Women's hockey in spotlight as inaugural PWHL playoffs take centre stage

It took until the last period of the last game of the season for the PWHL's playoff picture to come into focus.

On Saturday, one goal and less than two minutes is all that separated Boston from playoff hockey and an early off-season.

Then, on Sunday, Minnesota had to wait for the outcome of Ottawa's game to determine whether they'd be practising on Monday morning or having exit interviews.

"I feel like at the beginning of the year, you're kind of like, 'Oh, it's going to be tight.' But this is really tight," Boston's head coach, Courtney Kessel, said after her team clinched on Saturday. "This is right down to the nail, the last game."

It's been that way all season in the six-team PWHL, with so many games decided by just one goal.

Teams are expecting the same kind of close, physical hockey when the playoffs begin in Toronto on Wednesday night (7 p.m. ET). Toronto earned the power to choose its opponent by virtue of finishing atop the regular-season standings, and selected Minnesota over third-place Boston.

The other semifinal series, between Boston and second-place Montreal, begins on Thursday (7 p.m. ET).

Both first-round matchups will be best-of-five. The winners will compete in another best-of-five round to crown the first-ever Walter Cup champion.

Here's a preview of both semifinal matchups:

Toronto considered a long list of factors when deciding whether to play Minnesota or Boston in the first round, including injuries, travel and recent performance. Players were also consulted.

Ultimately, Toronto picked the team that's lost five games in a row and has the furthest distance to travel to get to Toronto.

"I think all of us are scrambling to find dogsitters, babysitters, get our passports, and figure out what time our flight is in the morning," Minnesota captain Kendall Coyne Schofield said on Wednesday after Toronto announced its decision.

Special teams have been an issue for Minnesota all season, and problems on the penalty kill haunted the team down the stretch.

In the last five games, Minnesota has scored only seven goals, and given up nine goals on the penalty kill.