In the eleventh weekly Metropolitan Division snapshot, the New Jersey Devils jumped the Washington Capitals for first place, the Pittsburgh Penguins moved up to fourth, and everyone won at least one game. All this and more in this week’s snapshot.
Christmas approaches and the NHL Holiday Roster Freeze is in full effect. The NHL regular season will only take a break in the middle of the week. The eleventh Metropolitan Division snapshot of the season will not take a break. It is today and at the top are the New Jersey Devils. Yes, they have a bad games played disadvantage. They have the most points in the division and even as much as the league-leading Winnipeg Jets. That put them first among a Washington Capitals team who slipped a bit and still ahead of a Carolina Hurricanes team who won their week. Behind those three is a tighter, more interesting race where the one team to win their week moved up to fourth: the Pittsburgh Penguins. Yes, the same Penguins that crashed out of the gate. They are back in the wildcard picture. Here is how the standings look after Saturday’s games:
NHL.com
With no games to be played on the 24th, 25th, and 26th, the week is front and backloaded. Monday and Saturday will have everyone in the division in action. Carolina will have the most to do – and will still have a games played advantage on the Devils. There are six games within the division. Those 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 New Jersey Devils began their week in St. Louis on Tuesday. The last meeting between the two featured Jordan Binnington denying everything by the Devils. That did not happen again. In fact, a long dump-in by Luke Hughes was taken off the boards by Ondrej Palat and whipped past the goalie for a 1-0 lead just over fifteen minutes into regulation. The Devils went up further when Stefan Noesen lifted a puck past a fallen Binnington for a power play goal in the second period. The Devils controlled the first ten minutes of the third period and Brenden Dillon scored on a long shot through traffic to make it 3-0. Jordan Kyrou gave the Blues some hope when he beat Jacob Markstrom’s five hole to make it 3-1 with over nine minutes left. But the Devils held true and secured the win when Jesper Bratt weaved through the Blues defense to put home an empty net goal. The Devils solidly won 4-1 to start their week.
The Devils went to Ohio on Thursday night. The Blue Jackets have struggled but, historically, Ohio has been a tough place to play for the Devils. It turned out that Elvis Merzlikins was the toughest of them all. He was beyond sensational as he denied the Devils from long shots to close shots, flashy shots to greasy shots, and denying even open parts of the net at the last moment. Meanwhile, the Columbus Blue Jackets got goals. Ivan Provorov followed up a Zach Aston-Reese move to the net to put home the game’s first goal. During a power play for goaltender interference, Zach Werenski rifled a shot from the center point into traffic and it beat Jake Allen. A bad turnover by Dougie Hamilton led to Dmirti Voronkov putting a shot on net and Sean Monahan putting home the rebound point blank on the doorstep. The Devils were desperate and pulled Allen with over six minutes left to get something going. Which they did. Luke Hughes roofed a loose puck after a scrum to put the Devils on the board. Timo Meier tipped in a Jack Hughes shot with 1:25 left. Alas, the game effectively ended when Jack Hughes had the puck taken as Allen left the net, yielding an empty netter for Sean Monahan. The Devils lost 4-2, largely on the back of not being able to solve Elvis Merzlikins.
The Devils ended their week against Pittsburgh. They could take first with a win. They would need to bounce back from their time in Columbus. They would. After a sloppy, low-shot, tight-checked first period, the second period saw the Devils acclimate to the ice better. They would attack Tristan Jarry more. Pittsburgh, not so much, even though Jacob Markstrom robbed Sidney Crosby of a certain goal and Evgeni Malkin of a one-timer. The Devils broke through when Nico Hischier sent a pass to the crease and Stefan Noesen banked it in late in the second period. The Devils put on more pressure in the third and got rewarded. Noesen went for a rebound attempt, Jarry did not swallow it up, and amid the chaos, Nico Hischier slid in a loose puck to make it 2-0. The Devils locked down the game. Timo Meier put home an empty net goal. The Devils held Pittsburgh to just 12 shots in a 3-0 win. They won their week and took first place for it. Well done! Four other teams in the division also appreciated that result.
