PWHL Minnesota's playoff hopes not dashed by loss to New York in regular-season finale

Jaime Bourbonnais scored two goals, Ella Shelton had a goal and two assists and hometown New York handed post-season hopeful Minnesota its fifth straight loss with a 5-2 victory in a Professional Women's Hockey League regular-season finale on Saturday in Elmont, N.Y.

The skid for Minnesota (8-4-3-9, 35 points) has come when all it needed was one point to clinch a pos-season berth. Now the team will need some help to advance. Minnesota moves on if Boston fails to post a regulation win over No. 2 seed Montreal later Saturday. Minnesota was on a five-match win streak before the league took a break for international play and has not won since.

New York (5-4-3-12) grabbed an early lead at UBS Arena when Bourbonnais scored with an assist from Brooke Hobson 2:44 into the match. It was Bourbonnais's fourth goal of the season and the fourth assist for Hobson.

New York took a two-goal lead at the 10:09 mark on a goal by Shelton. Jessie Eldridge notched her sixth assist on Shelton's seventh netter.

Minnesota halved its deficit after Denisa Krízová took passes from Grace Zumwinkle and Kelly Pannek and scored her third goal of the campaign with 6:09 left in the first period. It was the 11th assist for Pannek and the eighth by Zumwinkle.

WATCH | Bourbonnais, N.Y. teammates spoil Minnesota's quest to clinch playoff spot:

New York upped its lead to 3-1 on a power-play goal by Bourbonnais 3:47 into the second period. Shelton and Alex Carpenter picked up assists after Minnesota's Liz Schepers was sent off the ice for two minutes for hooking. It was the 15th assist and 23rd point of the season for Carpenter, second in the league behind the 25 of Toronto's Natalie Spooner.

Jade Downie-Landry scored her eighth goal of the season —