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The NHL Down The Stretch: Metropolitan Division

NHL down the stretch: With a quarter of the season left before the playoffs, the Metropolitan Divisions still stands as one of the best in the league.

With the trade deadline passed, every team in the NHL knows where they stand, and while some are gearing up for what they hope will be a long and successful run, others are simply playing out the string and waiting for the draft in June. 

The LWOS hockey department has taken a division-by-division snapshot of where each team is at going down the stretch run of the 2015-16 season, and what each team can expect by season’s end, taking into account recent deadline moves, as well as the team’s remaining strength of schedule.

For a look at the article posted earlier this week on the Central Division, click here.

The NHL Down The Stretch: Metropolitan Division

1. Washington Capitals – 49-13-4, 102 points, 45 ROW

The Capitals have been far and away the best, and most consistent, team in the Metro this season, and that is fairly obvious to see as they stand atop the NHL in points. The business they did before the trade deadline was by no means a prolific amount and didn’t really incorporate any big names, but it showed their intention to add depth to an already strong squad.

They traded forward Brooks Laich, defenseman Connor Carrick, and a 2016 second-round draft pick to Toronto for forward Daniel Winnik and a 2016 fifth-round draft pick, as well as acquiring defenseman Mike Weber from Buffalo for a 2017 third-round draft pick. Neither of these transactions stand out to neutral fans as anything to call home about, but for a team that is already head and shoulders the strongest in the NHL, it shows their intent to make a run for the Stanley Cup this season.

Their season has been a great one for the organization, but that doesn’t mean that there hasn’t been moments where individual players have shined as well, especially the likes of Alex Ovechkin. The captain will surely go down as one of the best, if not the best, players in Capitals history, and is currently leading the NHL in goals, as well as the fact that he bagged his 500th career goal earlier this season, which you can read about here. And, this all goes without saying that Evgeny Kuznetsov and Nicklas Backstrom have had wonderful seasons as well, only adding to the point that they have arguably the strongest line-up in the entire NHL.

Another name who has stuck out this season, and is having a career year by anyone’s standards, is that of Capitals goaltender, Braden Holtby. He is currently atop the league in wins, with 41, and has an impressive GAA of 2.21, as well as a save percentage of .923. All of those numbers stand out as some of the best in the league for full-time starters, and when you add the fact that the Capitals have the best offense in the league currently, it’s a mixture that cannot be denied as favorites for the Cup come playoff time.

2. New York Rangers – 38-22-6, 82 points, 35 ROW

The Rangers have had a strong season this year, which is surely going to seal them a finish in the top three of the Metropolitan and a playoff spot. The strong season has been headlined by the play of Derick Brassard, Keith Yandle, Mats Zuccarello, and strong performance between the pipes from Henrik Lundqvist.

Brassard is the team leader in goals (23) and points (48) on the season, which has helped the Rangers steady a sometimes swaying ship in the tumultuous waters that is the Metropolitan Division. Combined with the solid play from Yandle, who leads the team in assists (32), and Zuccarello, who is tied with Brassard for team-best in points with 48 and second in assists, with 27, you’ll get the result that the Rangers have reaped, as they sit fairly comfortably in the top three in the division.

Another name that always pops up, and rightly so, when talking about the Rangers is that of legendary goaltender Lundqvist. This season has seen some frustrating games for both him and New York, but for the m0st part has been a very successful year. Lundqvist currently has a record of 31-17-4 to go along with a strong GAA of 2.31, and an impressive save percentage of .923 as well. When you look at players that have the largest impact on their respective teams success, you definitely think of Lundqvist with the Rangers.

Another bright spot on the season is the major trade they made a day before the deadline, as they brought in big center Eric Staal from the Carolina Hurricanes. In exchange for bringing the big man to The Big Apple, they gave up Aleksi Saarela, and two second-round draft picks (one in 2016, one in 2017). This is widely seen as a good deal for the Rangers as they look to continue their strong play into the post-season and possibly make a run for the Cup.

3. New York Islanders – 36-20-7, 79 points, 32 ROW

If anything can be said about the 2015-16 season for the Islanders it is that it’s been an unpredictable and crazy ride, but it’s looking more and more likely by the day that they’re a shoe-in for the playoffs. Much of their season has been back-and-forth with impressive wins and disappointing results. However, they have kept a fairly steady stream of offense as well as boasting one of the best bluelines, statistically, in the NHL. The Islanders currently sit in ninth for GA/GP with 2.46, and second in penalty kill percentage with a massively impressive 86.4%, only 0.2% behind the league-leading St. Louis Blues. It’s due to this defensive staunchness that they see themselves currently sitting in the top three in the Metropolitan, with second place up for grabs.

Despite all of the impressive statistics you can see coming out of the defense, it is not to be forgotten that they are in the upper echelon for scoring goals as well. They currently sit eighth in the NHL with 180 goals scored on the season, and are in fifth in GF/GP with an impressive 2.86 goals per game.

