In the seventh weekly Metropolitan Division snapshot, the New Jersey Devils re-took first place, the Columbus Blue Jackets won three in a row, and the suffering continues for the Pittsburgh Penguins. All this and more in this week’s snapshot.
Thanksgiving Day in America is not just a day of blessings, family, and events. No, it is also a day of reflection for your favorite hockey team’s playoff chances. If the team is in a playoff position by Thanksgiving, then the team has a great chance of qualifying by the time the season ends. For most NHL teams, they have or are about to finish the first quarter of their season. By then, we have an idea if the team is legitimately good or not. While things can and do change between now and April, four teams in the Metropolitan Division should feel comfortable about their playoff hopes right now. The New York Islanders, Columbus Blue Jackets Philadelphia Flyers, and absolutely the Pittsburgh Penguins not so much.
By the way, the New Jersey Devils lost and re-took first despite the light week of games. Here are the standings ahead of Thanksgiving week.
NHL.com
Even though there are no games today or Tuesday in the division, this week is loaded with games unless you are the Columbus Blue Jackets. There are also four games within the division, which are highlighted and in bold as is tradition. Appropriate given the week’s main event. That is a day off for the whole league, which is also tradition.
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 got a break and did not play a game until Thursday night. They fell to third place by Thursday morning just by being idle. Their opponent: they mighty and terrifying Carolina Hurricanes, coming off three wins in a row. The Devils would prevail. Carolina did strike first when a Dmitry Orlov shot was put in the back of the net by Jack Roslovic. Their pressure mounted – until it did not. The Devils did an excellent job keeping the Canes from establishing their forecheck. They also clawed back into the game. A brilliant touch pass by Jack Hughes from Ondrej Palat led to Jesper Bratt tying up the game at 1-1. Near the end of the first, Shayne Gostisbehere high-sticked Paul Cotter and Jordan Staal tripped Jack Hughes during that power play. Right at the tail end of the 5-on-3 in the second period, Stefan Noesen batted in a sauced pass from Hughes to make it 2-1. The score held even though the Devils nearly botched it in the final minute of the second period. Cotter did take a slashing penalty so Carolina started the third with a power play. It lasted 12 seconds into the third as Andrei Svechnikov rifled a shot off a dump-in from Martin Necas to make it 2-2. The breakthrough would come halfway through the third as Spencer Martin had trouble playing a puck behind the net. While the Devils did not score on that, their pressure yielded Dawson Mercer finding Dougie Hamilton activating deep for a one-timer. Minutes later, Jackson Blake high-sticked Tomas Tatar. After two Canes ran into each other, Bratt hammered a shot from the high slot to convert the power play and make it 4-2. The Devils held on to secure a big win over a Canes team that could not get their thing going.
The Devils visited Washington D.C. on Saturday night. They won there back in October. They would do it again. The run of play may have not been favorable and they definitely suffered a bad bounce in the first period. A shot by Matt Roy hit off Nolan Foote to beat Jake Allen. Allen could and should have stopped it. Alas, 1-0 for the Caps. But Nic Dowd hooked Dougie Hamilton later in the first. Near the end of that power play, Erik Haula’s shot got through Charlie Lindgren and Tomas Tatar ensured the puck went over the line for the equalizer. In the second period, the Devils got a good bounce. Brenden Dillon’s shot from the point hit off John Carlson and went in. His first of the season broke the tie. Later in the second, Rasmus Sandin tripped Jesper Bratt. Nico Hischier won the faceoff to Bratt, Bratt touched it back to Dougie Hamilton, and Dougie blasted a shot for a 3-1 lead. An important goal as the Caps did score a power play goal of their own in the third period. Weirdly marked as an “own goal,” Connor McMichael buried a feed from Carlson at the left post (thanks to Tom Wilson dumping Jonathan Kovacevic and getting away with interference) to make it 3-2. The Devils had to hold on. Thanks to Jake Allen, shot blocks, and lady luck, they did. The Devils won both of their games this week and re-took first place with the help of other results. You like to see it.
