This is the final weekly Metropolitan Division snapshot for the 2024-25 season. The Washington Capitals clinched the East, the New Jersey Devils secured a playoff spot, and it is all but over for the other non-Ohio teams. Find out what happened and what will end the season for all eight teams in the division in this post.
Welcome to the final weekly Metropolitan Division snapshot of the 2024-25 regular season. This past week was effectively decision week for all but one team.
Sunday: The Pittsburgh Penguins were mathematically eliminated from the playoffs with a loss.
Tuesday: The Washington Capitals clinched the Metropolitan Division with Carolina losing.
Wednesday: The New Jersey Devils clinched a playoff spot. This also clinched a playoff matchup with the Carolina Hurricanes in the first round.
Thursday: Washington beat Carolina, which secured the Eastern Conference for home ice through the first three rounds of the postseason. As well a first round matchup with the second wild card team in the East. The Canes came away with securing second place in the division.
Friday: A reprieve was given with Montreal losing to Ottawa.
Saturday: Very little relief. The New York Islanders lost to Philadelphia and were mathematically eliminated. Hours later, the New York Rangers got waxed by Carolina and were also mathematically eliminated. Toronto beat Montreal in overtime, so Detroit joined the New York teams in being eliminated.
Only the Columbus Blue Jackets still have a chance at the playoffs as of this morning. That chance pretty much requires Columbus to win out all of the games in regulation and Montreal to lose out. A remote chance, but one all the same.
Here is the last weekly snapshot of the division before the final five days of this regular season, which begins today:
Standings via NHL.com, Playoff odds via Moneypuck, First overall draft pick odds via Tankathon
For the sake of posterity, I included the end of the Wild Card Watch for the snapshot. Detroit is now out. Ottawa secured their spot last week. Montreal is on the verge of it with either just a result or Columbus losing.
There may not be much to play for in the final five days of the season. All the same, games within the division are highlighted and in bold as usual. There are many. Enjoy the highlighted and bold text. I did include Montreal since they are not locked into their spot just yet. With just one game between them and a Metropolitan Division team (Carolina), I decided against italicizing it.
Schedules via NHL.com
Here is the week that was and ending week for all eight teams.
Washington Capitals
Sunday at New York Islanders – The Hockey World was watching Belmont closely on Sunday. Would the PutinTeam Leader score his 895th career goal, shattering a record by Wayne Gretzky one thought not possible? Yes. In the second period, at 7:26. He did it. He beat Ilya Sorokin. He dove onto the ice in celebration. His teammates flowed out. The crowd went bananas. The congratulations were given from many in and out of hockey.
It also put the Capitals down only 2-1 instead of 2-0. See, there was this game to play and the Isles handled the business of Washington quite well. Bo Hortvat and Marc Gatcomb made it 2-0 in the first. Three minutes after the historic goal, Gatcomb scored to make it 3-1. Jean-Gabriel Pageau poked in a puck in the third for 4-1. History was made, and most will remember the goal. But the Capitals lost 4-1. Which means pretty much nothing at this point of the season.
Thursday vs. Carolina – The Capitals went into this game knowing they clinched the division on Wednesday. Winning this one would clinch the Eastern Conference, meaning home ice all the way to the Finals. That goal did not look good early. Carolina struck first with a goal by Logan Stankoven. Then Tom Wilson piled Jackson Blake into the Capitals goalie and the puck went in for a 2-0 game. Not smart. But there would be redemption from the Caps. Late in the period, a Sean Walker slashing penalty on Pierre-Luc Dubois was punished by Dubois to make it 2-1. The second period was all Washington. Dylan Strome punished a Seth Jarvis slash to tie up the game. Nic Dowd broke the tie and Wilson scored himself – properly, this time – to make it 4-2 going into the third. The Canes had to respond and they did. Jordan Martinook made it a one shot game early in the third. With 1:45 left in regulation, Jarvis scored to make it 4-4. Points for both sides but a win was wanted. Overtime solved nothing. In the shootout, Dubois scored the first shot and that would be it. The Capitals won 5-4 and locked up first in the East, earning a letter surely cherished by the PutinTeam Leader.