The solid offensive play is lead by two star forwards, John Tavares and Kyle Okposo. Tavares is widely seen as one of the best centers in the league and is only proving those who believe that right this season with a team-leading 23 goals on the season as well as sitting second on the team in total points with 51, only a single point behind Okposo. Okposo is also having himself a very good season, leading the team in points with 52 on the season (17-35-52).

The goalie situation for the Islanders seems to be a bit of a toss-up for who is the starter and who is the back up, but that doesn’t seem to matter, as both have had very good seasons. Thomas Greiss has started 28 games in net for the Islanders, and in the process has a 18-6-3 record to go along with a GAA of 2.21 and a stellar save percentage of .930. The other goalie in the Islanders organization is 30-year old Jaroslav Halak, who is also having a respectable season, but is unable to match the numbers that Greiss has put up. Halak has a record of 17-13-4 this season and a GAA of 2.33 to go with his .917 save percentage. This goalie “dilemma” is definitely not a bad thing, as it sees the Islanders playing well all season, and should see them straight into the playoffs.

4. Pittsburgh Penguins – 34-23-8, 76 points, 32 ROW

The Penguins have endured, by their standards, a fairly disappointing 2015-16 season, but that doesn’t seem to matter as they look likely to clinch a playoff spot down the home stretch of the season. The season has seen Pittsburgh golden boy, Sidney Crosby, get back to a point per game pace, and he isn’t the only Penguin lighting up the stat sheets night in and night out.

As is the normal rhetoric with any Pittsburgh season review, you have to mention Crosby and how great he has played this season, at times. Crosby leads the way for the Penguins in goals (28), and is second in assists with 37. His 65 points on the season not only see him top the charts for the Penguins, but also see him sitting sixth in the league in points as well, something that is quite impressive when you take into account the multiple dry spells he has encountered this year.

The other name, and another one that always seems to pop up when talking about Pittsburgh, is that of 29-year-old Evgeni Malkin, who, along with Crosby, sits on a point per game pace on the season. Despite missing a few games this season, eight to be exact, he has a very impressive 27 goals and 29 assists for 56 points in just 55 games. His point total sees him sitting 17th in the NHL for total points, only a single point behind Brent Burns, Patrice Bergeron, and Taylor Hall, while playing at least nine less games than the three named.

Another name, at the other end of the ice, that should be mentioned in the successful second half of the season for the Penguins is goalie Marc-Andre Fleury. Fleury is having a very respectable season and is surely seen as a massively important cog in the machine that is the Penguins. On the season he is 27-15-6, with a 2.35 GAA, and a .921 save percentage. These aren’t All-Star numbers, due to the slew of talented goalies in the East, but are definitely seen as numbers for a team challenging for a playoff spot. Look for Fleury and the Penguins to finish the season strong and slide right into the playoffs.

5. Philadelphia Flyers – 31-23-11, 73 points, 29 ROW

The Flyers have been going through a bit of an interesting season and, despite sitting in the bottom half of the Metro, still look to be a team challenging strongly for one of the final playoff spots in the Eastern Conference. They have, as they normally do, labeled themselves as a very physical and “irritating” team, which is frequently drawing other teams into undisciplined penalties. Because of this style of play, and strong play from a few individuals, expect to see them among the top eight teams in the East come the end of the season.

Leading the way in points for the Flyers this season is Philadelphia fan-favorite Claude Giroux, who is boasting 57 points (18 G, 39 A) in just 62 games, putting him on pace to finish the season with an impressive 75 points, a number that many have come to expect from the All-Star forward. Along with leading the team in points and assists, he also sits tied for 11th in the league in assists with Johnny Gaudreau, Kris Letang, and Mike Ribeiro.

The main reason the Flyers aren’t sitting comfortably in the top half of the division is primarily due to their defensive inconsistency, both from their blueline and their goalies. Steve Mason, who was widely seen to be the main man in between the pipes coming into this season, has had nothing short of a disappointing year. Mason has a 15-15-7 record, compounded by a GAA of 2.61 and an absolutely average .916 save percentage, you get a season to forget for the goaltender.

The saving grace has been the play of 27-year-old Michal Neuvirth, who might very well be playing himself into a full-time starting position with how average Mason has been. Neuvirth, who is having a career-year in all statistical categories, has a record of 16-8-4, with a GAA of 2.29, and a .925 save percentage. Those are numbers that will surely make Flyers fans happy, as he looks to help them sneak into the playoffs.

6. Carolina Hurricanes – 29-16-11, 69 points, 29 ROW

The Hurricanes, without a doubt, have experienced a fairly disappointing season in terms of where they stand going into the final stretch of the season, and that’s excluding the trade deadline offloads they made.

The Hurricanes currently sit firmly in sixth place in the Metropolitan Division, and quite some ways outside of the two wild card spots as well. This is due to the fact that they are in the bottom half of the NHL in both goals for (24th), and goals against (18th), a mixture that makes for a lottery spot come the draft. Maybe that’s why ownership and the coaching staff found it as a smart move to offload players like Staal to the Rangers, Kris Versteeg to the Los Angeles Kings, and John-Michael Liles to the Boston Bruins for mainly younger players with smaller salaries.

