In the second weekly Metropolitan Division snapshot of the 2024-25 season, the New Jersey Devils are on top, the New York Rangers close behind, and the Washington Capitals swept the week. All this and more in this week’s snapshot.
In the second week of the Weekly Metropolitan Division Snapshot for 2024-25, I am pleased to declare that the New Jersey Devils are in first place. Something they secured as of Thursday evening. Will it last? I, the one who leads a New Jersey Devils blog as well as holds a Devils season ticket, certainly hope it will. But the snapshot is all about results. And they need to be mindful of the many teams behind them with games in hand on them. It was a largely successful week for the division with the New York Rangers and Washington Capitals sweeping their previous week’s schedule and three other teams winning their respective weeks. Look at the division standings as of this morning:
NHL.com
Plenty of ground for all seven non-Devils teams to make up – if they can do so. However, only the Pittsburgh Penguins will use up a game in hand on the Devils based on the schedule coming up. In fact, the Columbus Blue Jackets will get another one. As far as plans for the week, make them today, tomorrow, and mostly Wednesday as the action runs from Tuesday through Saturday. You can see this in this week’s schedule, where the three games within the division are highlighted and in bold:
Schedules via NHL.com
Here is the week that was and week that will be for all eight teams.
New Jersey Devils
What Happened Last Week: The Devils had a busy week of four games in six days. They came away with X points. First up, they hosted Utah on a Monday afternoon in Newark. It was a slow start but the Devils ultimately suffocated and dominated the Utahs. Seamus Casey opened the scoring on what was technically a power play goal. Stefan Noesen took the loose puck from a Casey shot being blocked to make it 2-0. In the third period, Jack Hughes set up Nico Hischier for a PPG. Jake Allen was not beaten in the 3-0 win.
Second, the Devils went to Raleigh on Tuesday night. The Canes, well rested, enacted their high-pressure forecheck and outside-in approach. They were relentless and they would get goals past Jacob Markstrom. Jack Hughes did open the scoring but three straight from Seth Jarvis, Shayne Gostisbehere, and Jackson Blake put the Devils down 3-1 with less than nine to play. Hischier did convert a 5-on-3 late to make it 3-2 with over four minutes left. But the Devils fell short and conceded an ENG for a 4-2 loss.
Third, the Devils went to Ottawa on a Thursday night. There, the start was sluggish but Ottawa did not punish the Devils. Thanks in large part to Markstrom. The Devils would pull away, similar to their Monday effort against Utah. After a failed power play, Erik Haula tipped home a Johnathan Kovacevic shot to make it 1-0. Minutes later, during a penalty kill, Nathan Bastian led a 2-on-1 rush and beat Anton Forsberg with a snipe to make it 2-0. The Devils kept going and got a huge insurance goal from Paul Cotter slamming in a rebound from a Dougie Hamilton shot. The shutout for Markstrom was within grasp. Yet, a dubious penalty called on Simon Nemec gave way to a 6-on-4 situation and Brady Tkachuk touched off a Claude Giroux shot for a goal. No matter. The Devils still prevailed 3-1, securing first in this snapshot for another week.
Fourth, the Devils returned to Newark for a Saturday night against the Washington Capitals. The Devils beat them last week. They did not last night, but it was enough to get them a point to win this past week. It was also a wild affair. The first period featured a soft goal by Logan Thompson as Erik Haula scored from the side boards. The Caps roared back. Tom Wilson finished a Connor McMichael feed to tie it up. Minutes later, a Wilson shot yielded a point-blank rebound for McMichael. Minutes later and during a delayed penalty call, a shot from John Carlson hit off Alexander Ovechkin and Johnathan Kovacevic to end up in the net. Down 3-1, the Devils needed something huge. They got it in Nico Hischier in the second period. Just 10 seconds apart for a franchise record, Hischier scored from the slot and then roofed a shot to make it 3-3. But the Devils were too loose on defense and the Caps restored their lead. Andrew Mangiapane got behind Kovacevic and scored on a breakaway. Dylan Strome tipped off a Trevor van Reimsdyk shot to punish further defensive failures. Down 5-3, the Devils needed something huge again. And they got it. Hischier set up Dawson Mercer to make it 5-4. The Devils denied the Caps. When Jack Hughes was interfered with, the power play punished them with Dougie Hamilton’s first of the season. 5-5 and the Devils dragged the game into OT. Unfortunately, OT favored the Caps. They owned more of the puck, Thompson robbed Timo Meier, and an ill-advised change by Hischier gave Wilson the space to fly down the ice and win it off the frame. The Devils lost 6-5 in OT. Still went 2-1-1 in the week and leads the division. Far better than what happened the last time the Devils went down in the first period at home (they lost to Toronto).
