The Penguins made a
big roster move, will it translate in the Metro standings? Check out how the
Penguins’ rivals in the Metropolitan division have fared over the last week.
The Penguins came
out of the All Star break aggressively, trading their biggest trade chip in a deal
with the Panthers to acquire forwards Nick Bjugstad and
Jared McCann. The Penguins had already played two games coming out of break
before that trade, and they couldn’t have been more opposite. The Penguins were
blown out by one of the worst road teams in a 6-3 loss at PPG Paints to
the Devils last
Monday before jumping out to a quick 3-0 lead against the league’s best
overall, and road team, on Wednesday against Tampa Bay. The Penguins would make
it 4-0 before the Lightning managed
two late goals to make it a 4-2 final in a game that was never that close.
General Manager Jim Rutherford would make the call to the
league the following afternoon to announce the trade and both players arrived
to the arena minutes before puck drop and were immediately thrust into action
with the Penguins against Ottawa in Pittsburgh on Friday. Both players handled
themselves perfectly and the Penguins came away with a 5-3 victory in that game
behind two-goal nights for Jake Guentzel and Bryan Rust.
The Toronto Maple
Leafs hosted the Penguins less than 24 hours later, and
defeated the Penguins 3-2 in a game that could have gone either way, but
Toronto managed to come out on top. The Penguins jumped out to a 2-0 lead in
that game before the Leafs scored the games final three goals.
The Penguins will play one home game this week against
Carolina on Tuesday night before heading to sunny Florida to face the two
Florida teams and then head to Philadelphia next week, where it’s not always
sunny.
The Islanders went
into the All Star break as the best defensive team in the league and leaders in
the Metro, and they picked up right where they left off. The Islanders hosted
the league’s best offense on Friday night when the Tampa Bay Lightning came to
Long Island. Thomas Greiss made 41 saves and shut out the Lightning for 65
minutes, but could not come away with a victory as Victor Hedman scored
the only goal of the shootout, and game. The Islanders would be back in action
the following night on The Island against the Kings,
and this game would have many more goals. Ilya
Kovalchuk would score 13 minutes into the 3rd period to put
the Kings ahead by a 2-1 count before the Islanders would score 30 seconds
later and add two more to defeat the Kings 4-2 and extend their point streak to
8 games (6-0-2.)
The Islanders will face another defensive power house when
the Bruins will
host the Islanders on Tuesday night at The Garden. The Devils will host the
Islanders in Newark on Thursday and the Islanders will then return to Brooklyn
for a back-to-back at Barclays against the Avalanche and Wild on
Saturday and Sunday afternoon.
The Capitals returned
from their All Star break and quickly ended their seven game losing streak. The
Capitals were in danger of making it eight in a row when Elias
Lindholm tied the game at three in the 3rd period for
the Flames,
but Evgeny
Kuznetsov would score a power play goal with under a minute
left in the game and the Capitals would win 4-3 on that goal. The Boston Bruins
were in DC on Super Bowl Sunday and the Bruins gave a precursor to the Super
Bowl in a very tight defensive and low scoring game in which a Boston area team
came out on top. David Krejciwould
score the only goal midway through the game and Tuukka Rask would
complete the shutout in a 1-0 victory for the Bruins.
The Capitals just began a very long homestand that will last
until February 12th. The Canucks will
be in town on Tuesday, the Avalanche will be in town on Thursday and the
Florida Panthers wrap up this week for the Capitals on Saturday night.
Things are getting a little dicey in Columbus. The contract
situations with Sergei
Bobrovsky and Artemi
Panarin have been playing out poorly for Jackets fans, and
the team is in the middle of a six game losing streak. Panarin has
reportedly ended negotiations with Columbus and has made it known he is testing
free agency this summer. He hasn’t ruled out the Jackets, of course, but he
also isn’t guaranteed to return, either. The Jackets will have some big
decisions to make before the trade deadline.
The Jackets came out from break at home against the Sabres and
tied the game at four late in the 2nd period before ex-Penguin Conor Sheary
scored the only goal of the 3rd period in a 5-4 loss for Columbus. The Jackets
were in Winnipeg on Thursday night and blew a 3-2 lead going into the 3rd
period in that game. Another Connor would
score the game-winning goal, this time Kyle Connor of
the Jets with
just over a minute left in the 3rd period to bring the Jackets losing streak to
four. The St. Louis
Blues would make that five losses in a row on Saturday in
Columbus, jumping out to a 2-0 lead after the 1st period and holding on for a
4-2 win for the Blues.
The Jackets are on the road this week and will use the time
away from Columbus to regroup and correct their issues. The Jackets are still
very much in the thick of things, and are currently in the second Wild Card
position. The Jackets will be in Colorado on Tuesday, Arizona on Thursday, and
Las Vegas on Saturday before returning home to Columbus.
