In the twenty-first weekly Metropolitan Division snapshot of the 2024-25 season, the Washington Capitals became the first to clinch their playoff spot. Over in the wild card, the New York Islanders have emerged. Learn about what happened last week and what’s next in this post.
On March 20, 2025, the Washington Capitals finally got what was expected. The ‘X.’ The traditional mark in the standings for a team who has clinched the playoffs. The Capitals became the first team in the 2024-25 NHL season as well as the Metropolitan Division to clinch their spot in the Stanley Cup Playoffs. They also became the first team to hit the 100 point mark as Winnipeg played later that night. With a 14-point lead over the Carolina Hurricanes for first in the division, a ‘Y’ may be given to them soon to secure first for the division. Additionally, with a 15-point lead over the Atlantic Division leaders, a ‘Z’ to mark winning the conference may also be awarded to Washington. Beyond the Capitals and the formerly-super-hot Hurricanes, there is more action within the division as the wild card race remains fierce. A smaller race as Boston is outside of five points from the last wild card spot.
Standings via NHL.com, Playoff odds via Moneypuck, First overall draft pick odds via Tankathon
That race appears to be running away by the Atlantic Division teams. The Columbus Blue Jackets fell off after last week’s snapshot. The New York Rangers failed to maintain the second wild card spot; they are now behind Montreal. Suddenly, here are the New York Islanders in the mix once again. All of the games count the same but with time running out in the season, there is increased urgency. With that said, here is the schedule coming up for all eight division teams and the wild card watch. Those games against the wild card watch are in italics. The games within the Metropolitan Division are highlighted and in bold. There are not many this week but the few there are do count.
Schedules via NHL.com
Here is the week that was and week that will be for all eight teams.
Washington Capitals
Tuesday vs. Detroit – The Capitals opened up their week by pouring more misery on the wild card hopefuls in Detroit. It was close for the most part. Until it was not, which not uncommon. The first period saw Dylan Strome open the scoring – only for Dylan Larkin to tie it up about six minutes later. The 1-1 score held all the way until eight minutes into the third period. Just after that mark, Pierre-Luc Dubois broke the tie for Washington. Six minutes later, Tom Wilson boosted the lead to 3-1. Connor McMichael added another one just over a minute later. The Capitals prevailed in the third period to win decisively 4-1.
Thursday vs. Philadelphia – The math worked out that if Washington won this game, then they would clinch the playoffs. The job was completed. Even if Washington was somehow held to just 16 shots on net. The PutinTeam Leader opened the scoring with a slapshot in the first period. The Capitals went up 3-0 in the second period thanks to an early tip-in by Brandon Duhaime and an Andrew Mangiapane goal over 11 minutes into the middle frame. However, the game did get uncomfortable in the third period. Ryan Poehling took the puck to the net and Jakob Chychrun chipped it past Charlie Lindgren to get the Flyers on the board. With the net empty and less than three minutes left, Sean Couturier jammed a puck in. The call on the ice was no goal but after review, it was a good goal. The Flyers had life – but the Capitals would hold on at 3-2. The ‘X’ was earned. As was another winning week for Washington.
Saturday vs. Florida – The first period was a goal-fest before Washington was able to pull away for yet another win. The goals were trade offs. Connor McMichael scored first. That was answered in over three minutes by Sam Bennett. John Carlson scored a slapshot later on. That was answered over a minute later by Seth Jones. Anthony Beauvillier scored a bit after that. That was answered less than a minute later by Jonah Gadjovich. The scoring break in the Capitals’ favor with a quick double in the first minute of the second period. Tom Wilson scored 7 seconds into the middle frame and Dylan Strome deflected in a feed from the PutinTeam Leader 59 seconds into the period. Andrew Mangiapane tipped in another feed from the PutinTeam Leader to make it a 6-3 score not even six minutes into the second period. From that point, the game just cruised to the end. The Capitals dethroned the defending champions. They won their fourth straight. They continue to march on to the ‘Y’ and the ‘Z.’