Saturday at Columbus – Washington kicked off a home-and-home with Columbus in Ohio. They were present and physical. They were also absolutely buried by the Blue Jackets in about 25 minutes into the game. Poor Hunter Shepard. The third-string goalie got a start and got blitzed with goals. Zach Werenski scored a minute into the game. Kent Johnson scored later. Adam Fantilli scored within the final minute of the first. And then scored again just over two minutes into the second period. Sean Monahan added a fifth goal minutes after that and Cole Sillinger scored on the next shift. It was 6-0 with fewer than 35 minutes left in regulation. I also forgot to mention how Tom Wilson got a rare misconduct and abuse of officials penalty for lipping off shortly after Fantilli’s first goal. A whole lot of beef was had in the second and third periods. Did Washington win those fights? It was 6-0 so who really cares? Columbus added a seventh goal to add to the blowout thanks to James van Reimsdyk. The Caps may have had nothing to play for, but a 7-0 loss is not ideal. Neither is going 1-2-0.
What’s Coming Up in This Final Week: The Capitals will play three games within the division with little to play for before their postseason starts. They will finish up a weekend home-and-home with Columbus this evening. It is Washington’s last game in D.C. until the playoffs. On Tuesday, they will visit the Islanders. Their regular season will end in Pittsburgh. The Putinist got his record, the Capitals got their ‘Z’ in the standings, and the season has been an objective success. The President’s Trophy will go to Winnipeg but I doubt the Caps care about that. The playoffs, on the other hand, are something they care about. We shall see if they limp into it or not.
Carolina Hurricanes
Tuesday at Buffalo – Carolina, future playoff opponents of the Devils, went to Buffalo and became their next victims. Yes, victims. The Sabres have been unusually good since an effective elimination from the playoffs. After a goalless first period, Tage Thompson scored early in the second to put the Canes down one. Late in the second, Buffalo went shorthanded after Connor Clifton tripped Logan Stankoven. This led to Alex Tuch rushing up for a shorty. A two goal deficit was made a three goal deficit early in the third with a goal by John-Jason Peterka. What about the vaunted high volume shooting? James Reimer stopped them all. The Canes lost 3-0. Their third straight loss.
And it was this result that led to Washington securing the division title. Caps, say thanks to Buffalo for the ‘Y.’ And everyone say goodbye to Buffalo. They were mathematically eliminated on Tuesday due to Montreal winning their game. A lesson? Beware a Sabres team that has nothing to lose but lottery balls.
Thursday at Washington – The stakes were high in Raleigh. The Capitals knew that a win would secure them the division. The Canes knew that a point would secure them second place – home ice – over New Jersey in the first round. Both teams got what they wanted but perhaps not in the way they would have preferred. Carolina struck first with a goal by Logan Stankoven. Then Tom Wilson piled Jackson Blake into the Capitals goalie and the puck went in for a 2-0 game. A lead is a lead. Then Carolina promptly blew it over the next 22 minutes. Late in the first period, a Sean Walker slashing penalty on Pierre-Luc Dubois was punished by Dubois to make it 2-1 going into intermission. The Capitals comeback continued. Dylan Strome punished a Seth Jarvis slash to tie up the game. Nic Dowd broke the tie minutes later. Wilson scored himself to make it 4-2 going into the third. The Canes were stunned and the worries of a fourth straight loss loomed. They had to come back – and they did. Jordan Martinook made it a one shot game early in the third. With 1:45 left in regulation, Jarvis scored to make it 4-4. Points for both sides, but the win was desired. Overtime solved nothing. In the shootout, Dubois scored the first shot and that would be it. The Canes clawed back to secure home ice over New Jersey in the first round. But the 4-5 loss was Carolina’s fourth in a row.