Carolina has been playing some of their best hockey since
the beginning of the season. Their offense has come alive again and they’ve
been able to outscore opponents instead of waiting for their chance to
capitalize. The Golden
Knights were in Carolina last week and the Canes scored
early and often in that game and put away the Knights by a final of 5-2 last
Friday night. The high-powered Calgary Flames were in Carolina on Sunday afternoon
and all the acquisitions from their blockbuster summer trade were involved in
Calgary’s 4-3 victory. Derek Ryan,
Elias Lindholm, and Noah Hanifin all
scored goals for the Flames and Dougie Hamiltion scored a goal for Carolina
while Michael Ferland recorded two assists. The Canes fans in attendance got
their moneys worth in that one, even though the Flames came away with the
victory.
Carolina will now hit the road for their next five games
starting in Pittsburgh on Tuesday night. They will be in Buffalo on Thursday
and NYC on Friday to take on the Rangers.
Their road trip then goes to New Jersey before wrapping up in Ottawa next
Tueday.
It seems every year the Flyers manage
to put together a very long win streak and a very long losing streak. The
Flyers already have an eight game losing streak this year, now they’re
currently on a seven game win streak. Philadelphia has won seven in a row and 8
out of 9 games since ending that eight game skid on January 10th. Their last
loss came on January 12th in New Jersey.
The Flyers returned from break on a three game win streak
and hosted the Winnipeg Jets on Monday night. The Flyers held the Jets to only
one goal and won 3-1 in that contest. The Flyers were in New York City the
following night and Anthony
Stolarz recorded his second career shutout in a 1-0 victory
over the Rangers. Oskar Lindblom scored his sixth goal 100 seconds into that
game and provided the only scoring of that contest.
The Flyers continued their long rivalry against the Bruins
on Thursday night in a game that needed overtime to decide a winner. Travis
Sanheim would score a power play goal with just over two
minutes left in the OT period to bring the Flyers’ win streak to six. The
Flyers again needed overtime in their next game, this time at home against
Edmonton on Saturday. The Flyers gave up a short-handed goal early in the 3rd
period to go down 4-2 before also scoring on that power play and adding another
power play goal later in the 3rd period to bring it to overtime tied at
four. Nolan Patrick would
score his 10th goal of the season just over two minutes into OT to make it
seven wins in a row for the Flyers.
The Flyers play the second game of a five game homestand
tonight against Vancouver. The Kings are next on the schedule for Philly on
Thursday and the Ducks will
be in eastern PA on Saturday afternoon before the Flyers end the homestand
against the Penguins next Monday night.
The Rangers were bumped down to 7th place in the Metro after
the Flyers recent hot streak. The Rangers were a victim of the Flyers’ four
game win streak on Monday when the Flyers came into MSG and shut out the
Rangers in a classic 1-0 victory in regulation for the Flyers. The Devils then
played host to the Rangers two nights later and Mika
Zibanejad continued to impress this season with a hat
trick, reaching twenty goals for the year. He also chipped in an assist in that
game to complete a four point night. Zibanejad picked up right where he left
off when the Rangers began a five game homestand on Saturday against the Tampa
Bay Lightning. Zibanejad had assists on both Rangers goals - making it eight
straight goals he’s scored or assisted on for the Rangers - but the Rangers
fell in a hard fought 3-2 victory for the Lightning.
The Rangers continue their homestand this week starting with
LA Kings on Monday followed by another Original-6 matchup against Boston on
Wednesday night. The Rangers wrap this week up with a Metro clash against
the Hurricanes at
Madison Square Garden on Friday night.
The Devils returned from their break still missing last
year’s Hart Trophy winner Taylor Hall,
but you wouldn’t have known it in their 6-3 beating over the Penguins last
Monday night. It was just the Devils’ sixth road win this season out of 26
games at that point. The Devils returned back home the following game against
the Rangers for the first time since January 19th and were taken down by
a Mika
Zibanejad hat trick with his third goal being the
game-winner with less than five minutes in the 3rd period.
The Devils would win their second in a row on the road in
Montreal on Saturday night, defeating the Canadiens 3-2
two minutes into overtime on a Nico Hischier goal.
He also tied the game at two in the 3rd period and now has 16 goals and 20
assists in 47 games this year. He is putting up better numbers this year in his
second season in the NHL, despite playing on a much worse Devils team this
season that has been missing Taylor Hall for a large stretch. That’s about the
only good news for the Devils still this year.
New Jersey begins a four game homestand this week starting
with the Kings on Tuesday night before Metro Division foe New York Islanders
are in Newark on Thursday night. The Devils wrap this week up on Saturday
afternoon against Minnesota before hosting the Hurricanes on Sunday for the
second game of a back-to-back.
Thanks again for stopping by for another week for the
Metropolitans. As always, don’t forget to vote for your Metro game of the week!
RECORD: 28-18-6; 62 pts;
GOALS FOR: 183 (5th in the NHL; 6th last week);
GOALS AGAINST: 160 (18th; T-13th)
RECORD
FOR LAST WEEK: 2-2
WEEK AHEAD:
TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 5
- vs CAR, 7 p.m. ET
THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 7
- @ FLA, 7 p.m.
SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 9
- @ TBL, 7 p.m.
