The PWHL Takeover Tour brings a highly anticipated early-season rivalry matchup to Atlantic Canada as the Montréal Victoire face the Toronto Sceptres in a neutral-site battle. Both teams are off to solid starts with identical point totals through limited games, setting up a key contest for positioning in the young 2025-26 season standings.
Game Details
Puck Drop: 6:30 PM ET (7:30 PM AT)
Venue: Scotiabank Centre, Halifax, Nova Scotia (PWHL Takeover Tour neutral-site game)
Broadcast: Expected on PWHL YouTube, regional streams, and select Canadian networks
Montréal sits with 6 points (2 regulation wins, 1 regulation loss), while Toronto also has 6 points (2 regulation wins, 2 regulation losses). The neutral venue levels the playing field in what projects as a tight, low-scoring affair typical of PWHL rivalry games.
Injury Report (as of December 16, 2025)
Information is limited early in the season, with PWHL teams not always releasing full daily reports.
Montréal Victoire:
Out (LTIR): Jade Downie-Landry (off-ice injury from training camp)
Questionable: Potential lingering concerns for forwards, but no major updates; Ann-Renée Desbiens previously on LTIR but status unclear for this game.
Team relatively healthy otherwise, with core group available.
Toronto Sceptres:
Out: Sarah Nurse (undisclosed injury, missed time since early season)
Out: Daryl Watts (injury, sidelined early) – note: Watts may be with another team, but reports link absences.
Minor depth players possibly day-to-day.
Toronto’s forward group takes a hit without Nurse, a key scorer and leader.
Recent Team Forms
Both clubs have played sparingly early on, with strong defensive structures but occasional offensive lulls.
Montréal Victoire (2-0-0-1, on a small win streak):
Coming off back-to-back victories, including a dominant home performance:
Dec 7: Win 3-1 vs. Toronto Sceptres (Hayley Scamurra game-winner, strong forecheck)
Prior games: Mixed but showing resilience in regulation wins.
Montréal’s structured play and goaltending have shone, allowing few goals recently.
Toronto Sceptres (2-0-0-2, seeking bounce-back):
Positive start overall but looking to rebound after recent setback:
Dec 7: Loss 3-1 at Montréal Victoire (outshot, struggled to generate)
Earlier: Two regulation wins showing offensive pop, balanced with solid defense.
Toronto has avoided overtime games so far, winning or losing in regulation.
Key Player Matchups
Marie-Philip Poulin (MTL) vs. Toronto Defense (Renata Fast/Jocelyne Larocque): Poulin, the clutch captain, leads Montréal’s attack and is a anytime goal threat (+120 odds). Toronto’s veteran blueline must contain her line.
Laura Stacey (MTL) vs. Sceptres Back End: Stacey has been productive (goals/assists in recent win) and could exploit gaps without Nurse’s two-way play.
Natalie Spooner/Blayre Turnbull (TOR, if available) vs. Montréal Defense (Erin Ambrose): Toronto needs secondary scoring to step up; Spooner’s physicality vs. Ambrose’s mobility.
Goaltending Duel: Montréal’s netminder (potentially Elaine Chuli or backup) vs. Toronto’s Kristen Campbell – both capable of steals in low-event games.
Series History
The rivalry is intense with balanced results in PWHL history. Toronto holds a slight all-time edge (around 7-5 in some counts including prior seasons), but Montréal won the most recent meeting decisively (3-1 on Dec 7, 2025). Head-to-head games often low-scoring and decided by special teams or goaltending. No overtime/shootout deciders yet this season between them.
Betting Trends
Key Trends:
PWHL early-season games trending heavily under (low goals, strong defense/goaltending league-wide).
Neutral-site Takeover Tour games: Limited history, but expect disciplined play with fewer penalties.
Montréal: Strong in recent H2H, covering as underdog in spots.
Toronto: Better starts this year vs. prior seasons (avoided early slumps).
GAME ODDS
Montreal Victoire 4.5
Toronto Sceptres – 240
Odds Courtesy of Sports Odds Direct as of Tuesday, December 16, 2025