Saturday vs. New York Rangers – The Carolina Hurricanes wanted to make a point that they were not going to just slide into the postseason with a slump. No. They wanted to show how capable of a team they are. Loads of pressure, a roster committed to the system, and lots of shots. Carolina did not take a lot of shots, but they did not need to. They ran over the Rangers early and often. The first period featured goals from Jalen Chatfield and Seth Jarvis. The second period had scores from Jackson Blake and Mark Jankowski. Will Cuylle got the Rangers on the board with 17 seconds left in the period. Carolina did not let that go unanswered. Jordan Staal saw to that early in the third. The Rangers mounted some attempt of a comeback in the third. A hooking call on Tyson Jost was punished by J.T. Miller. Adam Fox made it 5-3 with fewer than 11 minutes left in regulation. The goal came with a failed challenge and matching minors on Vincent Trocheck and Jordan Martinook too. No matter. The Canes would not waver. An early goalie pull for New York meant a Martinook empty netter with close to three and a half minutes left. A second goalie pull yielded a Logan Stankoven ENG close to 90 seconds later. The Canes won big-time at 7-3. They also knocked out the Rangers from the playoffs too. Carolina split the week at 1-1-1 and, more important to them, ended their losing streak.
What’s Coming Up in This Final Week: Carolina will be all about Canada in their final days of the season. This evening, they are hosting Toronto in their final game at home before they start their playoff series with the Devils. The season will end with a back-to-back on the road against two playoff bound teams: Thursday in Montreal and Friday in Ottawa. Hope for safe travels for all involved. With New Jersey coming up in the first round, do not limp into the postseason, Carolina.
New Jersey Devils
Tuesday vs. Boston – The Devils would have clinched a playoff spot with just one point earned against a terrible Boston team. The Devils not only did not get that one point but they got pounded by Boston. A brutal giveaway by Jesper Bratt gave David Pastrnak a goal. A long shot from Michael Callahan beat Jacob Markstrom in the last minute of the first to make it 2-0. Jakub Lauko made it 3-0 early in the second. The Devils emerged to make it a game after halfway through the second. During a delayed penalty call, Stefan Noesen scored to put the Devils on the board. Timo Meier scored on the next shift to make it 3-2. But Boston killed the comeback with a backbreaking last minute goal by Casey Mittelstadt to put the Devils down 4-2 going into the third. Things got worse. Morgan Geekie, Fraser Minten, and Cole Kopeke ran the score up to 7-2 as the Devils just conceded the game. It was a huge blowout loss to a really bad Boston team at home and with a chance to clinch a playoff spot. Thankfully for NJ, Montreal won their game to make a clinching scenario possible on Wednesday. Which is what happened thanks to Philadelphia beating the Rangers.
Friday vs. Pittsburgh – The Devils took on the Penguins in a low-stakes game. The Devils clearly wanted to show that Tuesday night was not going to be repeated. They came out strong. Erik Haula broke away and scored 15 seconds into the game. After a power play ended, the Devils kept up their attack and Ondrej Palat tipped in a puck by Cody Glass to make it 2-0. All was well until Jonathan Kovacevic tripped Evgeni Malkin. The Devils killed the penalty but Malkin put a puck at the right post. Jake Allen trapped the puck with his skate but it was free. Luke Hughes tried to clear it – only to knock the puck in himself for a 2-1 score. Early in the second period, Brett Pesce took a hooking call on Rickard Rakell. Shortly after the power play began, Malkin took a shot, Allen made a save, and the rebound bounced off Valtteri Puustinen and into the net. The score held all the way until there was six minutes and change left in regulation. The Devils were killing a penalty caused by Cody Glass high-sticking Sidney Crosby. This was punished when Bryan Rust found Crosby backdoor to make it 3-2. The Devils pulled Allen late looking for an equalizer and all it yielded was a ENG for Rust. The Devils lost 4-2, disappointed their home fans both nights this week, and enter their final week with two straight losses.
What’s Coming Up in This Final Week: The Devils will finish up their 2024-25 season with three games in four nights. This afternoon, the Devils will host the Islanders. On Tuesday, they will go to Boston for their final road game of the season and Boston’s last game. Revenge may be on New Jersey’s minds. The regular season will end on Wednesday night in Newark when they host Detroit. The Devils really should get some wins because limping into a first round matchup with Carolina is a terrible idea.
