Minnesota Frost face Ottawa at Xcel Energy Center in first game back from break

7 p.m. Thursday, Xcel Energy Center

TV, streaming: FanDuel Sports Network, YouTube’s PWHL channel

Frost update: The Frost (2-0-1) capped off back-to-back road wins with a 12-day break, mandated by the PWHL’s pause for international hockey games. That break was golden for reigning playoff MVP Taylor Heise, the Frost center who entered Minnesota’s second season working through a leg injury and is still searching for her first goal of the young season.

Minnesota has outshot its opponent in all three games so far: an overtime 4-3 home opener loss against New York, followed by a 2-1 win in Boston, then a 6-3 victory in Toronto when shots began to fall. Michela Cava and rookie Dominique Petrie are tied for the team’s scoring lead, with three goals each.

Defender Maggie Flaherty remains out for the second half of her two-game suspension for her hit on Boston’s Alina Müller.

Ottawa: The Charge (1-2-1) returned from break on Tuesday with a 3-2 loss at Boston. They’ve lost three games by one goal and hope to stiffen up their defense this season. Last year, finishing fifth, they both conceded and scored the second-most amount of goals in the league. Goaltender Emerance Maschmeyer has already faced plenty of shots this year, including 46 in Ottawa’s 4-3 season-opening loss to Toronto.