What’s Coming Up This Week: After four games in six days, the Devils will get to “enjoy” three games in four days in this week. At least they will have two days without a game before it happens. As part of the NHL’s Frozen Frenzy on Tuesday, October 22, the Devils will host Tampa Bay 15 minutes earlier than home games usually start in Newark. Nikita Kucherov remains as an Ace. Be careful, Devils. After that, the Devils have a back-to-back. They will visit a struggling Detroit squad on Thursday before returning home for a Friday night game against the Islanders. The latter matters more in the division but the goal for the Devils remains: keep getting points.
New York Rangers
What Happened Last Week: The Rangers have started their season off real well in given this past week. They won their week ahead of last night’s game. It helped that they took on what appears to be a poor Detroit squad. On Monday, the Rangers hosted the Red Wings. The first period ended up being tied at 1-1 with Alexis Lafreniere opening the scoring and Dylan Larkin scoring with two seconds left in the period. This was close until Chris Kreider scored a PPG off a Mika Zibanejad shot to make it 2-1 late in the second. Reilly Smith pulled the Rangers up to 3-1 and Zibanejad completed a three-point night with an empty net goal. The rematch on Thursday night in Detroit was tilted more in favor of New York. Artemi Panarin made his mark with a first period brace, with the second one converting a power play. Mortiz Seider did pull the Red Wings within one early in the second. Only for New York’s power play to pull the game away from Detroit entirely later in that period. Vincent Trocheck tipped in a Panarin shot to make it 3-1. Panarin completed his hat trick with a PPG. And right after that Victor Mancini scored his first NHL goal to make it 5-1. J.T. Compher scored a consolation power play goal late in the third but the result was still the same: a Rangers win.
Last night, the Rangers took on a tougher opponent in Toronto. In Toronto too. No matter as the heat stayed on. Alexis Lafreniere scored in the first period to open the scoring. Chris Kreider made it 2-0 before halfway through the second period. Igor Shesterkin was finally beaten early in the third period by Auston Matthews. Then it was 2-1 and the Rangers had to hold on. Which they did thanks to Shesterkin as the Maple Leafs bombed the Rangers with 18 shots in the third period. The Rangers were able to secure the win with an empty netter from Kreider with a minute left to play. Panarin added a second ENG to boost the score to 4-1, a more comfortable looking result than it may have been on the ice. This is the weekly Metropolitan Division snapshot where it is all about the results. The Rangers won all 3 games this week to take second place once more.
What’s Coming Up This Week: The Rangers get two days off before playing three games in five days. For Frozen Frenzy, they will be in Montreal on Tuesday. Then the Rangers return home for a two teams at opposite ends of perception. On Thursday, they will host the defending Stanley Cup Champions, the Florida Panthers. Then on Saturday, they will host Anaheim, who is hoping to reach at least 30 wins this season. It is possible on paper to win another week. Now the Rangers have to do it.
Washington Capitals
What Happened Last Week: The Washington Capitals secured a winning week after dropping their home opener. It started with a Tuesday night against Las Vegas. The first period was even; Jakub Vrana’s game-opening goal was answered by a PPG from Victor Olofsson. The Caps would pull away in the second period with three goals. First, a PPG from Tom Wilson. Second, a goal shortly after the PPG by Aliaksei Protas. Third, Jakob Chychrun finished a counter-attack rush that caught Las Vegas in a change. 4-1. Jack Eichel did make it a game with a goal of his own after. But Logan Thompson locked it down and the 4-2 scoreline held up as the final one. The Caps won their first game and handed Las Vegas their first loss.
On Thursday night, they would hand Dallas their first loss as well. The Caps went down first. Colin Blackwell scored a shorthanded goal. But the Caps responded in the second period. Wilson scored within the first minute to tie it up. Dylan Strome snapped in a goal minutes later. The Stars would have an answer for that thanks to Jason Robertson. The final go-ahead goal would come within the last minutes of the second period. Taylor Raddysh fired a seeing-eye shot that beat Casey DeSmith for a 3-2 lead. On this night, Charlie Lindgren held it down in the third period and the Caps won again.