Columbus Blue Jackets
Sunday at Ottawa – Ottawa has been rolling so much that they may take third place in the Atlantic. Columbus has fallen out of the wild card and have struggled to get back in. The Senators offered no mercy to the Blue Jackets. Linus Ullmark was perfect on Sunday. He stopped all 30 shots the Blue Jackets put on him. The Senators ultimately needed only Adam Gaudette’s early first period goal to win. But they got more than just one. Nikolas Matinpalo tipped in his first NHL goal minutes after Gaudette’s goal to make it 2-0. In the third period, David Perron made it 3-0 over the Jackets. A Shane Pinto ended the scoring with an empty netter. Columbus lost 4-0. A brutal result and their playoff lives fell closer to the edge of elimination. Something made worse by Montreal winning their Sunday game.
Tuesday vs. Ottawa – Columbus was blanked on Sunday and their playoff hopes were all but dead. They would get revenge and live on for a little longer. The Blue Jackets went up first with a pair goals in the first; one each from Dmitri Voronkov and Justin Danforth. The Sens got on the board late in the second with a PPG from Fabian Zetterlund. But Columbus responded in the final minute with a tip in by Mathieu Olivier to make it 3-1. An early third period PPG by Sean Monahan extended the score to 4-1. A later third period goal by Adam Fantilli made it 5-1. Ottawa did get a consolation goal with over four minutes left from Thomas Chabot. No matter. Columbus would win this one, 5-2. Unfortunately for them, so did Montreal. As for Ottawa, the other results meant that they clinched a playoff spot for the first time since 2017 on Tuesday.
Thursday vs. Buffalo – Columbus’ chances at the postseason were on the brink and they hosted a Buffalo team with nothing to lose. The Sabres came out hard and put the Jackets in a first period hole. Specifically, 2-0 with goals by John-Jason Peterka and Rasmus Dahlin. But with 9 seconds left in the period, James van Reimsdyk scored to make it a one goal game. The score held until 4 minutes into the third period when Zach Aston-Reese tied it up. Shortly after, Sam Lafferty slashed Zach Werenski. That set up a big power play goal for Boone Jenner to make it 3-2. The Blue Jackets and Jet Greaves weathered Buffalo’s attacks to hold on for the win. They (and the Rangers and the Islanders and the Red Wings) need Montreal to lose on Friday and they need to keep winning in regulation.
Saturday vs. Washington – Columbus’ pathway to the playoffs is winning all of their games in regulation and hope Montreal loses all of them in regulation. The Blue Jackets hosted Washington on Saturday afternoon and made sure they did their jobs. They took down the Capitals over and over and over and over. Within the first 25 minutes and change in the game, it was 6-0 for the Blue Jackets. The first period had goals from Zach Werenski, Kent Johnson, and Adam Fantilli. The second period had goals from Fantilli, Sean Monahan, and Cole Sillinger within 5:14. The game was a laughter at that point. All the Caps could do was throw down since hockey was not something they were interested in. Speaking of laughter, there was a good laugh by the Blue Jackets bench when Dmitri Voronkov was given a misconduct within the final ten minutes and then took a shift after. Why? The officials did not tell the Columbus coach, Dean Eavson, about the penalty. Columbus got an ineligible player penalty and it led to nothing. James van Reimsdyk added a seventh goal late. Jet Greaves got his shutout. The Blue Jackets kept hope alive for a few hours on Saturday with the 7-0 win, capping off a 3-1-0 week.
What’s Coming Up in This Final Week: The Blue Jackets will finish up a home-and-home weekend with the Washington Capitals in D.C. this evening. Then they are off to Philadelphia for a game on Tuesday night. The season will end on Thursday in Columbus when they host the Islanders. They tried so hard, but it was just so far. In the end, these three games do not really matter.
