The powerful Pittsburgh Penguins are the established power of the Metropolitan Division. The New York Islanders are showing no signs of going away, while the defending Eastern Conference champion New York Rangers boasted an improved offense that helped them to the third and final playoff spot in the Met. However, these top three teams had better not let up as three more teams in the Met have joined the rush for a playoff spot.
Columbus Joins the Rush
After a breakthrough playoff season last year in which they recaptured what was an ambivalent fan base the Columbus Blue Jackets hoped to build on that momentum. Instead, their season was nearly lost before it began with a barrage of injuries that had them skating a couple of men down right away. The Jackets are fighting back however with eight wins in their last 10 games before the break. Columbus has the metrics of a team that may not be able to sustain success as they rank 24th in the NHL for goal scoring and 26th for goals against.
But when you have G Sergei Bobrovsky between the pipes, you always have a shot. Bobrovsky had a save percentage of .934 in December to ignite the resurgence. LW Nick Foligno lit the lamp 16 times to lead the team. Injuries to C Artem Anisimov, LW Scott Hartnell, C Boone Jenner, and RW Nathan Horton, among others, remain a probable long term drag.
Philly Flying Back into Contention
After pulling a Lazarus last year and making the playoffs despite being pronounced dead, the Flyers reverted back to their problems of lack of blue line depth and inconsistent goaltending. Philadelphia recovered nicely before the break with five wins in seven games to close within six points of the final Eastern Conference playoff spot. Give the Flyers this: they are exciting to watch, as they rank ninth in the NHL for goal scoring but 23rd for goals against. Right Wing Wayne Simmonds had a team high 15 goals while RW Jakub Voracek added 14. Goalie Steve Mason, who had a .931 save percentage in December, had a minor back issue but is not expected to miss much time.
Capital Gains
The Washington Capitals were gaining momentum as they prepared to host the New Year’s Day Winter Classic. Washington won seven out of ten before the break and cut down significantly on goals against to rank 14th in the NHL. Better yet the Caps have not sacrificed offense in the process as they ranked eighth in the NHL for goal scoring. LW Alex Ovechkin may be the marquee name on the Caps but C Niklas Backstrom and D John Carlson have been outstanding all year. G Braden Holtby improved with a .926 save percentage in December.
