Livescore
The Metropolitan Division is home to the NHL’s top team, the Washington Capitals, and their captain, Alex Ovechkin, who is closing in on Wayne Gretzky’s goal record.
Meanwhile, the Columbus Blue Jackets hold down the top wildcard spot, with three other Metro teams within four points of the final playoff spot while keeping things interesting.
Let’s examine each Metro Division team’s performance since January 16.
#1. Washington Capitals (3-0-0)
The Washington Capitals remain the top team in the NHL, and Alex Ovechkin continues his quest for goal No. 895. In the past week, they’ve given up just three goals and began a North West road trip by defeating the Edmonton Oilers on Tuesday night.
#2. New York Rangers (3-0-1)
The NHL should be on notice; the New York Rangers may be back. On top of going 3-0-1 in the past week, they sent a message that they would not go quietly into the night during a brawl in which Igor Shesterkin tried to fight Ottawa Senators’ captain Brady Tkachuk. They are 6-0-3 in their last nine games, only losing in overtime.
Related: Penguins’ Crosby On Pace For Uncharacteristic Statistic
#3. Carolina Hurricanes (3-0-0)
The Carolina Hurricanes are heating up, currently on a three-game win streak to overtake the Devils for second in the division. It’s been a milestone week as Jordan Staal played his 1,300th game, and Rod Brind’Amour coached his 500th game. Oh yeah, Frederik Andersen is back.
#4. Philadelphia Flyers (3-0-0)
The Philadelphia Flyers are another team in the thick of the Eastern Conference wildcard race. With three straight wins and a 5-0-1 record in their last six games, they are two points out of the last playoff spot. Their next five games are Metro opponents, giving them a chance to make up ground heading into February.
#5. Pittsburgh Penguins (2-1-0)
The Pittsburgh Penguins continue to play Jekyll and Hyde hockey, which is looking great in one game and mailing it in the next. After finally making a necessary goalie move and sending Tristan Jarry to the minors, the job is now up to Alex Nedeljkovic to save the season. He’s done his best, including scoring a goalie goal on January 17 against Buffalo.
Related: 5 Interesting Things To Know About Joel Blomqvist
#6. New York Islanders (2-1-0)
The New York Islanders may be closer to the basement of the Eastern Conference than a wildcard spot, even though the team has won its last two contests. Unfortunately, the team has been trending on social media because its players recognize how empty their relatively new arena has been.
#7. Columbus Blue Jackets (1-1-1)
The Columbus Blue Jackets remain in the top spot in the Eastern Conference wildcard race despite going 1-1-1 in the past week. Considering that six teams are within five points of their position, the Blue Jackets can’t afford any more mediocre weeks.
#8. New Jersey Devils (1-2-1)
It’s been a rough week for the New Jersey Devils, but things are about to get bumpier as they lost star goalie Jacob Markstrom to an injury on Wednesday night. Despite sitting in third place in the Metro, Markstrom is responsible for 21 of the Devils’ 27 wins, so it will be interesting to see how they weather the storm.
Check back next Thursday to see how the upcoming week shuffles the Metro Division power rankings.
Read the full article here
Discussion about this post