What’s Coming Up This Week: The Devils are back to work with four games in six nights like most of the division this week. Their opponents on paper are a bit easier than Carolina and Washington. The Devils will host a struggling Nashville team on Monday. Wednesday night against St. Louis could be trickier, but the Blues have not fared that much better than the Predators so far this season. The Devils will go to Detroit on Black Friday and then return home to play Washington – the only team among the four in a playoff position. This is a good time as any for the Devils to win the week and keep pace in this tough division. Something they have done to their credit.
Carolina Hurricanes
What Happened Last Week: The Carolina Hurricanes resume their hot streak on Sunday when they hosted St. Louis. The Blues did strike first with Jake Neighbours scoring a bit over six minutes in. The Blues were close to ending the first period up a score but then Oskar Sundqvist held Jackson Blake. Andrei Svechnikov converted the power play with 25 seconds left in the first to tie it up at 1-1. The Canes needed just 17 seconds to take the lead thanks to Eric Robinson. Martin Necas, who already had two assists, added a goal later in the second period to make it 3-1. The Canes kept the Blues off the board and further extended it late. Necas made it a brace to effectively end the game at 4-1. The Canes: they’re back. They arguably never left.
The Hurricanes began a three-game road trip within the division on Wednesday night in Philadelphia. The Hurricanes went up 1-0 just 30 seconds into the game thanks to a slapshot from Jalen Chatfield. The Hurricanes began to lock down the Flyers’ offense from a shot-perspective from the second period onward. Yet, despite keeping the Flyers to just 4 shots on net in the second, Ryan Poehling tied up the game early in the middle frame. The Canes ramped up their own offense to out-shoot the Flyers 17-4 in the third. And more of their shots went in. Sebastian Aho broke the tie just over a minute into the third period. Jordan Staal tipped in a Dmitry Orlov shot to make it 3-1 and Jack Roslovic finished a feed from Aho less than a minute later. The Hurricanes cruised to a 4-1 win to keep their winning run alive.
On Thursday, the Hurricanes visited New Jersey. The Hurricanes tried to get their pressure game going and they did for a little bit. They even scored first when a Dmitry Orlov shot into traffic yielded a rebound goal for Jack Roslovic. Then the pressure just stopped. The Devils either won the dump-ins in their own end and moved quickly to deny the forecheck or forced the game to go laterally instead of vertically to keep the forecheckers honest. Either way, the Canes would not dominate the puck and the perimeter as they usually did. They also gave up goals. Jesper Bratt finished a brilliant touch pass from Jack Hughes to tie up the game. Carolina’s discipline was an issue as Shayne Gostisbehere and Jordan Staal both took late first period penalties to give the Devils a 46 two-man advantage to start the second. It was converted when Stefan Noesen batted in a saucer pass from Hughes for a 2-1 game. The Canes nearly tied it up when Martin Necas hit a crossbar, but did get a power play late in the second period thanks to Paul Cotter slashing Orlov. Just 12 seconds into the third period, Andrei Svechnikov converted it with a brilliant far-post shot off a Martin Necas dump in. At 2-2, the Canes had a chance. They lost it around midway through the third. Spencer Martin had trouble behind the net with the puck. That led to the pressure that yielded Dawson Mercer hooking up Dougie Hamilton for a one-timer to take the lead. Jackson Blake high-stuck Tomas Tatar and Bratt punished that with a PPG minutes later. The Canes were down two and struggled to generate much on Jacob Markstrom. The Hurricanes’ streak ended at three with a 4-2 loss in Newark.
