Overview

Devils fans, the playoff push has gotten crazy. After a fantastic 2-1 victory over the Tampa Bay Lightning last night, the Devils maintained their three-point edge over the Florida Panthers. But now it’s time to shift next door to the Barnabas Health Hockey House for today’s big game.

The Metropolitan Riveters have reached the Isobel Cup Final against their hardest competition, the Buffalo Beauts. The Riveters defeated the Connecticut Whale last Sunday 5-0 to reach the one game knockout, while the Beauts edged out the Boston Pride 3-2 in overtime. This is their third consecutive appearance in the final and are currently the defending champions.

The season series was six games long with Metropolitan taking the first three while Buffalo won the final three. It only seems fitting that these two meet in the final game of the season. This is just a one-game knockout, with the winner taking the Isobel Cup. This is the first year that the Riveters have made it to the final and they are beyond excited to be here.

It will also be head coach Chad Wiseman’s final NWHL game as he accepted a job in the OJHL with the Burlington Cougars for next season. Wiseman is a former member of the Albany Devils, most notably known for scoring four goals in the final 10 minutes of the third period against the Bridgeport Sound Tigers in a 5-4 comeback victory.

Who to Watch

Miye D’Oench for the Riveters is definitely the player to watch today. She had herself a solid season despite injury and missing seven games because of it. The Riveters are also 3-0 vs. Buffalo with her in the lineup as opposed to 0-3 when not present. Expect the forward to play a very important role in today’s game.

Amanda Leveille is going to be key in net for Buffalo today. She edged out Metropolitan goalie Katie Fitzgerald (also starting) for Goalie of the Year. Needless to say, the championship could very well be the battle of the goaltenders. If Leveille is on her game it is going to be extremely tough for the Riveters to find the back of the net. As is the case for Fitzgerald.

When/Where to Watch

3:00 PM @NWHL Twitter