What’s Coming Up in This Week: The Capitals get a lighter week coming up. It is not necessarily an easier one. They will be traveling to Winnipeg on Tuesday night for a matchup of the two conference leaders. On Thursday, they will be in Minneapolis playing a Wild team that are trying to get ready for their second season. The Capitals will surely like just having the two games. Given how they are playing, expect more progress towards clinching the division and the East.
Carolina Hurricanes
Thursday at San Jose – The Carolina Hurricanes began their California trip after a four day break from their last game (and win). Did the idleness slow down the super-hot Hurricanes? No. They did get a bit of a shock early on. William Eklund opened the scoring in the first period with a shorthanded goal to put the Canes down. But they would tie it up just past halfway through the second period with a roofer from Seth Jarvis. Sebastian Aho would break the tie just before the five-minute mark in the third period. Sean Walker added an insurance goal later on in the third for what would be the 3-1 final score. The Canes’ comeback made it eight in a row.
Saturday at Los Angeles – The Hurricanes went to Los Angeles with their hot streak. The Kings poured water on it early on. Adrian Kempe dragged and ripped a puck past Pytor Kochetkov for a goal over three minutes in. Later in the first, Jesperi Kotkaniemi high-sticked Kempe. Anze Kopitar punished that by tipping in a shot from Andrei Kuzmenko to put Carolina down two. If that was not enough, Kuzmenko finished a rush from the left circle with five seconds left in the period. Down 3-0, would it get worse? Absolutely. The Kings made it rain on the Hurricanes. Trevor Moore, Tanner Jeannot, and Quinton Byfield all scored within three minutes of each other. Carolina finally broke the streak of Los Angeles goals when Dmitry Orlov scored on a slapshot. But it was 6-1. A pure consolation goal. The scoring ceased until there was two minutes left. Kevin Fiala scored for a seventh goal. Mark Jankowski immediately answered back. Regardless, the Hurricanes were routed in a hideous fashion. Their hot streak ended with an ice bath. A 7-2 loss that surely felt humbling.
What’s Coming Up in This Week: Carolina will finish up their time in California tonight when they visit Anaheim. Then they will return home for their next four games. Two of them are in this week coming up. On Tuesday, they have a chance to pour more misery on Nashville’s season. On Friday, they can take a shot at the wild card situation when they host Montreal – who would be coming off a game in Philly the night before. It is a favorable week for the Canes to keep marching on. Who knows, maybe they will get an ‘X’ of their own soon enough. First order is to bounce back from that 7-2 loss to Los Angeles.
New Jersey Devils
Monday at Columbus – The New Jersey Devils and Blue Jackets opened up their respective weeks with a rematch and another big four-point swing. The first period was goalless. The second period saw the Devils go up by two goals. Timo Meier powered to the net and slid a puck past Jet Greaves for the game’s first goal. Late in the second, Jet Greaves misplayed a puck behind the net and Jesper Bratt was able to take the free puck. He put it into the empty net for a 2-0 lead. Columbus, knowing their playoff situation and the fact they have not scored a goal since the last Devils-Jackets game, turned up the pressure and the Devils wilted. Jake Allen was forced to attempt saves on 24 shots in the third period alone. Out of 53 shooting attempts. Mathieu Olivier would get one by Jake Allen by putting in a free puck in the slot. But Allen was absolutely wonderful. He was expected to concede 3.75 goals from those 53 attempts and he allowed just one. The Devils escaped Columbus with a 2-1 win, another big swing in their favor, and a huge blow to Columbus’ playoff situation. Hopefully they do not have another do-nothing third period. That sure could cost them a game!