INJURIES:
- 10/13/18, D Justin Schultz - IR; fractured leg
- 1/8/19, LW Zach Aston-Reese - IR; Upper-body injury
- 1/31/19, C Evgeni Malkin - Day-to-day; Upper-body injury
RECORD: 30-15-6, 66 pts;
GF: 151 (T-18th; T-16th);
GA: 125 (1st)
RECORD
FOR LAST WEEK: 1-0-1
WEEK AHEAD:
TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 5
- @ BOS, 7 p.m.
THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 7
- @ NJD, 7 p.m.
SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 10
- vs COL, 1 p.m.
INJURIES:
- 11/13/18, LW Andrew Ladd - IR; Right leg
- 12/16/18, D Thomas Hickey - IR; Upper-body injury
- 1/17/19, LW Tom Kuhnhackl - Day-to-day; Illness
RECORD: 28-17-6, 62 pts;
GF: 175 (7th; 5th);
GA: 166 (21st; T-21st)
RECORD
FOR LAST WEEK: 0-2-1
Week Ahead:
Tuesday, February 5 - vs VAN, 7 p.m.
Thursday, February 7 - vs COL, 7 p.m.
Saturday, February 9 - vs FLA, 7 p.m.
Injuries:
- None
RECORD: 28-20-3, 59 pts;
GF: 163 (11th; T-13th);
GA: 159 (17th; T-13th)
RECORD
LAST WEEK: 0-3
WEEK AHEAD:
TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 5
- @ COL, 9 p.m.
THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 7
- @ ARI, 9 p.m.
SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 9
- @ VGK, 10 p.m.
INJURIES:
- 1/28/19, C Boone Jenner - Day-to-day; Infected ankle laceration
- 2/1/19, C Brandon Dubinsky - Day-to-day; Hamstring
- 2/1/19, D Ryan Murray - Day-to-day; Undisclosed injury
RECORD: 25-21-6, 56
pts;
GF: 148 (T-23rd);
GA: 155 (T-14th;
T-15th)
RECORD LAST WEEK: 1-1
2/1/19
VGK: 2 CAR: 5 Proud father Jordan Martinook helps lead Hurricanes to impressive win over Golden Knights
VGK: 2 CAR: 5 Proud father Jordan Martinook helps lead Hurricanes to impressive win over Golden Knights
WEEK AHEAD:
TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 5
- @ PIT, 7 p.m.
THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 7
- @ BUF, 7 p.m.
FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 8
- @ NYR, 8 p.m.
INJURIES:
- 12/22/18, C Jordan Staal - IR; Upper-body injury
RECORD: 23-23-6, 52 pts;
GF: 151 (T-18th; T-25th);
GA: 176 (29th)
RECORD
LAST WEEK: 4-0
WEEK AHEAD:
MONDAY, FEBRUARY 4
- vs VAN, 7 p.m.
THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 7
- vs LAK, 7 p.m.
SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 9
- vs ANA, 1 p.m.
INJURIES:
- 9/27/18, C Pascal Laberge - IR; Hip
- 10/1/18, D Samuel Morin - IR; Knee
- 10/26/18, C Corban Knight - IR; Dislocated collarbone
- 11/15/18, G Brian Elliott - IR; Lower-body injury
- 1/3/19, G Michal Neuvirth - IR; Lower-body injury
(7) NEW YORK
RANGERS
RECORD: 22-22-7, 51 pts;
GF: 145 (26th; T-25th);
GA:171 (24th; T-24th)
RECORD
LAST WEEK: 1-2
WEEK AHEAD:
MONDAY, FEBRUARY 4
- vs LAK, 7 p.m.
WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 6
- vs BOS, 8 p.m.
FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 8
- vs CAR, 8 p.m.
INJURIES:
- 1/11/19, D Fredrik Claesson - IR; Shoulder
- 1/29/19, C Brett Howden - Day-to-day; Sprained MCL
RECORD: 20-24-7, 47 pts;
GF: 152 (T-16th; T-22nd);
GA: 173 (26th; T-24th)
RECORD
LAST WEEK: 2-1
2/2/19
NJD: 3 OT MTL: 2 Nico Hischier and Mackenzie Blackwood Led New Jersey Devils to Steal an Overtime Win from Montreal Canadiens
NJD: 3 OT MTL: 2 Nico Hischier and Mackenzie Blackwood Led New Jersey Devils to Steal an Overtime Win from Montreal Canadiens
WEEK AHEAD:
TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 5
- vs LAK, 5 p.m.
THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 7
- vs NYI, 7 p.m.
SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 8
- vs MIN, 1 p.m.
INJURIES:
- 11/22/18, RW Joey Anderson - IR; Fractured ankle
- 12/26/18, LW Taylor Hall - IR; Lower-body injury
- 1/13/19, RW Stefan Noesen - IR; Lower-body injury
- 1/16/19, D Ben Lovejoy - IR; Upper-body injury
- 1/28/19, D Sami Vatanen - IR; Concussion
- 1/31/19, C Travis Zajac - Day-to-day; Lower-body injury
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