New York Rangers
Monday vs. Tampa Bay – With the Lightning having clinched the playoffs, would they show any mercy on a Rangers team whose playoff lives are on life support? No. The Rangers came out well – and then they fell down a pit. During a NY power play, Chris Kreider hooked Anthony Cirelli. As the PP began for Tampa Bay, the Rangers rushed up shorthanded and failed. The Lightning countered with a give and go finished by Nikita Kucherov. On the next shift, Yanni Gourde made it 2-0 and Sam Carrick cross checked Cirelli. Another PP and Brayden Point punished it. Down 3-0 and Alexis Lafreniere got a misconduct by the end of the first after lipping off to the ref after an icing. There was some hope when Mika Zibanejad scored a PPG early in the second to make it 3-1. The Lightning pulled away in the third. Point put up a second power play goal to punish a JT Miller high sticking penalty. Brandon Hagel sank in an empty net goal minutes later. The Rangers lost 5-1 and their playoff hopes are all but over from the loss.
Wednesday vs. Philadelphia – This was a must-win for the Rangers. They failed. The first period just had one goal. A too many men on the ice call was not only not punished but Vincent Trocheck scored shorthanded to make it 1-0. Philadelphia responded with two goals in the second period. Tyson Foerster tied it up close to halfway through the second. Garnet Hathaway scored a shorty late in the period. However, the Rangers hit back after the power play with Artemi Panarin scoring. It was 2-2 going into the third. Then the game went off. Over 3 minutes in, Travis Sanheim scored. Jonny Brodzinski and J.T. Miller each scored to make it 4-3 with 13 minutes left in the third. A minute after Miller’s goal, Jakob Pelletier banged in a rebound for 4-4. With just over 8 minutes left, Sean Couturier broke the tie for Philly. Foerster scored a clapper with fewer than five minutes left. A desperate Rangers team pulled one back with a late goal by Chris Kreider. But Foerster iced the game with an empty netter, which also completed a hat trick for him. Owen Tippett added one more ENG with 13 seconds left. The Flyers won 8-5 to spoil the Rangers. The third period had nine goals in total. The Rangers, now on a three game slide, are on the brink of elimination.
Someone else other than Philadelphia won with this game. With the Flyers winning, the New Jersey Devils have clinched third place in the division and a playoff spot. They are locked into a first round matchup with Carolina.
Thursday at New York Islanders – When your playoff hopes are on the brink, every game is a must-win. Against a hated rival only multiplies that “must.” The New York Rangers did not mess around. They turned Belmont into Beatdown City. The first period alone sank the Isles. Mika Zibanejad scored early, Will Cuylle scored later, Vincent Trocheck quickly punished a hold by Noah Dobson, and Artemi Panarin scored with 45 seconds left to make it 4-0 in the first period alone. That would have secured a win. The Rangers did not let up. While the goals were fewer, Juuso Parssinen scored on a wraparound that Marcus Hogberg probably should have stopped. The Islanders finally got on the board with a PPG in the final minute of the second period. A pure consolation goal from Maxim Tsyplakov. In the third, the Rangers resumed the beating. Brett Bedard scored for the touch down. Marcus Hogberg was pulled and Tristan Lennox made his NHL debut. Hudson Fasching scored his first goal to make it 6-2 and weirdly celebrated it. Sure, whatever. The Rangers did not mind. They just scored some more. A second goal from Bedard put up the extra point. It also weirdly led to Lennox being replaced for Hogberg. A Patrick Roy coaching masterclass. Hogburg was beaten by Alexis Lafreniere within minutes for an eighth goal. If that was not enough, Hogberg was beaten on a fluke deflection by Panarin from behind the net in the dying minutes. A 9-2 final score. This game somehow did not eliminate the Islanders. It practically did. What a way for the Rangers to end their losing streak and gain some serious bragging rights in the City.
