What you need to know about NWHL Playoffs: Riveters (4) vs. Pride (1)
SCHEDULE (best of three)
Game #1: Friday, March 4 at 7:00pm ET (Stream: Cross-Ice Pass)
Game #2: Saturday, March 5 at 8:00pm ET (Stream: Cross-Ice Pass)
Game #3 (if needed): Sunday, March 6 at 7:00pm ET (Stream: Cross-Ice Pass)
SEASON SERIES
| Away | Home | ||||
| Oct. 18 | Pride | 7 | Riveters | 1 | |
| Nov. 15 | Pride | 2 | Riveters | 3 | |
| Nov. 22 | Riveters | 3 | Pride | 2 | |
| Dec. 6 | Riveters | 1 | Pride | 4 | |
| Jan. 10 | Riveters | 1 | Pride | 8 | |
| Feb. 6 | Pride | 6 | Riveters | 1 |
NEED TO KNOW
1. Hilary Knight. Period. She is the superstar on a squad of national team stars. Knight leads the league in goals (15), assists (18), total points (33), game winning goals (5), etc. She is the face of the league and the leader of this team.
2. Right next to Knight is her partner in crime, Brianna Decker. She’s second in scoring with 29 points in 17 games. She’s second to Knight it most statistical categories. Those two are a absolute beasts on the ice. If the Riveters can manage to contain them, they have any number of national team members to stop afterwards.
3. Pride goaltender Brittany Ott has played in all, but one game this season. She amassed a 13-1-1 record with a 1.94 GAA and .925 SV%. Of the top four goaltenders in the NWHL, she’s played the most but faced the least amount of shots against. That speaks to the team she has in front of her.
4. The Riveters are not friends with the third period. They have allowed 39 goals against in that period alone. Conversely, Boston has scored 31 goals in the third (best in the NWHL). New York can hang with teams through the first and second period, but seem to exhaust themselves in the third.
5. New York has to keep themselves disciplined. They are the second most penalized team and have the third ranked penalty kill. Boston’s power play clicks at nearly 20-percent for second best in the league.
PREDICTION: PRIDE IN 2. Unless Knight, Decker and the like get locked in a closet somewhere, the Pride are going to take the series in a walk.
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Jen Neale is an editor for Puck Daddy on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email her at [email protected] or follow her on Twitter! Follow @MsJenNeale_PD.
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