Carolina’s week ended on a Saturday night in Columbus. The Blue Jackets had one second-period-goalfest this week. Carolina experienced it in their favor. Which was necessary as Columbus went up 2-1 in the first period. Dante Fabbro opened the scoring over two minutes into the game. While Jack Roslovic tied it up minutes later, Kirill Marchenko put the Canes down a score just past halfway through the period. In the second period, the Canes got going on the scoreboard. Jalen Chatfield tied it up. A Sean Walker hook was punished by Columbus’ Dmitry Voronkov. The PPG would be responded with a Monahan hook – which yielded a quick PPG for Sebastian Aho. Jackson Blake broke the tie with fewer than seven minutes left in the second to make it 4-3. If any team can hold onto a one-goal lead, then it is Carolina. Except they did not. Columbus pulled the goalie late, Columbus set up on offense with six skaters and Sean Monahan sent a pass through the seam to Marchenko. The one-timer beat Pytor Kochetkov for the equalizer. Overtime would be needed. Then disaster struck the Canes. Frederik Andersen was already ruled out for two to three months with knee surgery. In OT, Kochetkov collided with Carolina defenseman Sean Walker and left due to injury. Spencer Martin had to come in cold. He faced one shot in OT and then a shootout. Monahan scored first – and everyone else was stopped. The Canes got a point in the 5-4 shootout loss and are now down to three signed and healthy goaltenders. An ominous way to end their week. They also fell to second place in the process, a minor issue compared with their goaltenders’ health.
What’s Coming Up This Week: The Hurricanes will return home for most of the week coming up. The opponents will not be easy. They will host a tough Dallas team on Monday. They will get a chance to keep the New York Rangers down on Wednesday night. Their Black Friday game is an afternoon home game against the defending champion Florida Panthers – who appear to have got their groove back. It begins a home-and-home as the Hurricanes will go to Sunrise for a Saturday afternoon game to end the week. We shall see if it is a tough schedule for the Canes – or their opponents. Hopefully for their sake, Kochetkov is not out for a while.
Washington Capitals
What Happened Last Week: The Washington Capitals went to Las Vegas on Sunday night and it was the Alex Ovechkin show. He scored an early PPG to put the Caps up one in the first. Jakob Chychrun made it 2-0 minutes later. The Golden Knights made it a one goal game with eight seconds left in the first period thanks to Brett Howden. Jakub Vrana did restore the two-goal lead early on in the second period, only for Keegan Kolesar to make it a one-goal game once again. Late in the second period, Ovechkin re-emerged to retake the two-goal lead. He completed a hat trick with an empty net goal – his 13th of the season – to make it a 5-2 win for Washington. Las Vegas has been a tough place to play but the Caps made it work to leave with the all-important victory.
Washington wrapped up their trip in Salt Lake City to play Utah HC. Even though they played on the previous night, the Caps came out roaring. Jack McBain did open the scoring. Then Dylan Strome and Nic Dowd scored on back-to-back shifts to make it 2-1 before the eight minute mark of the first period. Ovechkin’s hot stick was still burning and he made it 3-1 a few minutes later. He converted a power play from his usual spot to make it 4-1 early in the second period. Nick Bjugstad would score later on in the second period to make it a two-goal game but the Caps were not in a position to blow the lead. No, they would increase it in the third period. Brandon Duhaime and Aliaksei Protas each scored within 100 seconds of each other before halfway through the third period. That made it a 6-2 game and the Caps cruised to a solid, decisive, and big win. The only caveat was that Ovechkin left the third period with a leg injury. He is now week-to-week. Given that Ovechkin became the league’s leading goal scorer with that PPG in the second period, that is a big loss amid the victory in Utah.
How big is the loss for Ovechkin? The Capitals announced he would be out for four to six weeks with a fractured fibula. The Caps have never went more than six games without Ovechkin in the lineup due to injury. This is huge for Washington.
The Capitals returned home to face Colorado. Without Ovechkin, how will they do? They missed him in what would be a close game. Pierre-Luc Dubois opened the scoring late in the first period with a one-touch goal from a Tom Wilson feed after a dump-in. Colorado owned the second period on the shot-count and tied up the game at 1-1 with a PPG by Mikko Rantanen. The Avalanche went up early in the third period when Miles Wood tipped in a Cale Makar shot for a go-ahead goal. The Capitals’ offense put 14 on Alexandar Georgiev. None went in. The Capitals lost 2-1 in the first of many games without #8 leading the way.