Thursday vs. Calgary – The Devils hosted Calgary, a team fighting for their own playoff lives. This game started off well enough. The Devils went up first when Nico Hischier tucked in a wraparound that beat Dustin Wolf for a late 1-0 lead. They got a break in the second period when an Erik Haula shot that was going to miss the net otherwise hit off Kevin Bahl and the puck went past Wolf for a 2-0 lead. Calgary hit back with a PPG by Matt Coronato to punish a delay of game call on Brett Pesce. But the Devils restored the lead late when Paul Cotter took a puck to the net and beat Wolf for a 3-1 lead. Then the Devils just stopped in the third period. It was not as prolific as Monday night but Calgary took the game to the Devils in the third period. Connor Zary got a soft goal past Jacob Markstrom to make it 3-2. Daniil Miromanov got past Cody Glass on a give-and-go and fired a shot past a kneeling Brian Dumoulin and Markstrom for a 3-3 game. Then Jonathan Kovacevic hooked Jonathan Huberdeau with a giveaway that allowed the Flame to make it 4-3 with over three minutes left in the game. Nazem Kadri secured the comeback win with an empty netter. Yes, the Devils did a whole lot of nothing in the third period, expected their goaltender to bail them out, and since it did not work, they lost a game they should have won. Awful. (Utah, Vancouver, and St. Louis also hated this result.)
Saturday vs. Ottawa – The Devils decided to follow up their choke job against Calgary by playing a not-smart game against Ottawa. After a goalless first period, the Devils went out there and got torched by the Senators in the second period. Jake Sanderson’s halfwall shot was tipped in by Brady Tkachuk, getting inside presence on Brian Dumoulin, for the game’s first goal. On the very next shift, no one was on Drake Batherson as he one-touched a feed from Dylan Cozens to make it 2-0 for Ottawa. The Devils did get some life when Nico Hischier punished a high-sticking call on Tkachuk. This life was sapped when Stefan Noesen tripped Tyler Kleven in the offensive zone and Claude Giroux’s shot tipped in by David Perron punished it for a 3-1 deficit. The New Jersey Devils tried to respond and failed in the second period. The third period had a better effort but it was a case of too little, too late, when Erik Haula put in a backdoor feed to make it 3-2 with 24 seconds left. There would be no equalizer, although it was close when a Hischier shot hit off Noesen and the puck stayed out thanks to Noesen’s (or Artem Zub’s) skate. The Devils lost again 3-2 in a game that looked further apart than the score.
What’s Coming Up in This Week: The Devils will play four games in six nights coming up this week. Tomorrow, they will be hosting Vancouver. The Canucks still have a lot to play for so it will definitely be a difficult matchup. On Wednesday, the Devils begin a three-game trip by visiting Chicago. That should go well because the next two games will be much tougher. They will visit Winnipeg on Friday. The Jets waxed the Devils 6-1 earlier this month so that will be tough. On Saturday, the Devils will be in Minnesota to play a Wild team that has its own issues to sort out ahead of the playoffs. The Devils need to get their acts together, otherwise April could be an overly dramatic month for them.
New York Rangers
Sunday vs. Edmonton – Fresh off blanking Columbus, the New York Rangers hosted Edmonton. This did not go particularly well for the home team. Late in the first, K’Andre Miller took New York’s third straight penalty of the period. Corey Perry punished it with seconds left to give the Rangers a 1-0 deficit to grouse about in the locker room. They would respond with a goal by Will Cuylle at the five minute mark. The score held at 1-1 until an unlikely player broke it. Viktor Arvidsson finished a feed from Ryan Nugent-Hopkins on a rush for a 2-1 lead. Connor McDavid broke the lead wider as he scored with fewer than four minutes left in regulation. The Rangers lost 3-1 to split their weekend. It would be a taste of things to come for the week.
Tuesday vs. Calgary – The Rangers hosted Calgary on Tuesday night. Given how the Rangers were out-shot 35-13 in this one, you can sense it did not go well. The game was tighter than the run of play. All of the scoring happened in the first period too so those attending had to sweat this one out. Artemi Panarin scored over a minute into the game to give those home fans something to cheer about. They were silenced when Nazem Kadri tied it up past the halfway mark. Late in the first, Matt Rempe elbowed Jake Bean. This penalty was punished by Matt Coronato, whom made it 2-1 with less than two minutes left in the first. The Rangers response? Eight shots, two shorthanded situations, and one power play over the next 40 minutes. The Rangers lost a sad game 2-1. What was worse? Calgary was on a losing streak before this game.