Saturday at Carolina – The New York Rangers were in the unenviable position of needing to win out in regulation and hoping Montreal lost out in regulation. They were also in Raleigh to take on a Hurricanes team that badly wanted to end a winless streak. It did not go well for the Rangers. They got wrecked in this one. The first period was only 2-0 with goals by Jalen Chatfield and Seth Jarvis. The second period continued the pain with goals from Jackson Blake and Mark Jankowski. Will Cuylle did get New York on the board late in the second. Only for Jordan Staal to restore the four-goal lead early in the third period. The Rangers had one last shot. J.T. Miller punished a Tyson Jost penalty to make it 5-2. Adam Fox scored with just fewer than 11 minutes left. Carolina failed a challenge for the goal on top of Vincent Trocheck and Jordan Martinook getting matching minors for it. If the Rangers could only score on that power play, then it is a one-shot game with plenty of time left. They did not. Still, they could get another shot in and still have some hope. Nope. What about pulling the goalie with several minutes left? It yielded an empty net goal for Martinook. What about pulling the goalie again? A second ENG, this time by Logan Stankoven. A fitting end to the 2024-25 Rangers season: A largely listless performance with a half-baked effort to try to salvage it only to realize that the hole was too deep and the opponents was just playing that much better. The 7-3 loss in Carolina mathematically elminated the Rangers from the playoffs.
What’s Coming Up in This Final Week: The Rangers have two games to play. They will visit Florida on Monday night. The Panthers may have positioning to play for, so the Rangers may be want to be aware of that. The final game for 2024-25 takes place on Thursday night in MSG when they host Tampa Bay. The Bolts beat them 5-1 in this past week; it remains to be seen if the Lightning will strike again. Again, the Lightning may have positioning to play for so expecting a nonchalant game is not advised. The games may mean nothing for the Rangers but it could mean two more beatings to end this campaign.
New York Islanders
Sunday vs. Washington – All eyes were on Belmont to see if the PutinTeam Leader would break Wayne Gretzky’s career record. The Islanders needed a win to avoid being on the brink. Everyone got what they wanted. In the first period, the Isles went up 2-0 with a quick pair of goals each from Bo Horvat and Marc Gatcomb. The Putinist got his goal on the power play at 7:26 into the second period, punishing a Casey Cizikas tripping call. The Isles responded three minutes later with a second goal by Gatcomb to go up 3-1. When Jean-Gabriel Pageau poked in a puck early in the third, the Isles could relax. Surely they would not blow a three-goal lead in the third. They did not. They won 4-1. They stayed to live on for another day.
Tuesday at Nashville – It was dramatic at Belmont as the Predators and Islanders traded blows on the scoreboard. The scoring began with a tip in by Simon Holmstrom. Nashville equalized shortly thereafter with a goal by Ryan O’Reilly. Filip Forsberg put the Preds up one. But Anders Lee tied it at 2-2 late in the first. The responses continued in the second period. Holmstrom scored early on. That was answered by Steven Stamkos. Past midway through the second, Maxim Tsypalkov made it 4-3. Only for Michael McCarron to tie it up over a minute later. The 4-4 score carried into the third period. It held until the final five minutes. Kyle Palmieri made it 5-4 with 4:39 left in regulation. Ryan Pulock took a hooking call with 4:03 remaining. Scott Mayfield scored a shorty with 3:41 to go. Nashville ended their PP with a bench unsportsmanlike conduct call with 2:22 to play. But then Bo Horvat took a tripping call with 1:59 left. With an abbreviated power play, Stamkos converted with 2:07 left on the clock. Would the Isles hold on? Absolutely not. Michael Bunting tipped in a goal with 40 seconds left to make it 6-6 and force overtime. Another third period lead choked. And OT did not save them. Fedor Svechkov blasted in a shot to hand the Isles a 7-6 OTL. The Isles needed wins and Montreal to fail. They got neither. It’s just about over for this season.
Thursday vs. New York Rangers – The Islanders had a chance to put down their hated rivals to help their own cause. Instead, they put in one of their worst games in years. The first period alone sank the Isles. Mika Zibanejad scored early, Will Cuylle scored later, Vincent Trocheck quickly punished a hold by Noah Dobson, and Artemi Panarin scored with 45 seconds left to make it 4-0 in the first period alone. The second period was more of a respite. Juuso Parssinen scored on a wraparound that Marcus Hogberg should have stopped. The Islanders finally got on the board with a PPG in the final minute of the second thanks to Maxim Tsypalkov. In the third, the Isles gave up even harder. Brett Bedard scored for the touch down. Magnus Hogberg was then pulled so Tristan Lennox – called up to replace an injured Ilya Sorokin – made his NHL debut. The Isles got a second consolation goal. Hudson Fasching scored his first goal to make it 6-2 and weirdly celebrated it. Sure, why not? Then Bedard scored a second goal on Lennox’s second shot against. Which led to Patrick Roy pulling Lennox for Hogberg. Sigh. Hogburg was beaten by Alexis Lafreniere within minutes. If that was not enough, Hogberg was beaten on a fluke deflection by Panarin from behind the net late for a 9-2 final score. This game somehow did not eliminate the Islanders. It practically did. What a bizarre and awful game for them.