Washington’s week ended with a home game against the Devils. They had plenty of the puck but not a lot on Jake Allen. Just 25 shots on net as the Devils stuffed 31 shots and the Caps missed 20 shots. They would get a break in the first period when Matt Roy’s shot from the left point hit off Nolan Foote. The knuckling puck beat Allen for a 1-0 lead. But the Caps suffered from discipline issues. Nic Dowd went off for a hook and the power play ended with Erik Haula beating Charlie Lindgren for a shot that did not get all the way through – and Tomas Tatar stashing the puck in over the line for the score. The Devils went up 3-1 in the second period. First, Brenden Dillon sent a long shot from the right point that hit off John Carlson to beat Lindgren. Second, Rasmus Sandin took a tripping penalty. Nico Hischier won the draw, Jesper Bratt passed it back to Dougie Hamilton, and Hamilton unloaded a slapshot to beat Lindgren for the quick PPG. The Caps would battle to make it close. They converted a power play when John Carlson sent a pass across the crease to Connor McMichael. He put it home (and NHL.com incorrectly called it an own goal) for the 3-2 score. But the Caps could not beat Allen. Not even with an extra skater. They still had issues even finding their shots on target. The Capitals would lose 3-2. They remain in third place but going 0-2-0 without Ovechkin is not encouraging.
What’s Coming Up This Week: The Capitals will have a tough run on Thanksgiving week. They will go on the road to face the Florida Panthers on Monday. Never an easy opponent no matter what the Devils did to them. On Wednesday, the Caps will take on the Lightning in Tampa Bay. The Lightning have begun to look like their previously dominant selves again; also a tough game. The Capitals will have a back-to-back set within the division to close the week. They will host a pesky Islanders team on Friday afternoon and then visit the Devils – who just beat them – on Saturday night. Ovechkin was not the whole team; they need to find some ways to get results without their top scorer.
New York Rangers
What Happened Last Week: The New York Rangers began their road trip in Seattle on Sunday night. Jonathan Quick took the net and put up a perfect performance. 24 shots by the Kraken and Quick made all 24 saves. He put up a shutout in his last start so he is clearly hot in spite of being the backup goalie in New York. After a scoreless first period, Alexis Lafreniere tipped home an Artemi Panarin shot late in the second period to put the Rangers up a goal. That was enough for the win. The Rangers gave Quick some insurance early in the third period. Zac Jones scored his first of the season just under three minutes into the third period. That made it 2-0 and the score held to the end. The Rangers started off their trip with a win.
Tuesday night ended with the New York Rangers visiting the Vancouver Canucks. They found a way to win this one. The first period ended up even at 2-2. Quinn Hughes scored within the first minute. Mika Zibanejad tipped in a K’Andre Miller shot to make it 1-1. Will Cuylle would put the Rangers up a goal for about three minutes. That was when Keifer Sherwood made it 2-2. The second period saw another deadlock. Kaapo Kakko made it a 3-2 game only for Conor Garland to answer back fewer than five minutes later. The tie would be broken in the third period. Chris Kreider provided the difference maker just past halfway through the final frame of regulation. That goal did hold up and the Rangers won their third straight game, 4-3.
On Thursday night, the Rangers went into Alberta to visit the Calgary Flames. The Rangers seemingly forgot a defense as they conceded 49 shots in the game. Yes, 49. In regulation. 20 in the first period. Credit to Igor Shesterkin. The future rich goalie made a ton of saves. But he could not stop Matt Coronato’s blazing shot from the circle that made it 1-0 for Calgary. The Flames went up by two when Yegor Sharangovich converted a power play caused by Artemi Panarin slashing Martin Pospisil. New York challenged it, failed, but did kill the penalty. The Rangers would tie it up on a quick double past the 16 minute mark. Alexis Lafreniere and Will Cuylle scored on back to back shifts to make it 2-2. The Rangers still had a chance to get a fourth straight win. This was snuffed by Connor Zary beating Shesterkin high shortside past halfway through the third period. Calgary held on and the Rangers lost their first game on their trip, 3-2. Alas. More reason to defend in their next one.