What’s Coming Up This Week: The Devils have three significant games in this week coming up. On Monday afternoon, the Devils will host their hated rivals in the New York Rangers. The Devils opened this month with a big win over them. With a rest advantage, the game being at home, and the Rangers flailing, the Devils have a great opportunity to prevail over their rivals again. After the three-day break, the Devils will have a difficult home-and-home set with Carolina. It is a chance to further the gap between them and the Hurricanes. Dropping both just opens the door for Carolina. The important games do not end but the Devils can correctly say that they are a top team.
Washington Capitals
What Happened Last Week: The Washington Capitals began their week in Dallas on Monday night. The start went well. Dylan Strome tipped in a Jacob Chychrun shot to make it a 1-0 lead for the Caps in the first period. But the Stars took the game in the second period and never looked back. A John Carlson high-sticking penalty was punished by Roope Hintz to tie up the game. Late in the period, Lian Bischsel beat Charlie Lindgren from distance to break the tie and put the Caps down a score. While the Capitals would try to fight back, they would go down further. With just over five minutes left in regulation, Jason Robertson set up Hintz to make it 3-1. Hintz’s brace made it a 3-1 loss for the Caps.
On Tuesday, the Capitals moved onto Illinois to visit Chicago. Surely, the Capitals would make things right against the rebuilding Blackhawks? It seemed that way in the first period. Pierre-Luc Dubois opened the scoring early and Andrew Mangiapane made it 2-0 later on in the first period. This score held through to the third period. A period that opened with a Capitals power play as Frank Nazar hooked John Carlson within the last minute of the second period. The Caps not only did not score on the power play, but they conceded a shorthanded goal to Ilya Mikheyev after he burned Jacob Chychrun on the rush. At 2-1, the Caps held the Blackhawks to just that one shot by Mikheyev. Then the 14th minute came. Mikheyev hit a trailing TJ Brodie for a long shot to beat Logan Thompson blocker side. 2 shots in the third, 2 goals, 2-2. Thompson would make a third period save. And then Ryan Donato powered in and stashed in a puck past Thompson’s right foot with over two minutes left. The Capitals were losing 3-2. Three goals allowed on what would be five total shots in the third. And that would be that. The Capitals lost in regulation to Chicago in a game they led early in. Harsh.
Friday night featured the Capitals hosting Carolina. They may have lost the week but they could stave off the Canes, right? Right. Charlie Lindgren put in a great performance and the Capitals found offense from deeper in their line up. Like Aliaksei Protas tipping in an Andrew Mangiapane shot late in the first period to open the scoring. Like Jakub Vrana making it 2-0 within less than four minutes left in the second period. Of course, Washington’s top players contributed. Connor McMichael snapped one in within the final minute of the second period for a 3-0 lead going into the third period. The Caps kept the Canes to just eight shots on net. A give-and-go with Sebastian Aho led to a Seth Jarvis goal to spoil Lindgren’s shutout bid halfway through the third. The Caps were still in a position to win and they did, 3-1. The victory was big in keeping the Canes back from them and to keep their bid on first place with a 1-2-0 week. The Devils jumped them on Saturday. But the games played advantage should keep them confident on that bid for first.
What’s Coming Up This Week: The Capitals will play three games in this week coming up. First, they will host Los Angeles today in what could be an interesting matchup. Right after that, the Capitals will visit Boston on Monday. After Christmas, the Capitals will take on Toronto. The Caps continue to thrive and they appear to get Alexander Ovechkin back soon. The Capitals may be legitimate contender as they are bouncing back and forth with the Devils for first in this division. They can continue their claim with more results.
Carolina Hurricanes
What Happened Last Week: The Carolina Hurricanes hosted Columbus on Sunday. Dustin Tokarski took to the Carolina net for his first start since February 18, 2023. He was well supported by the Carolina skaters in front of him. Sebastian Aho scored a shorthanded goal to open up the scoring in the first period. With just under a minute left in the first, William Carrier backhanded in a goal to give the Canes a 2-0 cushion. Over 15 minutes into the second period, Dmitri Voronkov would score on Tokarski to make it a 2-1 game. That did not even last for two minutes as Jordan Martinook tipped in a blast from Jordan Staal to make it 3-1. Jesperi Kotkaniemi added a fourth goal in the third period all while Tokarski held it down. Tokarski had an excellent game and the Canes won comfortably, 4-1.