Last night, they went to New Jersey for their first road game. Would they get revenge for last Saturday? They would – kind of. The start was auspicious as Logan Thompson was caught away from the right post, which led to a soft goal for Erik Haula. The Capitals had a response for that and then some. Tom Wilson finished a Connor McMichael feed to make it 1-1. A shot from Wilson minutes later yielded a point-blank rebound for McMichael to slam in to make it 2-1. The Caps got a break during a delayed penalty call. A John Carlson shot hit off Alexander Ovechkin and Johnathan Kovacevic to end up in the net. Up 3-1, the Caps were seemingly in control. The Devils busted that up in the first minute of the second period. Nico Hischier scored twice in 10 seconds to make the Capitals’ lead disappear. Washington would work to get it back – and they did. Trevor van Reimsdyk found Andrew Mangiapane get behind Kovacevic. Mangiapane went wide on Jacob Markstrom on the breakaway to make it 4-3. Minutes later, the Caps punished poor defensive play when van Reimsdyk took an open shot and Dylan Strome tipped it in for 5-3. Surely, the Caps would hold on to this lead? No. In the third period, Hischier set up Dawson Mercer to make it 5-4. The Capitals penalty kill had to go to work within the final ten minutes. They failed as Dougie Hamilton scored from distance to make it 5-5. The Caps tried to attack but struggled, even with a late period power play. Fortunately for them, overtime was favorable. They had more of the puck. Thompson robbed Timo Meier’s one-timer effort. And they were patient enough to know when to strike. When Hischier came off at a bad moment, Tom Wilson was sprung to go down the right side. He hammered a shot off the frame to win it for Washington. 6-5 to sweep the week and move up to third place for the moment.
What’s Coming Up This Week: The Capitals will get a back-to-back to begin their three-game week. They have a home-and-home with Philly. On Frozen Frenzy, they will visit Philly for a game to be broadcast on ESPN. On Wednesday, they will be on national television once more (TNT) with the home game against the Flyers. The Capitals will end their week away from home. They will visit Tampa Bay in another potential test to see where the Caps will be this season.
New York Islanders
What Happened Last Week: The Islanders got their first win in this past week. On Monday, they went to Denver and continued what was then a miserable losing streak for the Avalanche. Calum Ritchie scored just after the first minute for Colorado. Then the Islanders just kept lighting it up. Anders Lee tied it up and Kyle Palmieri made it 2-1 late in the first. In the second period, Brock Nelson made it 3-1 and then added a shorty to make it 4-1. Casey Mittelstadt put a tourniquet on the bleeding with an early third period goal. That did not last. Anthony Duclair made it 5-2 minutes later to essentially secure a comfortable victory. One fully iced when Mat Barzal put in an empty net goal. A 6-2 win on the road and no third period lead lost is a successful night for the Islanders.
On Thursday, the Isles went to St. Louis in what would be a goaltender battle. Ilya Sorokin and Joel Hofer were perfect through sixty minutes. Sorokin made 30 saves. Hofer made 34 saves. Power plays – not converted. Shorthanded shots – not goals. All was even at 0-0 through regulation. Alas for the Islanders, they were caught changing in OT with the puck on Hofer’s stick. He heaved up a pass to Philip Broberg, who led what was essentially a 3-on-1. Broberg played a pass ahead of Jake Neighbors, who one-touched the puck past Sorokin for the 1-0 overtime loss. A point earned, yes, but harsh to go from six against Colorado to zero against St. Louis.