It seems as if management and the coaching staff, and most of the fanbase a well, have agreed that the playoffs are out of their reach and have decided to make these moves in favor of freeing up cap space come the end of the season. According to General Fanager, the Hurricanes are projected to have just under $10 million in cap space come the end of the 2015-16 season (you can find all that information here), enough to make a run at almost anyone set to become an unrestricted free agent this summer. Or, maybe all of this is to free up space for young prospects to be brought through the ranks? It’s yet to be seen, but without some of their former top players, it is safe to say that they will continue with the trend they’re currently on and miss out on the playoffs.

However, that’s not to say that there hasn’t been any bright spots on the season and that it’s all bad, as they are nowhere near the bottom of the conference of the league whatsoever, almost in a hockey purgatory, if you will. There has been some individuals that have provided good spots to the season with Jordan Staal, Victor Rask, Jeff Skinner, and Justin Faulk all having respectable seasons individually. Jordan Staal has chipped in 40 points this season (17-23-40), while Rask (15-24-39) and Skinner (23-16-39) are just one point back with very respectable stat lines. Defenseman Justin Faulk has also had a solid season, as he’s chipped in 34 points (15-19-34) from the blueline as well, numbers that see him sitting sixth for goals and 25th in total points among all defenseman in the league.

Despite all of the solid individual play for the remaining players, it is a safe bet that with dealing Versteeg, Liles, and their former captain, the Hurricanes have effectively stated that they will be looking to build on a decent core in the off-season and will most likely not be a playoff team come mid-April.

https://twitter.com/generalfanager/status/704402341055864833

7. New Jersey Devils – 31-29-7, 69 points, 29 ROW

If there was any end of the season award for most disappointing team of the 2015-16 NHL season, the New Jersey Devils would surely be on the shortlist for that, and for good reason, mainly the absolutely woeful season they are having offensively, as they sit dead last in the entire league in goals for, at just 146 in 67 games (2.18 per game).

There are a slew of players on their team currently who have, in the past, been very productive pieces to either New Jersey or their former organizations. However, it seems as if they have collectively decided to all have some of their worst seasons, meaning the Devils can’t seem to score to save their season. Earlier in the season we ran a similar review, stating that the New Jersey Devils could easily lock up a playoff spot due to their defensive abilities, but their lack of scoring has assured that they have continued to drop out of contention from that point until now. Their defense, however, does sit at 10th for goals against, and eighth for goals allowed per game, numbers that would make you think they’d be sitting comfortably in a playoff spot.

Individually, the best performer this season would arguably be Mike Cammalleri, who has 38 points (14-24-38) in just 42 games. But, due to the fact that he will be out injured for quite some time (you can read about that here), it just adds to a long list of reasons why the Devils will most likely be on the outside looking in come playoff time.

8. Columbus Blue Jackets – 27-31-8, 62 points, 22 ROW

A lot can be said of the Blue Jackets since John Tortorella took the team over, but them being a playoff team isn’t one of them.

The Blue Jackets had the (dis)honor of having the worst start to a season in the NHL’s modern era, as they got off to an 0-8-0 start and opted to part ways with Todd Richards after the seventh of those eight losses., ushering in old-school, no-nonsense, all about the discipline Tortorella. As the season has rolled on, the fanbase, the front office, and the players alike have seemed to get behind the philosophy of coach Tortorella, and due to that, have been able to post a very respectable 27-24-8 record since he arrived in Columbus. But, it hasn’t been all sunshine and rainbows in the city, as Ryan Johansen can surely attest to.

Johansen, a former first round draft pick (4th overall) of the Blue Jackets seemed to rub Tortorella the wrong way from day one, and it could seemingly be said the same for Tortorella to Johansen. In the first game that Tortorella was behind the bench, Johansen was sat for the third period, and this same thing happened on two other occasions. He was even a healthy scratch once under Tortorella. Despite both of them speaking out publicly that there was no ill will towards the other, this didn’t seem to be enough, as Johansen was shortly thereafter traded to the Nashville Predators for young defenseman Seth Jones, a deal that is widely seen as a win-win for all parties involved.

Despite the record-setting start, and turmoil with their former star player, the Blue Jackets do have a few things to look to as the season winds down as positive notes going into the offseason. For one, the emergence of young Finnish-born goaltender Joonas Korpisalo has given the fan base hope that if Sergei Bobrovsky can’t stay healthy, they are left with a very competent goalie between the pipes. Another note of positivism for Columbus is the fact that they currently have four players with 20-plus goals on the season, which is more than any other team in the NHL. And last, but most certainly not least, is the fact that they opted out of continuing the trend of trading away young talent, and have signed a number of their young players to contract extensions. Those last two points can clearly show the intent of the organization, and show a fairly bright future for the team.

Stay tuned for more NHL Down the Stretch Run previews of the Pacific and Atlantic Divisions coming shortly.

Which NHL rule would you like the NHL to get rid of first? in LWOS Articles on LockerDome

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