The Carolina Hurricanes visited Long Island on Tuesday. The Hurricanes went up early on the Islanders and never looked back. It helped that Pytor Kochetkov had an excellent night. He stopped all 32 shots by the Isles. It also helped that the Canes were up 2-0 within the first ten minutes of the game. Andrei Svechnikov punished an Alexander Romanov high-sticking penalty to over five minutes in. A little bit after that, Jordan Martinook finished a play to make it 2-0. In the second period, the Canes went up even further. Over halfway through the period, Tyson Jost made it 3-0. Within the final minute of the second, Sebastian Aho batted in a puck for a 4-0 score. The Canes could cruise and they pretty much did. An excellent win for the Canes.
On Friday, Carolina visited Washington with a chance to sweep the week and close the gap on first and second place. Alas, this was not Carolina’s night. They did not get much of their offensive attack going. And what they did get going was mostly denied by Charlie Lindgren. The Caps also hurt with a late goals in the first and second period. Aliaksei Protas tipped in a goal late in the first to put the Canes down one. Jakub Vrana scored with over three minutes left in the second to put the Canes down two. They went down three in the final minute of the second period with a goal by Connor McMichael. In the third period, the Canes were held to only eight shots. Only one would get past Lindgren: a give-and-go for a goal by Seth Jarvis. Good for him but not good enough to get the Canes back in the game on the scoreboard. They would lose this divisional game 3-1. The Canes won the week at 2-1-0 but they remain five points back of the Caps in the standings. An opportunity was lost on December 20.
What’s Coming Up This Week: The Hurricanes will have the most games to play in this week. They have a pair of back-to-backs surrounding the three-day holiday. First, they will visit Manhattan to play the Rangers and then go visit Nashville. The Canes have the quality to beat both but they will need to show up to do it. After Christmas, the Hurricanes will have a home-and-home with the Devils. If Carolina wants to make first place a three-horse race soon, then that is a prime opportunity to make it one. They can also out-earn the Caps, although the Caps will get a game-in-hand in the process.
Pittsburgh Penguins
What Happened Last Week: The Pittsburgh Penguins hosted Los Angeles on Tuesday night. It was not easy and it was close. It did not seem that way immediately as Adrian Kempe put the Penguins down 1-0 just 33 seconds into the game. But the Penguins stabilized, held it at 1-0 going into the second period, and Evgeni Malkin tied it up. Only for that to last for about four minutes and change. Alex Turcotte scored to put the Penguins down 2-1. The Penguins needed something to go past Darcy Kuemper. They would get it with over five minutes left in regulation. Sidney Crosby found Matt Grzelcyk wide open on the weakside. No one accounted for him activating and he beat Kuemper to tie it up. Pittsburgh maintained the 2-2 score to force overtime. In OT, a long shot from Erik Karlsson was tipped in front by a moving Rickard Rakell to win it for the Penguins. A comeback win for a big two points.
After the Los Angeles game, the Penguins made a minor move. Their blueline has been hit by injuries. Rather than taking a chance on another Wilkes-Barre Penguin, they brought back an old friend. The Penguins traded future considerations to St. Louis for Pierre-Olivier Joseph. Joseph is familiar with the team and how they play defense. The cost is practically nothing. Good work, Kyle Dubas.
The Penguins visited Nashville on Thursday. This would be another comeback effort. Jonathan Marchessault scored early in the first period. While Bryan Rust tied it up within the final five minutes of the period, the Pens went down a score a little later from a Luke Evangelista PPG. Pittsburgh went down 3-1 early in the second thanks to Steven Stamkos. The Penguins would battle back. Sidney Crosby tipped in an Erik Karlsson shot for a PPG to make it 3-2. Less than a minute before the halfway mark, Rickard Rakell deflected in a Crosby play to tie up the game at 3-3. Nashville would breakthrough in the third period with a Brady Skjei goal. Only for Erik Karlsson to tie it up close to four minutes later. The game needed overtime and it was a hectic 67 seconds. The winning play came from Bryan Rust denying a breakaway after an Evgeni Malkin turnover, feeding Malkin for the entry, Malkin went wide as Rust entered the high slot, Malkin passed to Rust, and Rust scored on his shot to make it a 5-4 win for the Penguins. A second straight win. A second straight comeback. The Penguins may be heating up right before our eyes.
