play Montréal for the first time! I know that the games are usually tight and physical. Though I’ve only played one game with Toronto, my first impression playing with the Scepters was just joy from being on the ice with all of my new teammates. I had a lot of fun.” - Sceptres defender Anna Kjellbin.
“We want to come out and be physical. We want to set the tone in terms of that physicality. We want to be first on pucks. We want to be difficult to play against. So that is something that we will be bringing to the game for sure. And we know that it's a fight right now in the standings, and we want to show up and be better every single day. So, Sunday is a big one, and we're going to be ready for a physical battle.” - Victoire forward Laura Stacey.
SUNDAY’S GAME: Today marks Montréal's Indigenous Heritage Unity Game, celebrating Indigenous Peoples. Prior to the game, Kanahsohon Kevin Deer from the Kahnawà:ke Mohawk Territory will be delivering the Land Welcoming. He has been involved for 30 years in Mohawk Language retention and revitalization, as well as a Faithkeeper at the Mohawk Trail Longhouse. DJ Pøptrt is a Kanien’kehá:ka (Mohawk) artist and DJ based in Montréal, known for her electrifying fusion of tech house, bass house, and acid house music. Also, Smoke Dancers from the Kahnawà:ke Mohawk Territory will be performing during the first intermission. Krystel Mongeau will be singing the National Anthem. The Richelieu Lionnes (U13 B) will be playing a mini-match during the first intermission.