Ottawa Charge set out on crucial road trip after win over Seattle Torrent

The Ottawa Charge find themselves in a playoff spot with less than half the season to go in the Professional Women's Hockey League.

Whether they'll still be there with their next six games away from home is the question.

Ottawa (5-5-1-7) has yet to win a game in regulation on the road this season. Players say they need to simplify their game.

"I really think it's important that we sort of buy in as a team to take it in increments," said forward Alexa Vasko. "And you know what? We can't get too high. We can't get too low. If things get out of hand we have great leaders who bring us back down to earth."

The schedule does not play in the Charge's favour down the stretch.

Fanuza Kadirova's late power-play goal lifts Charge over Torrent

They start their road trip in New York, followed by visits to Vancouver and Minnesota before playing Takeover Tour games in Winnipeg and Calgary — with a stop in Seattle in between. The team returns to Ottawa for a matchup with the Montreal Victoire on April 3, but will play at the Canadian Tire Centre instead of TD Place.

The Charge are 0-1 in their lone game played at the home of the NHL's Senators.

"Yeah, it is a long stretch," admitted Charge coach Carla MacLeod. "We've got two sort of hefty road trips, with western swings to start both of them, but we're not in the industry of complaining or worrying. We know it's going to be what it is and we need to take advantage of what we do know being on the road."

The Charge have rarely made things easy on themselves this season.

Far too often they have given up leads or let them slip away, and losing those extra points has proven costly.

Ottawa leads the league in overtime wins, but those lost points — a regulation win is worth three points, while