Last night, the Islanders hosted Montreal and familiar events returned. The Islanders went up in the first period with a PPG from Bo Horvat and a later score from Kyle Palmieri. Up 2-0, did this lead last? Nope. With four seconds left in the first period, Cole Caufield converted a power play – their only one of the game – to make it 2-1. Within the first minute of the second period, Logan Mailloux tied up the game. The Islanders would take another lead thanks to Anders Lee in the third period. He slammed in a rebound from a J-G Gabriel shot. Lee’s goal took place at 15:24, which means the Islanders had to defend a one-goal lead for over four minutes. Did this lead last? No! A Caufield shot from the right circle beat Sorokin with just over two minutes left! And it was one of just three (3) shots by Montreal in the third. 3-3 and the Islanders dropped a point at home to an opponent. While going 1-for-6 on the power play and other shortcomings. Overtime ensued and despite three shots for each, nothing was solved. A shootout was needed and this one went long. No one scored in the first three rounds. Rounds four and five saw each team scoring. Rounds six, seven, and eight had more stops. The ninth one featured Noah Dobson scoring and Mailloux being stopped to give the Isles the 4-3 win. The extra point has to be a positive given the negatives of blowing leads at home. The Isles went 2-0-1 in the week
What’s Coming Up This Week: The Islanders will be mostly at home for this week coming up. They will host Detroit for Frozen Frenzy with the unusual 7:45 PM start time. Given Detroit’s struggles, the Isles should be able to find something out of that one. The Islanders’ week will end with a tough back-to-back set. They will go to Newark to play the Devils on Friday night. The Devils may be tired, so that is a plus for the Isles. Not a plus for the Isles: they will host the defending Stanley Cup Champion Florida Panthers.
Pittsburgh Penguins
What Happened Last Week: The Pittsburgh Penguins won this past week by going 2-1-0. A rebound from a poorer prior week. The Penguins opened up their past week in Montreal. The game would be close for at least 40 minutes. The first period saw Lars Eller and Rickard Rakell score. Kaiden Guhle provided a later period goal to keep Montreal within striking distance. Which was realized when Juraj Slafkovsky scored a PPG to tie it up early in the second period. Emil Heineman put the Canadiens up 3-2, but Eller responded with his second of the game to tie it up going into the third period. After 7 minutes of scoreless hockey, the Penguins pulled ahead and never looked back. Kevin Hayes and Kris Letang scored to put the Pens up by two. Evgeni Malkin sank in an empty net goal for the 6-3 win.
The Penguins hosted Buffalo on a night that would be momentous for Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin and disasterous for Tristan Jarry. Tage Thompson put in a wraparound goal within the first minute for Buffalo. Jordan Greenway made it 2-0 for Buffalo shortly later. Bryan Rust converted a power play to get the Pens on the board. Then J.J. Peterka beat Jarry on the next shift. Three goals allowed on five shots; Jarry was out and Joel Blomqvist was in. The Pens would make a comeback. Drew O’Connor made it 3-2 close to halfway through the second period with a shorthanded goal. Jesse Puljujarvi tied it up later in the second. Evgeni Malkin scored his 500th NHL goal in the third period to put the Pens up 4-3. However, another disaster happened. Peterka and Ryan McLeod scored on back-to-back shifts to make it 5-4 for Buffalo. The Pens needed another score. With the net empty and the Pens trying their best, they got one from Rakell within the final minute. 5-5 and OT was needed. There, Thompson tripped up Malkin. With the extra-space, Crosby scored his first of the season for the 6-5 OT win over the Sabres. That goal combined with two assists put Crosby past the 1,600-point mark and puts him in sole possession for 10th all-time in NHL scoring. That goal also avoided another chance to drop points at home.
Which is what happened on Friday night when the Penguins hosted Carolina. Carolina’s pressure game put the Penguins down. As did their power play. The first period did see O’Connor open the scoring for Pittsburgh. A lead that lasted just over a minute as Jackson Blake tied it up then. A pair of PPGs in the second period would sink Pittsburgh. Martin Necas punished a hold on Marcus Pettersson. Gostisbehere punished a double-minor given to Michael Bunting for high-sticking. The Canes did take three straight calls in the third. Not only did the Penguins fail to convert but Jack Roslovic put the game out of doubt with nine minutes to go. The Penguins lost 4-1. A disappointing way to end a successful week.
What’s Coming Up This Week: The Penguins will be away from home all week as they are off to Canada. They will play the following over the next seven days: an afternoon game today in Winnipeg; a Tuesday night affair in Calgary; a Friday night game in Edmonton; and a Saturday night game in Vancouver. Four games in seven nights on the road is not easy regardless of the opposition. It is harder when you know Winnipeg and Calgary have been hot, Edmonton has seemingly figured out winning, and Vancouver may figure it out by this coming Saturday. Good luck, Penguins!