Thursday vs. Toronto – Perhaps a home game against Toronto would provide more inspiration? The performance was better in that the Rangers put 30 shots on net. The result remained as the Rangers had to chase the game. After 12 minutes without a goal, Toronto struck first when John Tavares scored. Will Borgen tied it up within the final minute of the first period. However, Bobby McMann tipped in a Jake McCabe shot on the next shift to make it 2-1 before intermission. In the second, Panarin would tie it up early in the period. Only for Tavares to strike again minutes later to make it 3-2 for Toronto. Matthew Knies made it 4-2 later on to make the game further out of reach for New York. The Rangers tried. But the comeback was not going to happen. Yes, Chris Kreider tipped in a goal with 35 seconds left. It was too little, too late. The Rangers lost their third straight, 4-3. At least the effort was more acceptable than the Calgary loss.
Saturday vs. Vancouver – Those losses took the Rangers out of the wild card. On Saturday, they would host a Vancouver team also fighting for their playoff lives. The Rangers saw the matchup, went out there, and took one (1) shot on net in the first period. At home. In a you-better-win situation. Even after Dakota Joshua banged in a rebound after a Quinn Hughes shot (who now owns Matt Rempe’s jockstrap). After what I’m sure was a good talking to at intermission, the Rangers put up a mighty four shots in the second period. But! One of them was a goal. Adam Fox tipped in a Braden Schneider shot to tie it up at 1-1. The Rangers just need to put together one good third period and they could take this game. They would do just that. Jonny Brodzinski became the early hero with an early third period goal to make it 2-1 for New York. It took about 10 minutes for Vancouver to respond and they did when Drew O’Connor scored. Only for K’Andre Miller to fire a sharp angled shot off Quinn Hughes to beat the goalie for a 3-2 score. Brock Boeser took a few minutes to respond to that and he made it 3-3 with fewer than five minutes left. All for Brodzinski to score on the next shift through Kevin Lankinen’s legs to make it 4-3. The Canucks could not respond. J.T. Miller put in an empty net goal. The Rangers were held to 12 shots. 12 shots! 6 shots in the third! And they scored four to win 5-3. They ended their losing streak and gave a jolt of life into their playoff hopes. That’s big. Still, they went 1-3-0 for the week and fell out of the wild card spot they took from Columbus. The win put them back ahead of the Islanders, at least. But they remain behind Montreal. They have a lot of work to do and need plenty of help to move on up.
What’s Coming Up in This Week: The Rangers will be going to California this week. They will be in need of results and this trip is never an easy one to get them. On Tuesday, they will face the one contender in the Golden State in Los Angeles. The Rangers will have a back-to-back set with the other two teams in California. They will visit Anaheim on Friday night and then visit San Jose on Saturday night. Every point counts and they cannot afford to look past anyone. Not with the week they just had.
New York Islanders
Sunday vs. Florida – Entering the week with a three-game slide, the Islanders had it all to do when the defending Cup champions, Florida, visited the Island. After a goalless first period, the second period surely made many in Belmont think, “Here we go again.” Sam Reinhart opened the scoring with a snapshot a minute into the middle frame. Aleksander Barkov punished a Kyle MacLean penalty with a PPG not long after to make it 2-0. The Isles even took a too many men on the ice call with 13 seconds left. They were in deep. Somehow, someway, like a phoenix from the ashes, they emerged in the third period. They killed the penalty. Over six minutes in, Marc Gatcomb scored a wraparound to get the Isles on the board. Maxim Tsyplakov tied it up after the twelve minute mark. Noah Dobson scored less than 20 seconds after that to make it 3-2. Florida was stunned and the Isles were rolling. The win was sealed up with a Simon Holmstrom empty netter. The Isles came back big-time in the third period to win 4-2 to end their winless run.
