How much will a strong Ottawa Charge power play matter in the PWHL playoffs?

Ottawa Charge goaltender Gwyneth Philips makes a save in Game 1 of the PWHL semifinal series against the Boston Fleet on Thursday, April 30, 2026. Photo by PWHL /HANDOUT

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The penalty-box benches barely had time to cool as a steady stream of players cycled through them in the opening game of the PWHL semifinal between the Ottawa Charge and the Boston Fleet.

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The game can only be described as a gritty, aggressive and intensely physical contest that ended in a 2-1 Boston win.

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Officials called penalties on 10 different plays throughout the game, including a game misconduct to Boston’s Rylind MacKinnon for a hit to the head on Ottawa’s Gabbie Hughes. Six of those infractions came in the first period alone.

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“Certainly, there was a lot of special teams,” head coach Carla MacLeod said post-game. “We had to use our fingers at one point to figure out what’s the situation we’re going to be in and how long.

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“But at the end of the day, it’s two really great hockey teams trying really hard to win a hockey game, and so … you’re going to have to kill some penalties and get some power-play looks, and that’s just what this time of the year brings.”

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It was a game where special teams could only be expected to dominate the storylines. A well-timed Charge power-play goal could have made the difference to force overtime.

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Instead, both teams squandered their chances.

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How did each team fare on special teams?

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Yes, Ottawa’s lone goal did come on the power play, when a Rory Guilday shot deflected off Jocelyne Larocque and past Aerin Frankel, but the overall performance was far from convincing.

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The Charge power play went 1-for-6 and failed to generate a single shot on net during multiple advantages, struggling to solve Boston’s impenetrable penalty kill.

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The Fleet wasn’t any better with the extra skater, going 0-for-5 as Ottawa’s success on the penalty kill was a bright spot in the game.

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“Our penalty killers, we’re all in on it,” MacLeod said. “Those are key moments, and those are situations where you have to dig yourselves out.”

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In a series defined by physicality where intensity and penalty minutes can only be expected to ramp up, special teams could easily become the difference maker.

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But Game 1 felt disjointed, with plays disrupted by frequent whistles and lines shuffled by trips to the penalty box, preventing Ottawa from settling into a post-season rhythm.

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“I think you just have to see the good in it,” Larocque said when asked if the team’s flow was disrupted.

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“As soon as we’re on the kill, we’re like, ‘we got this,’ and there’s that confidence in sticking to the systems.”

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So, just how much does the group of players on the ice for a power play and penalty kill matter, and where can Ottawa find an edge?

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Regular-season context

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If the regular-season series between Boston and Ottawa is any indication, this kind of struggle isn’t surprising.

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Across four games, the Charge and Fleet combined for 27 power-play opportunities — 14 for Ottawa and 13 for Boston. Yet, each team scored just one power-play goal apiece.