New York’s trip ended in Edmonton on Saturday night. The Oilers poured on the offense from the start of the game. They put up 21 shots on net in the first period alone as the Rangers’ defense was optional. Jonathan Quick made a lot of stops early but the Oilers broke through late in the first. Vasily Podkolzin finished a rush for his first goal as an Oiler to open the scoring. With 9 seconds left, Darnell Nurse scored a shorthanded goal. He trailed in with no Ranger looking his way. The scoring continued in the second for Edmonton. Leon Draisaitl buried a give-and-go on a 2-on-1 with Connor McDavid. Evan Bouchard made it 4-0 minutes later. Artemi Panarin spoiled the shutout bid for Stuart Skinner with just fewer than five minutes left in the second period. It would be a pure consolation goal. McDavid put up a brace within the first ten minutes of the third period to make it 6-1. Panarin got one late goal to ease the sting of losing. Not much easing as it was still a 6-2 loss for the Rangers. Their trip was going so well until they entered Alberta. They finish the week at 2-2-0 and still in fourth place.
What’s Coming Up This Week: The Rangers will return home for the week. They will host St. Louis on Monday night. It is a short stay as they will travel, albeit more locally, for the next two games. They will visit Carolina for a tough game on Wednesday night. Their Black Friday game will be in Philly. The Rangers will go right back home after Friday’s game against the Flyers; they will be hosting Montreal. On paper, it is three non-playoff bound teams and Carolina. The Rangers just have to maintain as usual. Their games played advantage will come into play at some point.
New York Islanders
What Happened Last Week: The New York Islanders started their week in Calgary. This one was a goalie duel between Dustin Wolf and Seymon Varlamov. Both goalies would be beaten just once within 65 minutes of hockey. Pierre Engvall beat Wolf early in the second period. Rasmus Andersson scored a power play goal on Varlamov in the third period to make it 1-1. Yes, the Isles blew a lead in the third period yet again. The goalies held up the score all the way through regulation and overtime. A shootout was necessary. This one would be short. Andrei Kuzmenko and Justin Kirkland each scored within the first three rounds. No Islander would score. The 2-0 shootout result yielded a 2-1 shootout loss for the Isles. It was a close one but another dropped point for an Islander season full of them.
The Islanders ended their road trip on Thursday night in Detroit. While back in America, the Islanders remained true to their frustrating ways of recent years. Simon Holmstrom put the Isles up 1-0 early in the first with a tip in created by Scott Mayfield. The Islanders held onto this lead through the remainder of the first period. They kept it 1-0 through the second period. They even kept it 1-0 with five minutes left in regulation. Then they blew it. A broken stick by a defender led to a rush led and finished by Jonatan Berggren. With 52 seconds left, Dylan Larkin found Lucas Raymond open in the left circle and Raymond beat Ilya Sorokin. The Islanders lost 2-1. For the seventh time this season, they blew a one-goal lead. Madness.
The Islanders returned home on Saturday night to host St. Louis. The Islanders went up first with a late first period goal from Kyle Palmieri. The Isles were up 1-0. Fortunately, they would go up 2-0 in the second period instead of taking a 1-0 lead into the third period. Brock Nelson converted a power play created by a Ryan Suter tripping call. Would the Islanders not blow this lead at home? No, but the Blues surely made a lot of people at Belmont sweat in the third period. Jake Neighbours converted a power play just 45 seconds into the final frame of regulation. The Isles had a one-goal lead in the third period and 19:15 to go. St. Louis put the pressure on and Ilya Sorokin bailed them out. The Isles thought they got an insurance goal past the halfway mark but the Blues challenged for goaltender interference and won it. The Isles were finally able to relax when Palmieri put in an empty net goal in the final minute. The Isles did not blow it! They won a game in regulation! They won 3-1! The 1-1-1 week keeps the Islanders in fifth place much to the chagrin of the many teams vying for that second wild card spot in the East.