Pittsburgh’s week ended in New Jersey on Saturday night. They would see their offense effectively end on that night too. The Devils kept the Penguins to 12 shots on net. 12. And Sidney Crosby was robbed of a tap-in goal in the second period. As was Evgeni Malkin on a one-timer with a post-to-post glove save by Jacob Markstrom. Even with those chances, the shots were few and far between for the Penguins. The Devils just needed one – and they got it late in the second period when Nico Hischier’s pass was dunked into the net by Stefan Noesen. In the third period, the Devils really poured on the pressure. It yielded Hischier sliding in a loose puck amid a scrum for a 2-0 deficit. The Penguins could not get much going. Even with an extra skater with an empty net. Timo Meier put in the ENG and the Penguins lost 3-0. Disappointing as that was, going 2-1-0 saw the Penguins jump all the way to fourth place in the division. Their lead among the pack is small but that they have it at all is an achievement given how bad they were to start this season.
What’s Coming Up This Week: The Penguins get to play just two games and both are significant within this end of the division. Pittsburgh will host their hated rivals in Philadelphia on Monday. After Christmas, the Penguins will visit Long Island. Both games could cause swings within the bottom end of the Metropolitan Division. The Penguins have shown they can be capable of more than suffering. These two games would go a long way to fighting to stay in fourth instead of fighting to get close to fourth. The Pens took a step forward last week, now they need to not step back in this week coming up.
Philadelphia Flyers
What Happened Last Week: Philly began their week on Wednesday night in Detroit. Many goals were had. The Philadelphia Flyers went up first with an early backhander by Travis Konecny. The Red Wings would tie it up late in the first period on a power play goal by J.T. Compher. The scoring picked up in the second period. Alex DeBrincat scored right after midway through the period. Noah Cates tied it up for the Flyers on the next shift. Over five minutes later, the Red Wings took a bigger lead. Michael Rasmussen and Joe Veleno each scored 82 seconds apart to put the Flyers down 4-2 going into the third period. Philly would get back into the game in the third period. Ryan Poehling tipped in a Sean Couturier shot to make it a 4-3 game and Owen Tippett tied it up over five and a half minutes into the third. Unfortunately for the Flyers, Detroit’s Patrick Kane would make it a 5-4 game close to two minutes after Tippett tied it up. The Flyers did not find an answer for that one. Lucas Raymond put home an empty net goal and so Philadelphia lost 6-4. A loss that hurts their wildcard cause.
The Flyers finished up a back-to-back on Thursday when they returned home to host Los Angeles. This was a close game for two periods. The first period featured a backhander by Kevin Fiala to open the scoring and Noah Cates tying it up for the Flyers minutes later. In the second period, Tanner Jeannot scored an early goal to take the lead. The Flyers hit back with a pair of goals by Tyson Foerster after halfway through the second to make it 3-2. Only for Anze Kopitar to tie it up with a backhander in the final minute to make it a 3-3 game going into the third. There, the Flyers were crowned by Los Angeles. Warren Foegele broke the tie with a tip-in of a Jordan Spence goal. Anze Kopitar extended the lead to two past halfway through the third. Philly pulled their goalie early down two, which led to Quinton Byfield putting in an ENG with over four minutes left. About a minute later, Fiala scored on Aleksei Kolosov to make it a 7-3 loss for the Flyers. What did the Flyers do in the third period? Two shots on net and that is with a power play. Brutal.
Philadelphia hosted Columbus on Saturday. It looked grim for the Flyers within the first 40 minutes. They went down 1-0 in the first when Mathieu Olivier scored. They went down 2-0 in the second when Mikael Pyyhtia scored. What about the Flyers scoring? Elvis Merzlikins stopped all 16 shots the Flyers put up in the first and second periods. Then the third period happened and the game went nuts. At 6:53, Morgan Frost got Philly on the board to make it 2-1. Less than two minutes later, Noah Cates tied up the game. At the halfway mark of the period, Kirill Marchenko put the Flyers down a score. Close to two minutes later, Frost scored again to tie up the game. With fewer than five minutes left, Jake Christiansen scored his first goal since the 2021-22 season to put the Flyers down 4-3. With the goalie pulled, Tyson Foerster tipped in a Travis Konecny shot to tie up the game. Dramatic. Owen Tippett assisted on both Frost goals and Foerster’s equalizer. Tippett was a star in the game and ensured it in overtime. With 1:30 left, he burned Merzlikins with a backhander on a rush play to make it a 5-4 win. Yes, the Flyers came back in the third period three times to win the game in OT. A big win to end the week on. At 1-2-0, it could have been better, but they fell to fifth place with a chance to move up soon.