Tuesday at Pittsburgh – The Islanders took that energy into Pittsburgh on Tuesday night. Similar to Sunday’s game, it required a third period comeback of four goals. Only this time the Penguins struck in the first period. Joona Koppanen scored his first off a tip in from a shot by Vladislav Kolyachonok and Sidney Crosby made it 2-0 with 15 seconds left in the first. After a goalless second period, the Isles had to rise up once more. Rise up they did. It took Kyle Palmieri just 17 seconds to get the Isles on the board. Over five minutes later, Dobson tied it up at 2-2. The score held until the thirteenth minute mark. Dobson fired and the puck went in off Pierre Engvall to make it 3-2. Once more, the Isles sealed the win with a Simon Holmstrom empty net goal. Another 4-2 win. It ended Pittsburgh’s winning streak and kept the good times rolling for the Isles.
Thursday vs. Montreal – The Isles took on Montreal in a big game for the wild card. Fortunately, this game followed a different path than the last two. Unfortunately, it was not ideal. First up, the Isles scored first. Anthony Duclair punished a goaltender interference penalty by Brendan Gallagher to put the Isles up in the first period. Montreal equalized with the first goal of the season by Joshua Roy. The score held until late in the second when Michael Matheson held up Kyle Palmieri. On the ensuing power play, Simon Holmstrom scored to make it 2-1. Early in the third, Bo Horvat extended the lead to 3-1. Then the Isles had a reminder of their first half of the season where they could not maintain a lead. A Kyle MacLean tripping call was punished by Patrik Laine. The Isles challenged and failed so it was 3-2. While the Isles killed that call, they could not keep the Canadiens back. Josh Anderson forced a turnover and Gallagher went off on a breakaway later in the third. He scored to make it 3-3. The game was tied and overtime was necessary. A denied Lane Hutson attack sprung a 2-on-1 led by Horvat. He kept the puck and ripped a shot past Sam Montembeault for the win. 4-3 and two more points for the Isles. Not ideal in that they gave Montreal – a team they are chasing – a point. Better than than nothing at least.
Saturday vs. Calgary – The Islanders took their three-game winning streak in their late afternoon game against Calgary. The game started poorly as Matt Coronato scored 36 seconds into the game to give Calgary the early lead. However, the Isles did respond past halfway through the first with a goal by Bo Horvat to tie it up at 1-1. Late in the first, the Isles took the lead with a snapshot from Marc Gatcomb. This did not last as Matt Coronato scored again to make it 2-2 with about 34 minutes left to play in regulation. The 2-2 score lasted until there were 3 minutes left. The Isles got a breakthrough from Kyle MacLean to make it 3-2 late. Then the Islanders remembered how third period leads go again as they did against Montreal. The lead was blown on the very next shift when Jonathan Huberdeau tipped in a Rasmus Andersson shot to tie up the game. Overtime was necessary. It did not go the Islanders’ way. Nazem Kadri rifled a shot from the right circle to end it for Calgary. The Islanders’ winning streak ended with a 4-3 overtime loss. They got one point but they really needed two for what they are trying to do. Such as getting close to Montreal and being ahead of their hated rivals. Still, a 3-0-1 week is absolutely something they can build on. And they are running out of time to do just that.
What’s Coming Up in This Week: The Isles will have three games to play in this week. They have a huge one with Columbus on Monday. The Jackets have been ice cold and the Isles will need to get the four-point swing in their favor if they want to keep their playoff hopes up. On Wednesday, the Isles will host Vancouver – another team fighting for their playoff lives. On Saturday, the Isles begin a nasty back-to-back on the road in Tampa Bay. Spoiler: Sunday is in Carolina. The Isles have surprised many by being in the mix at this point. They need to keep winning weeks to stay in it, much less move up.
Columbus Blue Jackets
Monday vs. New Jersey – The rematch from last Tuesday was important. And Columbus failed to score a goal since that game too. There were stakes in this one. It was surely frustrating that they could not beat Jake Allen for two periods. Especially after the second period. That was when Timo Meier opened the scoring by putting a power move to the net and sliding a puck past Jet Greaves. It was also when, within the final minutes of the period, Greaves misplayed a puck behind the net and gifted a goal to Jesper Bratt. Down 2-0, the Blue Jackets knew they had to go all out. Go all out they did with an unbelievable 53 attempts and 24 shots in the third period alone. Mathieu Olivier finally gave Columbus its first score in six days by putting in a free puck in the slot for a 2-1 game. The pressure kept coming. The Devils defense kept breaking down. But Jake Allen was magnificent. There would not be another goal for Columbus. The Devils held on to win 2-1 in spite of everything. The Blue Jackets took their fourth straight loss and they took it hard.