What’s Coming Up This Week: The Islanders will be in the area for the week. They will be hosting Detroit and Boston on Monday and Wednesday, respectively. These are teams the Isles would need to beat to further secure their wild card hopes. The Isles are not too far off from them. The Isles will go to Washington D.C. on Black Friday to play a far better Caps team. The Isles can frustrate opponents and will need to do so in order to get a result. The Islanders will return home on Saturday night to host Buffalo – another team in the Isles’ area standings-wise. Again, if the Isles want to continue to scrap, claw, and grind out points for a future playoff spot, then getting results in a week like this is a must. As ever, we shall see if they actually do it. If they can continue to maintain leads, then that would help tremendously.
Columbus Blue Jackets
What Happened Last Week: The Columbus Blue Jackets and the Boston Bruins faced off on Monday. Both teams have been struggling. Both teams needed a win. Columbus took the game and ran with it early on. Dmitri Voronkov scored a backhander just over five minutes into the first period. Mathieu Olivier scored a shorthanded goal close to five minutes after that. With 32 seconds left in the first period, James van Reimsdyk made it a 3-0 game. The B’s were stunned by the Blue Jackets. Boston would get on the board with a power play goal in the second period. Charlie Coyle made it 3-1. Yet, there would be no comeback. Justin Danforth scored Columbus’ second shorthanded goal of the game in the third period. Yegor Chinakhov made it 5-1 about seven minutes after Danforth’s shorty. Columbus won big. Boston was booed off the ice for their third loss in a row. They would take a bigger loss a day later: head coach Jim Montgomery was fired from Boston. Not a move I would make given how much he got out of his team post-Bergeron, but it is not my team to run. Columbus can claim that achievement at least.
Columbus hosted Tampa Bay on Thursday night. The game combined for 73 shots and 13 goals. It was all about the ‘O’ in the ‘O.’ It looked like a Tampa Bay blowout to begin with. Brayden Point converted an early power play, Brandon Hegel made it 2-0 about two minutes after that, and Cam Atkinson deflected in a puck at 11:52 to make it 3-0. Sean Monahan did get Columbus on the board a bit later but it was 3-1. Then the game got crazy. The first 6:20 of the second period featured six goals. Dmitri Voronkov scored 28 seconds into the second. Kent Johnson punished a J.J. Moser hook taken at 1:06 with a PPG at 1:55. Tampa Bay made it 4-3 with a backhander by Mitchell Chaffee at 2:11. Zach Werenski scored himself at 3:42 for 4-4. Yegor Chinakhov gave Columbus the lead at 5:26, only for Anthony Cirelli to tie it up for the Lightning at 6:18. Would that be all? No! There would be more in the third period. Kent Johnson scored a shorthanded goal past halfway through the third to give Columbus the lead. Only for Conor Geekie to convert that power play close to a minute later on a tip-in. 6-6 and overtime was necessary. Werenski ended it from the high slot for his second goal of the game and his fifth point of the game. A very entertaining high-scoring 7-6 victory for the Jackets. And with that, they won their week.