What’s Coming Up This Week: The Flyers will have two games to play. One big, one not-as-big. The first one is the latest chapter in the hated Pennsylvania Rivalry. The Flyers will visit Pittsburgh on Monday. Both teams could use the points and the winner would not only get bragging rights but make the loser suffer in the point-swing. It is a big game for this end of the division. On Saturday, the Flyers head to California and play Anaheim. That should be a favorable matchup. Then again, those long trips are not always simple. Should they make this week a winning one, then they may find themselves in a better place going into 2025.
New York Rangers
What Happened Last Week: The New York Rangers opened the week in St. Louis on Sunday. Former Ranger Pavel Buchnevich scored late in the first period to open the scoring. The Blues extended their lead more in the second period. Jordan Kyrou won a puck from Ryan Lindgren and finished the play against Jonathan Quick to make it 2-0. Minutes later, Robert Thomas started a 2-on-1 and he ripped a shot to make it a 3-0 game. It looked like the Rangers were sinking. They did fight back. Brett Berard got the Rangers on the board past halfway through the third period. Just over a minute later, Alexis Lafreniere set up Will Cuylle to make it 3-2. The Rangers were within a shot. But they would not get this shot past Joel Hofer. The Rangers lost again to the Blues, but by a closer margin 3-2. Still no points.
The Rangers went to Nashville on Tuesday. Would they make it right against a hapless Nashville team? No. The Rangers were denied all night long by Juuse Saros; easily Nashville’s best player this season. Worse, the Rangers took just 25 shots in the game. A fairly lifeless performance capitalized by Luke Schenn getting in close for six shots on net within a few seconds in the second period. Jonathan Marchessault put the Rangers down one in finishing a rush play after a turnover by New York. In the third period, Adam Wilsby roofed a shot after activating from the blueline to put the Rangers down two with eight minutes left. The Rangers got nothing past Saros so they lost to Nashville, 2-0.
After this loss, New York Rangers General Manager Chris Drury made a move. He traded 2019 second overall selected winger Kaapo Kakko to Seattle for defenseman Will Borges, a third round pick in 2025, and a sixth round pick in 2025. On the surface, this seems like an underwhelming return. Borges is not having a great season with the Kraken. Kakko has yet to breakout in New York. Both players may need the change in scenery.
Speaking of players, the team held a closed door meeting after the loss to Nashville. Vincent Trocheck stated it was not about Drury. Well, we’ll see if that and the Kakko trade helps anything since gains have not happened after Jacob Trouba was traded and Igor Shesterkin’s extension was secured.
Did the Rangers play better in Dallas on Friday night? They did! Well, on offense, they did at least. The defense still needed work as the Stars put 42 shots on Igor Shesterkin. It looked like it could be ugly early as Roope Hintz scored 1:46 into the game. But Shesterkin earned his extension by stopping everything else from then on. The Rangers also gave him some goal support. Reilly Smith scored on a shorthanded rush halfway through the first to tie up the game. Vincent Trocheck made it a 2-1 lead with a slapshot. The Rangers would end up putting 30 shots on net, which is a plus. What was not a plus was Matt Rempe. At 7:13 into the third period – a 2-1 game – Rempe decided to run Miro Heiskanen into the boards and elbow him in the back of the head in the process. He was given a major for elbowing, a game misconduct, and a meeting with the NHL on Sunday. Expect a suspension. The Rangers would survive the five-minute penalty kill. They would secure a win when Chris Kreider put in an empty net goal. The Rangers won a game to avoid further sliding back in the division. At 1-2-0, they enter this week in sixth place due to tiebreakers.
What’s Coming Up This Week: The Rangers have a tough set of three games coming up. First, the Rangers will host Carolina today. The Canes have righted their ship and the Rangers are in a state of disarray. This could be bad. Second, the Rangers will head to New Jersey on Monday afternoon. Yes, afternoon. They have to turn around in less than 24 hours to play a hated rival in their building. After Christmas, the Rangers will go to Tampa Bay on Saturday. Another difficult match-up. The Rangers have fallen hard in December. It could get worse before it gets any better.