Carolina Hurricanes
What Happened Last Week: The Carolina Hurricanes picked up wins in this past week to secure a winning week. On Tuesday, they hosted the Devils – who played on Monday. Carolina was well rested and it showed. They put the pedal to the metal and never really let up with their forecheck or their pressure. Jack Hughes did score in the second period to open the scoring. But the Canes responded with Seth Jarvis scoring after a missed steal attempt by Stefan Noesen to tie it up. A shot from Shayne Gostisbehere beat Nathan Bastian and Jacob Markstrom to put the Canes up late going into the third period. Jackson Blake touched off a Dmitry Orlov shot to make it 3-1 in the third period. The Canes did get into trouble late. A pair of penalties gave the Devils a 5-on-3 and Nico Hischier converted it. And during an extra man situation, Jesper Bratt whiffed on a wide-open net. But the Canes settled down and Sebastian Aho secured the 4-2 win with an empty net goal.
The Canes brought a similar pressure to Pittsburgh on Friday night, which also started a six-game road trip. Similar to their win over the Devils, the Canes gave up the first score and then responded and pulled away. Drew O’Connor was the Penguin. Jackson Blake tied it up shortly thereafter. And, unlike their win over the Devils, the Hurricane special teams held up much better. Martin Necas and Gostisbehere scored PPGs to put the Canes up 3-1 in the second period. They killed all of their penalties. Jack Roslovic added a fourth goal in the third period, only it was not an empty netter. The 4-1 victory was a strong start to their road trip.
The trip went to St. Louis last night. Against the Blues, they came out hot and drilled St. Louis with 19 shots on net in the first period alone. They gave Joel Hofer the work. But only an early goal from Andrei Svechnikov went in. St. Louis would get a response in the second period – and put the Canes in deep. From 10:22 to 13:31 of the second, the Blues scored three goals. Mathieu Joseph, Jake Neighbours, and Dylan Holloway all beat Pytor Kochetkov to put the Canes down 3-1. The deficit carried into the third period. Carolina erased it quickly. An early PPG from Gostisbehere put them within one. Over a minute later, Roslovic tied up the game. All was good, right? No. The Blues had four (4) shots in the third period and Kasperi Kapanen’s shot beat Kochetkov to make it 4-3. Hofer was in control and stopped Carolina’s attempts the rest of the way. The Hurricanes lost 4-3, ending their week at 2-1-0. A winning week, yes, but surely a frustrating way to end it.
What’s Coming Up This Week: The Hurricanes will head out further Northwest in this week. They will go to Edmonton on Tuesday night for Frozen Frenzy. Then they are off to Calgary on Thursday night. The week will see them end in Seattle on Saturday night. At least none of these games are back-to-back. Still, this is the meat of their trip – which will end in the following week. Either way, Carolina has seemingly awoken. That means as much as the road games may be tough for them, the home teams will have it tough for them.
Columbus Blue Jackets
What Happened Last Week: The Columbus Blue Jackets had an understandably emotional home opener on Tuesday against Florida. They even on got on the board first when Cole Sillinger scored a shorthanded goal early in the second period. However, the goals picked up after the halfway mark of the period and Columbus fell behind. Anton Lundell scored, which yielded a response by Sean Monahan, which yielded a long goal by Dmitry Kulikov on the next shift, and the tie was broken in the final minute by Sam Reinhart. Down 3-2 and Florida made it 4-2 with just under five minutes left thanks to Eetu Luostarinen. James van Reimsdyk did deflect home a Damon Severson shot to give Columbus one last chance in the final minutes but it was not enough. They lost 4-3.
Columbus would get a win at home in their next contest, a Thursday night against Buffalo. This one was filled with goals, not much in the way of goaltending, and Columbus never looked back once they took a lead. The first period saw the Jackets go up by two thanks to a PPG from Yegor Chinakhov and a late period strike by Kirill Marchenko. Buffalo got on the board near halfway through the second period by Ryan McLeod, only for Adam Fantilli to restore the two-goal lead minutes later. The final three minutes featured a tip-in by Jiri Kulich, a wrister from Mathieu Olivier, and a snap shot from Owen Power to make it 4-3 going into the third period. A lead that lasted 15 seconds into the third as Zach Aston-Rese tipped in a score to make it 5-3. Damon Severson’s first of the season made it a more comfortable 6-3 and the Blue Jackets cruised to a win. J.J. Peterka’s goal only made it closer on the scoreboard at 6-4, but the Blue Jackets’ offense was just too much for Buffalo.