Thursday vs. Florida – Against the defending Stanley Cup Champions, the Blue Jackets got a great game out of a returning Elvis Merzlikins in the net. The problem: Sergei Bobrovsky also had a great game. Both goalies were in fantastic shape. So much so that both goalies stopped everything in regulation. Power play, shorthanded, even strength, no goals for sixty minutes. If nothing else, Columbus got a point by going into overtime. But there was a cause for concern going into OT. Kirill Marchenko put a puck over the glass with 30 seconds left in regulation. The power play carried over. The Jackets had to kill 90 seconds of a 4-on-3 in overtime. They would fail. Aleksander Barkov ripped a shot from the high slot to make it a 1-0 loss. A fifth straight winless game for Columbus as they fall further in the standings.
Friday at Pittsburgh – The Blue Jackets visited Pittsburgh the next night. The good news: they would score goals. The bad news: So would the Penguins. Specifically, the first two goals. Evegni Malkin opened the scoring. Noel Acciari made it 2-0 later in the first. Boone Jenner finally got one for Columbus with a tip-in of a Denton Mateychuk shot to make it 2-1 on the shift after Acciari’s goal. Only for Rickard Rakell to put Columbus down two on the shift after that. Columbus restored some hope when Justin Danforth made it 3-2 within the first two minutes of the second period. But the game got away from Columbus. Bokondji Imama restored the two-goal lead. Sidney Crosby extended it to three with a tip-in of a Matt Grzelcyk shot. Kent Johnson clawed back one early in the third but there would be no roaring comeback. Bryan Rust ended it with an empty netter. Columbus lost 6-3. They are winless in their last six. They took one out of six points. They are now in sixth place and the playoffs look as far away as ever. March has been a gut punch for the Columbus Blue Jackets.
What’s Coming Up in This Week: The Blue Jackets need a win and need a win badly. They have three opportunities to do that in this week coming up. The first is their most valuable. They will visit the Islanders on Monday. It is another four-point swing within the division. Columbus needs it. After that game, they will have a back-to-back against two Canadian teams. They will host Vancouver on Friday and then visit Ottawa on Saturday. Columbus’ season is on life support. They need points to keep it going. Do not let it end like this.
Pittsburgh Penguins
Tuesday vs. New York Islanders – The Penguins had a their four-game winning streak going when they hosted the Islanders. If there was going to be any late charge up the standings, then the Penguins would need to win this one. They did not. It seemed like they would. Joona Koppanen scored his first off a tip in from a shot by Vladislav Kolyachonok to open the scoring. Sidney Crosby made it 2-0 with 15 seconds left in the first. The score remained until the third period. Then the Islanders went off on the Penguins. 17 seconds in, Kyle Palmieri scored. 5:34 in, Noah Dobson ties it up with a backhander. 13:08 in, Pierre Engvall deflects in a Dobson shot to make it 3-2. And at 18:28, Simon Holmstrom puts in an ENG. The Isles blew up the Pens with a four-goal third period to tie it up and take the game outright. I know the Pens have little to play for but it was a disaster of a third period that did them in. The winning streak ended with the 4-2 loss.
Friday vs. Columbus – The Penguins hosted Columbus and made it rain more goals to make them suffer. The key point was in the first period. Evgeni Malkin opened the scoring. Then there was a three-goal swing within just over a minute that meant Columbus would chase the Pens for the remainder of the game. Noel Acciari made it 2-0 at the 13:51 mark. On the next shift, at 14:07, Boone Jenner tipped in a Denton Mateychuk shot to make it 2-1. On the following shift, Rickard Rakell responded to make it 3-1 at 14:53. Columbus could only claw back only for the Pens to pull away further. In the second period, Justin Danforth made it a one-goal game for about six minutes. Then Bokondji Imama scored to make it 4-2. Sidney Crosby extended things to 5-2 with a tip-in later in the period. Kent Johnson’s early goal in the third period was ultimately for consolation. The Pens were safe. They secured the victory with a Bryan Rust empty net goal. The 6-3 win meant the Penguins split the week and locked up seventh place over what has been a flailing Flyers team.