New York Islanders
What Happened Last Week: The New York Islanders visited Chicago to start their week. The Isles have been the masters of frustrating their fans this season and this game was no different. The Isles opened the game down 2-1. Ilya Mikheyev scored first. While Ryan Pulock tied it up with just over a minute left in the first period, Taylor Hall put the Isles down a score with 20 seconds left in the period. The Isles would tie it up early in the second period with a deflection off Simon Holmstrom. However, the Isles took two straight penalties. During a Maxim Tsyplakov tripping penalty, Alexander Romanov cleared a puck over the glass. Teuvo Teravainen punished the 5-on-3 situation to make it 3-2 for the Blackhawks. Once again, the Isles tied it up. Just 47 seconds into the third period, Noah Dobson scored to make it 3-3. All signs pointed to overtime – until Connor Bedard emerged. He found a puck rebounded into the slot, hammered a shot, and the puck trickled through Ilya Sorokin with 54 seconds left in regulation. Connor Murphy sank in an empty net goal. The Isles lost 5-3 to a Chicago team with little to play for. They never led in the game and yet it felt that like they blew that one.
The Islanders visited Carolina on Tuesday. This would be more straight-forward. The Hurricanes arrived in Belmont, won, and left. Alexander Romanov took a high-sticking call in the first period and Andrei Svechnikov punished that shortly after the call. Just a couple of minutes later, Jordan Martinook put the Isles down earlier. Past halfway through the second period, Tyson Jost made it 3-0 for the Canes. Within the final minute of the second period, Sebastian Aho batted in a goal for a 4-0 score. The Islanders tried, tried, and tried to beat Pytor Kochetkov. They did not. They put 32 shots on the Canes and could not even get a consolation goal against them. The Islanders suffered a decisive loss to the Canes.
The Islanders’ week ended in Toronto on Saturday night. The Islanders came out firing in this one. Maxim Tsyplakov finished a feed from Bo Horvat to open the scoring in fewer than two minutes into the game. Horvat himself doubled the team’s lead minutes later. William Nylander made it 2-1 with a backhander past halfway through the first period. Jean-Gabriel Pageau restored the two-goal lead with a wrister to make it 3-1 late in the first. Nylander would make it a one-shot game in the second period. That was the lone goal, meaning the Islanders had 3-2 lead going into the third period. Yes, a one-goal lead in the third period. The dreaded lead in the third. The Islanders…did not blow it? Yes! Isaiah George lowered the tension and worry and anxiety with a shot over five minutes into the third to make it a 4-2 game. Noah Dobson eased it more by making a 5-2 game over halfway through the third. Bobby McMann would score a bit of a lifeline for the Leafs with over six minutes left. They pulled their goalie for an extra skater. The Islanders ensured no funny business would happen. Mat Barzal put in an empty net goal to secure a 6-3 win. The Isles won a game this week to go 1-2-0. They fell to seventh due to tiebreakers. But with a healthy Barzal and Duclair and the knowledge that they had a lead and kept in the third period, the Isles may be rising before we know it.
What’s Coming Up This Week: The Islanders have two games to play. They get a you-better-win match-up with Buffalo on Monday. It is a you-better-win because Buffalo has been heinous amid a double-digit slide this month. The Isles should be able to prevail over them. After Christmas, the Islanders will host Pittsburgh on Saturday. This is a significant game that can help the winner in the end of the standings both squads are in. Again, the Isles can make something happen. And they can find themselves moving up in this division real fast if they do.
Columbus Blue Jackets
What Happened Last Week: The Columbus Blue Jackets visited Carolina on Sunday. The Blue Jackets struggled to beat Dustin Tokarski throughout the night. It did not help that they went down two scores within the first period. Sebastian Aho scored a shorthanded goal and William Carrier put in a backhander within the final minute of the first frame. Columbus would get on the board in the second period. Over 15 minutes into the second frame, Dmitri Voronkov did beat Tokarski to make it a 2-1 game. However, the Canes broke ahead fewer than two minutes later. Jordan Martinook got a piece of a blast by Jordan Staal to put the Jackets down 3-1. Columbus tried but could not beat Tokarski again. Jesperi Kotkaniemi would score one more to make it a decisive 4-1 loss for the Jackets.