Would it be too much for Minnesota? No. A four-shot first period was not too much for the Wild. The Wild did much more in response and got a goal from Marco Rossi. The second period featured more of an attack from Columbus with 12 shots. None went in. In the third period, the shots were 15-8 for the Wild. And two of those went in. A power play goal for Kirill Kaprizov early in the third and Mats Zuccarello later on in the third. Would the Blue Jackets get shutout? No. Yegor Chinakhov did score with fewer than two minutes left to get something on the board. But it was that kind of a night Columbus in a 3-1 loss. At least they are done with Minnesota this season. And they won one (1) game in this past week.
What’s Coming Up This Week: The Blue Jackets will end their four-game homestand on Tuesday night against Toronto, as part of the NHL’s Frozen Frenzy. Columbus fans did get lucky as their start time is a standard 7:30 PM ET. No real changes for them. On Saturday, Columbus will take a trip to Nashville for a game. Oddly enough, it is just the one road game. They are back at home for three more games after that. More on that in future snapshots.
Philadelphia Flyers
What Happened Last Week: The Philadelphia Flyers closed out their Western Canadian and Seattle trip in this past week. The Canadian part ended in Edmonton on Tuesday night. The first period was the hope for the Flyers as Matvei Michkov scored two (2) power play goals in the first period. He could be someone special. The Oilers were not so impressed and would tie it up in the second period with scores by Adam Henrique and Connor Brown. Philly went up one in the final minute thanks to Bobby Brink. But they could not hold on. Evan Bouchard tied it up a third time in the third period with less than four minutes to play. Overtime ensued and it was short. Connor McDavid was denied, saw Leon Draisaitl trailing in all alone and Draisaitl finished it. The Flyers lost 4-3 in OT, picking up a point in the process.
That would be more than what they got on Thursday night in Seattle, their final game on their season-opening road trip. The Flyers would strike first with a Scott Laughton wraparound. A late equalizer from Brandon Montour was answered on the next shift by Laughton to give Philly a 2-1 lead after one. Then the wheels came off in the second period. Seattle scored the next four goals. An early PPG from Jared McCann to tie it up. Eeli Tolvanen put the Kraken up one just before five minutes left to play. Then a quick double from Jordan Eberle and Shane Wright within a minute put the Flyers down 5-2. The Flyers would make a charge in the third period to make it a game. Cam York and a PPG from Jamie Drysdale made it a one-goal game with over seven minutes left. However, Seattle pulled away one more time thanks to Oliver Bjorkstrand scoring over two minutes after Drysdale’s goal. The Flyers lost 6-4, ending their trip at 1-2-1.
Philadelphia finally had their home opener last night. Not quite done with the Pacific Division as they hosted Vancouver. The Canucks were able to enact revenge for the previous Friday’s shootout loss. More than that, they gave Philly nothing. Kevin Lankinen shut out the Philadelphia Flyers. 26 shots, 26 saves. The Canucks needed one goal to win and they got three. Nils Hoglander opened the scoring late in the first period. Goals from Brock Boeser and Keifer Sherwood were less than a minute apart from each other in the second period. Down three and the Canucks just cruised to a win. Which was surely a disappointment for the Flyers as this was a long-awaited home opener. The Flyers went 0-2-1 in the week and fell to the bottom of the division.
What’s Coming Up This Week: The Flyers will have a pair of back-to-backs coming up. Within this week, they have a home-and-home with Washington. The home game is on Tuesday as part of Frozen Frenzy and even gets the ESPN treatment. The road game is on Wednesday on TNT. The Flyers will start a back-to-back on the weekend. They will host Minnesota for an afternoon game. Fortunately, they will not need to travel after that one. They have done enough travel for the moment. What they need now are points. Will they get them?
That was the second Weekly Metropolitan Division Snapshot of the 2024-25 season. Now I want to know what you think. Will the New Jersey Devils be able to hold on to first place? Who will lose first between the Rangers and Capitals? Will the Philadelphia Flyers win in this week coming up? How will Pittsburgh fare with their long week coming up? Please leave your answers and other thoughts about the eight teams in the week that was and the week ahead in the comments. Thank you for reading.