- Following a signature win over Boston, Montreal has surged to the top of the Professional Women’s Hockey League standings with 17 points.
- Minnesota is the only club in the PWHL to defeat Montreal in regulation.
- Montreal opened with the second-worst odds to win the PWHL Championship.
In the inaugural season of the Professional Women’s Hockey League (PWHL), Montreal has witnessed a meteoric rise after opening the season with long odds. According to online sportsbook Powbet, at +275, Montreal is the betting favorite to win the PWHL title. The odds shift comes after Montreal had the second-worst PWHL odds to open the season.
At +500, Ottawa was the only team with worse odds than Montreal to win the 2024 PWHL Championship entering the year. The change implies an improvement to win the title from 16.7 percent to 26.7 percent.
Montreal’s ascent to the top of the PWHL odds was marked by a recent 2-1 OT win over Boston in Massachusetts on Sunday. With assists from Erin Ambrose and Canadian national team legend Marie-Philip Poulin, Laura Stacey scored at 2:36 of OT to down Boston.
Montreal Overtakes Boston As Betting Favorite
Montreal’s victory over Boston represented a changing of the guard at the top of the PWHL betting odds. At +175, Boston entered the 2024 PWHL season with the best odds to win the championship.
The Boston women’s squad remained the favorite to win the PWHL title through February, until falling to red-hot Montreal. On Saturday, February 10, prior to the matchup, Boston was a +250 favorite to win the league.
Following the win, at Powbet, Boston’s odds regressed markedly to +460. Currently, Boston has the third-best odds to capture the inaugural PWHL title. With +330 odds, Minnesota has bypassed Boston in the PWHL betting markets, as well.
Montreal has taken over the lead in the PWHL standings. Following the win over Boston, they advanced to 6-1-2 with 17 points on the season. Minnesota is the only team to beat Montreal in regulation in 2024.
On January 6, Montreal suffered their first and only loss in regulation by a score of 3-0 against Minnesota. Montreal’s other losses came against Boston in OT, 3-2, and Toronto in a shootout, 4-3.
Since losing to Toronto in a nail-biter, the Quebec-based club has won three consecutive games. This Friday night, Montreal and Toronto will meet in a rematch at Scotiabank Arena.
Poulin’s Veteran Leadership Spearheads Montreal’s Rise
Three-time Olympic gold medalist, Marie-Philip Poulin, has played in her fair share of big games. Winning gold medals with Team Canada in 2010, 2014, and 2022, Poulin is one of the most accomplished experienced players in the PWHL.
The 32-year-old native of Beauceville, Quebec, may very well add a PWHL title to her long list of accomplishments. According to The Hockey News, Poulin leads all forwards in the league with 21:38 of ice time per game.
Through nine games, Poulin is tied for second with New York’s Ella Shelton and Boston’s Alina Muller for the second-most points in the PWHL. With nine points, only New York’s Alex Carpenter’s 11 points beats Poulin.
Additionally, with six goals, Poulin is tied with Minnesota’s Grace Zumwinkle for the second-most goals. Team Canada teammate, Natalie Spooner, leads the PWHL with seven goals scored for Toronto.
The effort of goaltender Elaine Chuli can’t be overlooked, either. The 29-year-old from Waterford, Ontario, has appeared in only three games, but in great form in every outing. With a perfect record of 3-0-0 between the pipes, Chuli boasts a 1.31 GAA and 0.962 save percentage.
In the OT win over Boston, Chuli stood on her head to stop 25 of 26 shots to finish with a 0.96 GAA. If Chuli remains in this form and healthy, Montreal is the clear favorite to win the PWHL title.
Despite a nice collection of talent, oddsmakers were not confident in Montreal entering the season. Nevertheless, online betting sites are paying attention now, as Montreal’s PWHL odds continue to shorten.