What’s Coming Up in This Week: The Penguins are on the road all week for three games. Tonight, they are in Sunrise to take on the defending Cup champions, the Panthers. On Tuesday, they will head to Tampa Bay to take on the Lightning. On Thursday, they will head further North to New York state to take on the Sabres. The Penguins may know their season is done but they will try to compete regardless.
Philadelphia Flyers
Monday at Tampa Bay – After a terrible homestand, a road game may have seemed desirable. The Tampa Bay Lightning dashed that thought. Andrei Vasilevskiy stopped all of the shots the Flyers put on him. Which was not very much at 21 but he did stop them all. The Lightning just needed one to win and they got it late in the first period thanks to Nikita Kucherov. Jake Guentzel scored a power play empty net goal for insurance with 90 seconds to go. The Flyers fell 2-0 to start their five-game road trip. It was also their second straight shutout loss.
Thursday at Washington – The Flyers moved onto Washington D.C. in search of a goal and a better result. It looked grim early on. PutinTeam Leader Ovechkin scored in the first period. The Flyers went down deeper in the second period thanks to a tip-in goal from Brandon Duhaime and another score from Andrew Mangiapane. Down 3-0, the Flyers needed something. Apparently, that something would come from Jakob Chychrun. Ryan Poehling took a puck to the net and the defender poked at his stick to try to deny him. It ended up chipping the puck into the net past Charlie Lindgren. The Flyers finally scored. They would get another late in the third. With the goalie pulled, Sean Couturier jammed a puck in. After a review, the goal was given and the Flyers were a shot away from dragging the game into overtime. But they would not get that one goal to tie it up. They lost 3-2 for their third in a row.
Saturday at Dallas – The Flyers started off in Dallas and, in one sense, did well to start. They kept the Stars to three shots in the first period. The problem was that two of them were goals. Thomas Harley scored over six minutes in and Esa Lindell made it 2-0 over two minutes after that. Down in a hole, the Flyers had to battle back. Which they did in the second half of the second period. Travis Konecny and Ryan Poehling (with no help of a defender) each scored to tie up the game at 2-2. An impressive effort given the three unpunished penalties the Flyers took in the second. The third period featured a total of 19 shots, more than the 11 and 12 shots in the previous two periods. It also had no goals. Overtime was needed. It was quick and it went in favor of Dallas. Thomas Harley only needed 9 seconds to torch Sam Ersson for the win. Who, uh, helped create the situation that led to Harley’s goal by giving up a puck to Jason Robertson. The Flyers get a point, which does not do them a whole lot of anything. Going 0-2-1 in a week never feels good regardless of the circumstances.
What’s Coming Up in This Week: Philadelphia continues their trip. Today, they will be visiting Chicago in a battle of bottom teams in their respective divisions. It may be the best chance for the Flyers to win. Their final game on the trip is on Tuesday in Toronto. Given how tight it is at the top of the Atlantic Division as well as how good the Maple Leafs are, the game could be a struggle. The Flyers will have a chance to spoil the wild card situation a bit when they return home on Thursday to host Montreal. Then they have another eighth-vs-eighth matchup on Saturday afternoon against Buffalo. The season is thankfully winding down for Philadelphia but this week could still make it feel long.
That was the twenty-first weekly Metropolitan Division snapshot for this season. Now that you know what happened and what will happen next, it is now your turn. Now that Washington has the ‘X,’ when will they get the ‘Y’ and ‘Z’ for the division? Who can stop Carolina? Will New Jersey continue to hold off their competition just by doing just enough to stay ahead of the New York Rangers, Columbus Blue Jackets, and New York Islanders? Are the Pennsylvanian teams satisfied being spoilers? Please leave your answers and other thoughts about the week that was for all eight teams in the division and the week ahead for them. Thank you for reading.