Columbus’ week ended on Saturday night against Carolina. They came out well with a first period lead. Dante Fabbro opened the scoring early. While Jack Roslovic tied it up minutes later, the Blue Jackets restored the one-goal lead thanks to Kirill Marchenko. Unfortunately, the second period got away from the Blue Jackets. Jalen Chatfield tied it up early. Columbus briefly restored the lead with a PPG by Dmitri Voronkov. However, they got punished by a PPG from Sebastian Aho. Jackson Blake broke the tie to make it 4-3 in the second period. The Blue Jackets needed one shot to tie. They tried. They put 13 on Pytor Kochetkov. And they got one in. With the goalie pulled and the extra skater on, Sean Monahan found a passing lane across the slot to Kirill Marchenko. Marchenko buried the one-timer to make it 4-4 in the final minute of regulation. Overtime was needed. Due to a collision with Sean Walker, Kochetkov left the game with an apparent injury. Spencer Martin took over. Overtime solved nothing. Monahan scored the first shot of the shootout and the goalies stopped all else. The Blue Jackets won the shootout 1-0 for a 5-4 shootout win. This meant the Blue Jackets took down the Canes to help New Jersey re-take first place. This also meant the Blue Jackets swept their week. Most of all, Columbus has won three games in a row since 2022. Yes, it has been over a season. Welcome to sixth place, Blue Jackets. The Isles are not that far off.
What’s Coming Up This Week: The Blue Jackets only have two games to play in this week coming up. Both sandwich Thanksgiving day itself and both are at home. The Jackets will host Montreal on Wednesday night and then host Calgary on Black Friday. The Penguins will surely hope the Blue Jackets will tire out the Flames. The Blue Jackets will surely want to take the points. They are hotter than usual right now. Look out second wild card spot, the Jackets could be coming.
Philadelphia Flyers
What Happened Last Week: The Philadelphia Flyers hosted the Colorado Avalanche on Monday night. The Avs went up and never looked back – although the Flyers did make it interesting late. The first period was scoreless, but the second period featured a brace from Cale Makar. He scored at even strength at 8:30. He scored on a power play – caused by Matvei Michkov holding penalty – at 15:08. Colorado expanded the lead to 3-0 over eight minutes into the third period thanks to Casey Mittelstadt. That goal would be needed. Owen Tippett and Tyson Foerster each scored in fewer than two minutes apart past the halfway mark of the third period. The Flyers were scrambling to get the equalizer late. Yet, the Avs held on. Philly lost 3-2.
Philadelphia hosted Carolina on Wednesday night. They got the Hurricanes experience as they were kept to 19 shots to Carolina’s 37. It was a close game for two periods. Sure, Jalen Chatfield scored 30 seconds into the game on a slapshot. But the Flyers held on to keep it at 1-0. They got a break when Ryan Poehling scored early in the second period to make it 1-1. Unfortunately, the Flyers were kept to fewer than 10 shots from that goal onward for the rest of the game. Carolina eventually overcame the Flyers and Ivan Fedotov. Sebastian Aho broke the tie early in the third. Jordan Staal tipped in a shot from Dmitry Orlov to make it 3-1 and Jack Roslovic extended the lead to 4-1 less than a minute later. The Flyers soundly lost 4-1 to Carolina. Rough but it is what Carolina does to teams.
Philadelphia’s week ended with a home game against Chicago. The Blackhawks have been real rough to watch this season. Would the Flyers add to Chicago’s misery in their all-but-lost-already season? Somewhat! It looked like Chicago would have the better of the Flyers. While Philly had the shots, Petr Mrazek was in form for 40 minutes. All while the Blackhawks took a 2-0 lead. Lukas Reichel scored in the first period and Pat Maroon scored his first of the season halfway through the second. The Flyers were in trouble – until they got a break. A tip-in from Sean Couturier on a Rasmus Ristolainen shot broke Mrazek’s shutout and made it a one-shot game. That one shot came minutes later thanks to Noah Cates. His first of the season tied it up halfway through the third. Alas, overtime was needed. Chicago made a crucial error: Alex Vlasic was called for holding Travis Konecny. It was punished by Matvei Michkov. Philadelphia pulled out a comeback win in OT, 3-2. They won a game this week even if they handed Chicago a point in the process. Going 1-2-0 is far better than what their hated rivals did this week.
