With the Carolina Hurricanes scratching back into a tie with the Philadelphia Flyers, the entire Metropolitan Division is separated by six points.
Niskanen Back Soon
The Washington Capitals will get a huge boost on their blue line with the return of veteran Matt Niskanen in the next week.
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Since his departure, the Capitals have allowed six goals on three different occasions and have seven wins in those 14 games. Niskanen not only brings over 10 seasons of NHL experience back to the lineup, but he has also been one of the top-five shot blockers for the Capitals each of the three seasons prior to this one. He's averaged over 22 minutes on the ice per game during his time in Washington.
Niskanen will practice with the team during their road trip this week and will probably re-enter the lineup Sunday against the Minnesota Wild.
Rangers Rolling On
Soaring from the cellar early in the year to a current tie for fifth place in the Metropolitan Division are the New York Rangers, who had a six-game win streak snapped on Wednesday night by the Chicago Blackhawks. The Rangers, who stole one from the Blue Jackets at Madison Square Garden last week, visit Nationwide Arena tomorrow night for their third meeting of the season with the Blue Jackets.
Scoring has been the name of the game over the latest stretch by the Rangers, who have averaged 4.2 goals per gameover their last nine games. Their upcoming schedule includes Friday's trip to Columbus before playing five of their next six at home.
Who New?
Another week, another time to write about how the New Jersey Devils are somehow leading the Metropolitan Division. I've converted to believe they're the real deal (they'll probably lose a string of games now that I said that).
What's so impressive about the Devils having the most points in the Metropolitan Division right now is that they've played fewer games (17) than everyone except the tied-for-last Carolina Hurricanes (16) and the New York Islanders (also 17). The Blue Jackets and the Pittsburgh Penguins may be just a point behind, but each has played at least two more games than the Devils.
Combine that with a goal-scoring output (61) that ranks fourth in the NHL and the impending return of consistent 40-point man Travis Zajac, and it appears this team may well be equipped to stay in the Metro hunt.
Forward Recall
While the New York Rangers and New Jersey Devils have had no issue scoring goals lately, the same cannot be said for the Carolina Hurricanes. In an effort to escalate their suspect offense (25th in the NHL), they have recalled forwards Phil Di Giuseppe and Lee Stempniak from AHL Charlotte.
Di Giuseppe, 24, is ranked fourth on the Checkers with 12 points (4g, 8a) in 14 games this season. The Maple, Ontario, native has earned 24 points (8g, 16a) in 77 career games with Carolina. [...] Brown, 25, registered four points (1g, 3a) in nine games with the Checkers.– Carolina Hurricanes Press Release
The Hurricanes travel to New York for a divisional match-up with the Islanders on Friday.
Line Changes in Philly
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Like the Hurricanes, the Philadelphia Flyers have also struggled to find the back of the net. While they are in the middle of the pack in total goals scored (20th), over the last six games they are averaging less than 1.5 goals, including three games without a goal altogether.
Searching for an answer, the Flyers have moved Jordan Weal to center. The hope is that the change can bring some new looks to the second and third lines for the Flyers, whose production to this point has been a large part of the team's scoring issues.
An Island Without Goaltenders
The New York Islanders currently lack a netminder with a save percentage above .905. That's bad. Bad enough that one wonders where an already-solid 9-6-2 team would be if it had a competent goaltender.
Sure, Halak and Greiss are names that have had success in this league, but neither has ever convinced fans and media members that they are worthy of being called a true No. 1 goalie. As a result, you really don’t know what you’re going to get on a nightly basis.– Jeff Capellini, CBS New York
That's Jaroslav Halak and Thomas Greiss, who share the net in Brooklyn, and both allow more than three goals per game.
Kid Breaks Scoring Drought
When your star scorer is on a cold streak, it can sometimes have implications for your team. Sidney Crosby had gone 11 games without a goal before cashing in two against the Buffalo Sabres on Tuesday night. The Pittsburgh Penguins were 4-5-2 in those games.
“You’re happy to see it go in the net,” Crosby said. “There’s a few more I probably could’ve had, but there were some good chances. As long as they’re there, hopefully they’ll start going in a little bit more."
The Penguins hope their best player can stave off the slump as they play the Senators and the Blackhawks in their next two games.
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