Columbus visited Tampa Bay on Tuesday night. The Blue Jackets put in effort in this one but it ended up being too late. The Lightning went up early on with a tip-in goal by Luke Glendening on a Nate Perbix shot. Things got real bad for Columbus in the second period. Nick Paul scored early in the second, Jake Guentzel made it 3-0 within a few minutes of the midway mark, and Mitchell Chaffee converted a power play to make it a 4-0 game. The Blue Jackets were in deep – but they tried to claw their way out of it. Mikael Pyyhtia put the Jackets on the board and Adam Fantilli scored on the next shift to make it a 4-2 game. After the halfway mark, Ryan McDonagh cross-checked James van Riemsdyk. The Jackets punished that with a PPG by Cole Sillinger. It was a one-shot game. The Jackets went for it. But the Lightning survived the scare and Columbus’ loss was secured with an empty net goal allowed to Brayden Point. Columbus fought back well down four but it was too much to overcome. They lost 5-3.
Columbus hosted the Devils on Thursday night. It was the Elvis Merzlikins show. He was seemingly invincible for over 55 minutes as he stopped everything the Devils could give him. From the flashy and fancy to the greasy and gritty and everything in between. Even 13 saves on Jack Hughes alone. The Blue Jackets would give Merzlikins goal support in this one. They struck first when Ivan Provorov followed Zach Aston-Reese taking a puck to the net. The defender put in the loose puck for the game’s first goal. In the second period, Timo Meier was given a goaltender interference penalty. This was punished by a long wrist shot from the center point by Zach Werenski. Minutes later, Dmitri Voronkov made the most of a Dougie Hamilton turnover with a shot. Sean Monahan was right on the doorstep to pound the rebound past Jake Allen for a 3-0 lead. This lead would be necessary. Merzlikins was incredible but he was not perfect. Luke Hughes roofed a loose puck amid a scrum with the extra skater to get the Devils on the board. With 1:25 left, Timo Meier tipped in a Jack Hughes shot to make it a 3-2 game. The Blue Jackets needed to hold on. What they got was Cole Sillinger hitting Jack Hughes on a breakout to cause the puck to go free as Jake Allen left his net. Sean Monahan took that puck and put it in the empty net to secure two important points for Columbus. They won 4-2 largely thanks to their goaltender.
The Blue Jackets’ week ended in Philadelphia. They seemingly had this one after 40 minutes. Merzlikins was perfect with 16 saves on 16 shots. They got a first period goal from Mathieu Olivier. They got a second period goal from Mikael Pyyhtia. Then the third period happened. Merzlikins was beaten in this one. Morgan Frost scored and Noah Cates tied it up at 2-2 before halfway through the third. While that lead was blown, Kirill Marchenko restored it halfway through the period. Only for Morgan Frost to score again to tie it up. Jake Christiansen scored his first goal in years to make it a 4-3 game with less than five minutes to play in regulation. Only that the Blue Jackets could not defend it. With the goalie pulled, Tyson Foerster tipped in a shot by Travis Konecny to tie up the game. Overtime was necessary after Merzlikins gave up four goals from twelve shots in the third. The game was decided when Cates led Owen Tippett on a rush up ice. Tippett assisted on three goals. He torched Merzlikins with a backhander to end it with 90 seconds left. The Blue Jackets blew the lead and ultimately lost 5-4 in overtime. Yes, they got a point. Yes, they went 1-2-1. They remain in eighth place.
What’s Coming Up This Week: The Blue Jackets will have three games surrounding Christmas. On Monday, they will host Montreal. A big game if the Blue Jackets want to show they can move up. After Christmas and Boxing Day, they will play a home-and-home with Boston to close out their week. Another team ahead of them among many if the Blue Jackets want to move up. It is difficult but it possible for Columbus. As always, they need the results to get there. That remains to be a problem for this team.
That was the eleventh Weekly Metropolitan Division snapshot of the 2024-25 season. You read the post about what happened in the past week and what’s coming up next. Now it is your turn. Who will take first between the Devils and Capitals by next week’s snapshot? Will the Hurricanes make it a three-team race after their home-and-home with the Devils? Can the Penguins stave off the four teams behind them? Can the Blue Jackets keep it a small gap between fourth and eighth in this division? 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.