What’s Coming Up This Week: The Flyers have a mix of opponents coming up. Their home games will be tough on paper: Monday night against Las Vegas and Black Friday against the Rangers. Their road games will be more favorable. The Flyers will go to Nashville on Wednesday and then go to St. Louis on Saturday. I am a bit surprised they have to travel since those two teams are playing road games in the division recently, but it is what it is. The Flyers just have to keep trying to keep their heads above water.
Pittsburgh Penguins
What Happened Last Week: The Pittsburgh Penguins began their week by hosting the Tampa Bay Lightning. The Pens struggled to generate shots but they did have an early lead. Jesse Puljujarvi put the Pens up 1-0 in the first period on a tip-in from a Marcus Pettersson shot. In the second period, Rickard Rakell converted a power play from a Luke Glendening interference penalty to make it 2-0. The Lightning would strike back in the third period. Brayden Point, who is now back for the Lightning, scored a backhander to get Tampa Bay on the board. Anthony Cirelli tied it up with over seven minutes left in regulation. The Lightning tried but the Penguins would keep it at 2-2 to force overtime. In overtime, Point emerged again as he tucked in a close shot to win it for Tampa Bay. Which meant the Penguins lost 3-2. They get a point but they still dropped one through blowing a lead. Which is what they really should have avoided.
The Penguins hosted Winnipeg on Friday night. Good news: the Jets lost some games prior to this date. Bad news: the Jets are still a very talented hockey team. Winnipeg went up early and never looked back. Nino Neiderreiter scored 82 seconds into the game and the Jets never looked back. That was helped by a pair of goals in the second period. Vladislav Namestnikov made it 2-0 before the five minute mark; and Gabriel Vilardi added a PPG within the final minute for a 3-0 score. The Penguins were in deep. They did get on the board early in the third when Michael Bunting punished an Alex Iafallo tripping penalty. But there was no real comeback to be had. The Penguins were cooked. A 5-shot third period to close out an 18-shot game. It ended with a Kyle Connor empty netter for a 4-1 loss. The Penguins continue to fall apart.
Pittsburgh’s week ended with a home game against Utah on Saturday night. Sidney Crosby scored in the second period for his 600th career goal. Just 21 players in the NHL have ever scored 600 or more goals. Just four players ever did it for one team only; the other three being Ovechkin, Joe Sakic, and Bobby Hull. The Penguins became the second team in NHL history to have two players score 600 or more goals for the team; the other being Detroit with Gordie Howe and Steve Yzerman. The Penguins absolutely want you to know that. The game against Utah? The Utah HC absolutely crushed the Penguins. Demolished them. Put a touchdown on them. The first period featured Jack McBain and Mikhail Sergachev scoring goals. Crosby’s 600th goal was a power play goal to make it a one-shot game early in the second. Utah pulled away thanks to a Nick Bjugstad deflection PPG around midway through the second. In the third period, the Utahs just made it worse. Dylan Guenther scored a power play goal, Alexander Kerfoot tipped in a Maveric Lamoureux shot, and Guenter scored a second power play goal. Pittsburgh took four penalties in this game and got punished for three of them. They lost 6-1. The collapse continues for the Black and Gold.
What’s Coming Up This Week: The Penguins are one of the two teams in this division who will not play four games in this week. They will be off until Wednesday when they will host Vancouver. On Black Friday, the Penguins will take on Boston – who will still be getting used to their interim head coach Joe Sacco at that time. On Saturday, the Penguins will host Calgary. Penguins need to get going real, real, real soon. Otherwise, Mike Sullivan could be the next coach out. It may already be too late regardless.
That was the seventh Weekly Metropolitan Division snapshot of the 2024-25 season. You read the summary, now it is your turn. With New Jersey back on top, will they stay there to close out November? Can Carolina sustain a 70+% point percentage with a Spencer Martin-Yaniv Perets goaltending tandem? Will Washington get results without Ovechkin? How will the Rangers tighten up their off the puck play? Can the Isles keep ahead of the rest of the pack? Will Columbus keep getting hotter? What do you do if you are Philadelphia? And what do you do if you are Pittsburgh? 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.