Takeaways: Missed Opportunities Haunt Toronto Sceptres
The Toronto Sceptres winning streak was snapped as the PWHL leading Montreal Victoire come away with a 3-1 win in Laval.
With the loss, the Sceptres have yet to beat the Victoire this season.
Here are three takeaways from the Sceptres loss.
Jesse Compher has been a reliable source of offence this season, especially against the Victoire.
Compher scored Toronto's only goal of the game snapping a shot off the post and into the net. With the goal, the winger has scored a goal in all four of the Sceptres games against the Victoire.
Compher hasn't just produced against Montreal this season, as in 21 games she has scored 15 points for the Sceptres.
This spike in production has been a pleasant surprise after Compher scored only five total points in 24 games during the inaugural season.
Compher is one of five players on the Sceptres to average over half a point a game, proving to be a pivotal contributor.
With two of the Sceptres top players out of the lineup, they could not find a way to capitalize on their chances, and they had plenty of them.
In the second period Hayley Scamurra found her way to the middle of the ice firing a shot at point blank, but the glove of Ann-Renée Desbiens flashed up to make the save.
No missed opportunity was more disappointing than in the third period, when bown by one goal, Daryl Watts found Emma Maltias with a pass that she could not direct into a wide open net, staring skywards in disbelief.
With the Victoire not giving the Sceptres many opportunities on the power play, the offence of the Sceptres sputtered.
They had a hard time finding ways to the center of the slot as the Victoire forced most of Toronto's passes to the outside. This limited the damage they could do despite having long periods of time controlling the puck in the offensive zone.
Overall the Sceptres had 8 of their 25 total shots from the slot but could not solve Desbiens Tuesday night.
On their winning streak the Sceptres' power play has been their most powerful weapon, but as Montreal showed tonight, they may be too reliant on it to produce offence.
In Laval on Tuesday the Victoire limited Toronto's chances on the power play only taking two penalties.
When they did take one, Montreal did not allow the Sceptres to get set up only allowing one shot during their first attempt with the extra skater.
Over the course of their winning streak, 52.6% of the Sceptres goals came from the power play. No team should rely that much on their special teams to provide for their offense. If the Sceptres want to be a contender they need to be able to produce more during even strength so that when the power play goes through a drought, their offensive production won't disappear.
The Sceptres will look for revenge as they host the Montreal Victoire on March 6 after a long break.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
12 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Pete Alonso's solo homer (18)
Newmarket rallies behind Oilers' Connor McDavid The Edmonton Oilers' quest for the Stanley Cup has sparked a wave of Canadian pride from coast to coast. That passion is especially strong in Connor McDavid's hometown, Newmarket, just north of Toronto, where fans have been uniting under the banner of Canada's team. 2:13 Now Playing Paused Ad Playing
Yahoo
37 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Blue Jays Announce Two Changes After Loss to Diamondbacks
Blue Jays Announce Two Changes After Loss to Diamondbacks originally appeared on Athlon Sports. The Toronto Blue Jays lost 9-5 to the Arizona Diamondbacks on Thursday, but they had already won the series after getting swept by the Philadelphia Phillies in their previous set. If they continue to either win or tie series, they'll put pressure on the New York Yankees atop the AL East. Advertisement Toronto is three games behind New York for first place and a half-game behind the Tampa Bay Rays for second. The Rays, Blue Jays, and Boston Red Sox occupy the AL's three Wild Card spots. Toronto announced roster changes before its bout with the Chicago White Sox on Friday, via Keegan Matheson. Toronto Blue Jays center fielder Nathan Lukes (38)© Nick Turchiaro-Imagn Images "Blue Jays have optioned OF Will Robertson and LHP Justin Bruihl. OF Nathan Lukes and RHP Nick Sandlin are up," he reported. Bruihl has just two big-league appearances this season, while Robertson is 1-for-10 with one RBI, one walk, and one hit by pitch since his MLB debut on Sunday. Lukes is slashing .267/.360/.392 with four homers and 21 RBI over 49 games, and Sandlin is 0-2 with a 2.25 ERA over 10 appearances. Toronto is 5-5 in its last 10 games and now has a -8 run differential, which ranks fourth in the division. The Yankees are first at +101, followed by the Rays (+65), the Red Sox (+18), the Blue Jays, and the Baltimore Orioles (-76). Advertisement Right-handed pitcher Spencer Turnbull will start for Toronto against White Sox right-hander Grant Taylor on Friday night. Turnbull has tossed 4.1 innings this year, while Taylor has four. The game will start at 7:07 p.m. EST at the Rogers Centre. Related: Vladimir Guerrero Jr. Makes Strong Bo Bichette Statement After Blue Jays Game Related: Blue Jays' John Schneider Announces Myles Straw News Before Diamondbacks Game This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 20, 2025, where it first appeared.
Yahoo
37 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Blue Jays Receive Daulton Varsho News on Friday
Blue Jays Receive Daulton Varsho News on Friday originally appeared on Athlon Sports. Toronto Blue Jays outfielder Daulton Varsho (hamstring) is the type of player who could give his team the final push it needs to secure a playoff spot if he takes the next step. Wisconsin native owns a career slash line of .224/.294/.420 after being drafted No. 68 overall by the Arizona Diamondbacks in 2017. Advertisement However, Varsho has been a productive power hitter, as he notched 27 homers and 74 RBI for the Diamondbacks in 2022, along with 20 homers and 61 RBI for the Blue Jays in 2023. This year, he has eight homers and 20 RBI in just 24 games played. Toronto announced injury updates about Varsho and others before its matchup with Arizona on Friday, via Keegan Matheson. Toronto Blue Jays first baseman Vladimir Guerrero Jr. (27) and left fielder Daulton Varsho (25)© Kirby Lee-Imagn Images "Varsho (hamstring) should be in games early/mid next week, [Yimi] Garcia (shoulder) will likely pitch in a game Monday, [Bowden] Francis (shoulder) had a cortisone injection and won't throw for a few days, and [Anthony] Santander (shoulder) still isn't hitting," he reported. Advertisement Garcia is 0-2 with a 3.15 ERA over 21 appearances and has converted three of six save opportunities to go with six holds. Francis is 2-8 with a 6.05 ERA over 14 starts, and Santander is slashing .179/.273/.304 with six homers and 18 RBI over 50 games. Toronto is three games behind the New York Yankees for first place and a half-game behind the Tampa Bay Rays for second in the AL East. The team is 5-5 in its last 10 contests and occupies the AL's second Wild Card spot. Friday will start a three-game series between the Blue Jays and White Sox at the Rogers Centre. Related: Blue Jays Announce Two Changes After Loss to Diamondbacks Related: Blue Jays' John Schneider Announces Myles Straw News Before Diamondbacks Game This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 20, 2025, where it first appeared.
