The Washington Capitals got red hot, the New York Rangers got ice cold and middle of the pack teams continue to jockey for a playoff spot. Let’s get into it…
1. The Washington Capitals (18-5-1; 37 Points) – The Capitals are absolutely scorching hot, winning their last six games and posting an 8-1-1 record in their last ten. Led by the brilliant net-minder Braden Holtby, the Capitals have found their stride and are making a statement with their recent play.
On Saturday, November 28th the Capitals took on the struggling Toronto Maple Leafs in Canada. Despite being outshot 16-4 in the first period, the Capitals managed to go into the first intermission tied at one goal a piece. Thanks to a three goal second period, Washington earned their fifth win in a row, winning 4-2. Holtby stopped 32 of 34 shots while Maple Leafs goaltender Jonathan Bernier stopped 19 of 23. The loss was the Maple Leafs third in a row.
Having four days off in a row, the Capitals would face arguably their toughest test yet, a road game against the Eastern Conference leading Montreal Canadians. The Canadians won just about every category except the scoreboard, which read 3-2 Washington at the end of 60 minutes. Holtby was yet again brilliant, making 33 saves on 35 shots. With Carey Price out again on injury, the Canadians would turn to Mike Condon who would stop 16 of 19 shots on net.
Washington’s next game is Saturday in Winnipeg against the Jets.
2.The New York Rangers (17-7-3; 37 Points) – After an unbelievable start to their season, the Rangers have come to an abrupt stop. Despite having the same amount of points as the Capitals and having a 1-0 record against them, the Blueshirts claim the second spot in the Metropolitan division having played two more games. They’re 4-5-1 in their last ten and are 1-4-1 in their last six.
On Saturday November 28th the Rangers faced the mediocre Philadelphia Flyers for a matinee at The Garden. Antti Raanta would give Henrik Lundqvist the day off and despite making 31 saves on 33 shots against, the Rangers would fall 3-0. The loss was Raanta’s first home loss in his NHL career. Flyers Wayne Simmonds scored twice (empty net) and picked up an assist to give the flyers their ninth win of the season. Steve Mason recorded his first shutout of the season making 24 saves.
After losing three straight, the Rangers finally picked up a victory, beating the Carolina Hurricanes 4-3 at Madison Square Garden. The Rangers had a 4-1 lead in the second period by goals from Mats Zuccarello, Oscar Lindberg, Chris Kreider and Derick Brassard. The fourth goal cushion turned out to be the game winner as the Hurricanes would make it 4-2 late in the second period and 4-3 mid way through the third. Lundqvist made 33 saves to record his 13th win.
Wednesday Night Rivalry on NBC Sports would include a matchup of the Rangers and New York Islanders. This would be their first matchup at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn. In an incredible back and forth game, Jaroslav Halak made 33 saves and went a perfect three-for-three in the shootout to give the Islanders a 2-1 shootout victory. Lundqvist would match Halak’s brilliance making 36 saves on 37 shots, allowing only one goal in the shootout. Islander captain John Tavares commented on the crowd saying, “It was good, it was intense….You could tell the pace was high, the intensity was there, the physicality was high”
Rangers wouldn’t have any time to catch their breath as they would play immediately the next night at home against the Colorado Avalanche. The fatigue was apparent as both teams combined for 43 shots and the Avalanche won 2-1. The Rangers lone goal came from Oscar Lindberg with :51 seconds remaining in the game, ending Semyon Varlamov’s shutout opportunity. Raanta made 16 saves on 18 shots, giving him his second home loss of the season and second loss at home in his NHL career. Their next game is against the Ottawa Senators on Sunday, December 6th at home before going on a western Canada road trip.
3. New York Islanders (14-8-4; 32 Points) – The Islanders have won three games in a row and are 6-3-1 in their past ten.
Islanders first game of the week would be in sunny Florida taking on the Tampa Bay Lightning. Lightning took an early two goal lead but Tavares and the Islanders wouldn’t back down, scoring three straight goals, two on the power play to win 3-2. Tavares scored a late their period goal with 3:36 remaining for the game-winning goal. NYI went 2/3 on the power play while the Lightning went 0/4. Islanders goaltender Thomas Griess made 29 saves on 31 shots. Lightning net minder Ben Bishop stopped 19 of 22 shots.
Islanders returned home to face the red hot Matt Duchene and the Colorado Avalanche. The shots ended even on 28 shots a piece but New York would skate away with a 5-3 victory. Greiss would get another start, stopping 25 pucks while Varlamov made 23 saves. The win would give New York a 3-0-1 record in their past four games.
As stated previously in the article, the Islanders faced the New York Rangers on Wednesday Night Rivalry in Brooklyn. With a lively, playoff-like atmosphere the Islanders won 2-1 in a shootout after a brilliant performance by both goaltenders. The Islanders will close out their home stand Friday night against the St. Louis Blues.
Rest of the Met….
– The Pittsburgh Penguins cannot seem to find their flare they’ve been known for the past couple years. They’re fourth in the Metropolitan and are 5-3-2 in their past 10. Evgeni Malkin leads the team with 12 goals and 25 points.
– The New Jersey Devils have been back and forth this year but have been winning more than they’ve been losing, which is a great thing considering their pre season predictions. Not excepted to be a playoff contender, the Devils are fifth in the Met and currently tied with the Boston Bruins for the last wild card spot.
– Philadelphia Flyers continue to look for their stride and have gained momentum over the past week. They have won three in a row and are 5-3-2 in their last ten. Steve Mason continues to play strong giving the Flyers a chance to win any night.
– Carolina Hurricanes can’t catch a break and have lost three in a row. Talks about trading captain Eric Staal only gain more momentum as they continue to lose more games. Steal is a hot commodity for any playoff contender and it will be interesting to see what happens over the next couple of weeks and closer to the trade deadline.
– The Columbus Blue Jackets have a 10-16-0 record, but there’s a bit of a silver lining to the last place team. They started the season off 0-8 and then fired their coach and hired John Tortorella. They’ve even lost their last two games in a row and still show a 10-16 record, meaning they went 10-6-0 after their horrific start before dropping their last two. It will be a long shot and take some luck to make the playoffs, but with more than two-thirds of the season left and fiery Tortorella behind the bench, anything is possible…
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