Saturday at Philadelphia – If losing to the Rangers was a nail in the coffin, then a loss to Philadelphia would have lowered it into the six-foot pit. After a goalless first period, the Isles suffered a penalty to Noah Dobson and a power play goal by Tyson Foerster. There would be a response when Anders Lee tipped in a PPG to punish a high-sticking call on Cam York. Late in the second period, Dobson scored to put the Islanders up 2-1. The lead did not last in the third period because the 2024-25 Islanders just do not hold leads in the third period. Jakob Pelletier finished a 3-on-2 rush to tie it up. Tyson Foerster scored just past midway through the third to seemingly end it for the Isles at 3-2. But there would be some hope late. With the net empty, the Isles struck with six skaters. Bo Horvat rifled a shot in from above the left circle to make it 3-3 with a minute left. Overtime was earned. It solved nothing. In the shootout, the first three rounds also solved nothing. The fourth round was nothing. But Bobby Brink stepped up as Philly’s fifth shooter and beat Marcus Hogberg. Kyle Palmieri was denied. The 1-0 shootout meant a 4-3 shootout loss for the Islanders. With that defeat, the Islanders have been mathematically eliminated from the playoffs. The coffin is now in the hole.
What’s Coming Up in This Final Week: The Islanders will play out their season with three games coming up. The Isles will visit Newark on Sunday afternoon to play the Devils. On Tuesday, the Islanders will have their last home game of the season against Washington. The Islanders’ campaign will end in Ohio on Thursday against the Blue Jackets. I am sure the Islanders faithful are relieved the hope is finally dead.
Pittsburgh Penguins
Sunday at Chicago – The Penguins went into this game with some solid wins in their pocket. But their finish was left behind in this game. It took over 38 minutes for a goal to be scored. And the first one was a shorthanded one by Frank Nazar III to put the Pens down one. In the third period, Ilya Mikheyev scored before the halfway mark to make it a two goal deficit. The Pens had some life when Rickard Rakell punished a Tyler Bertuzzi penalty. Pittsburgh was down 2-1 with over five minutes left. They could not find the equalizer. Their fate was sealed when Mikheyev put in an empty net goal. The Penguins lost 3-1. Combined with Montreal beating Nashville on Sunday, this loss mathematically eliminated the Penguins from the playoffs. At least they got eliminated after their rivals in the Philadelphia Flyers did.
Tuesday vs. Chicago – Two teams with nothing to play for had a rematch. One team came to play and attained revenge. That would be Pittsburgh. Tristan Jarry was perfect in the crease on Tuesday night. A late first period power play strike from Sidney Crosby would be all that was needed for a Penguin win. But the Penguins didn’t stop at one. They did not stop at two after Erik Karlsson scored early in the second period. They did not stop in the third at all as Kris Letang scored and Kevin Hayes put up a brace. A 5-0 blanking of the Blackhawks for Pittsburgh. Does it mean much? No, but I am sure it was enjoyable for the Pens all the same to avenge Sunday’s loss. Again, the Penguins are clearly not interested in, um, optimizing their lottery chances.
Friday at New Jersey – The Penguins may have not had much to play for but wanting to get a win for the sake of it showed out. Lady Luck was clearly on Pittsburgh’s side. It did not look that way at the start of the game. Erik Haula scored on a breakaway 15 seconds into the game and Ondrej Palat tipped in a Cody Glass shot not long after the Penguins killed a penalty on Kevin Hayed. The Pens would get their first break when Jonathan Kovacevic tripped Evgeni Malkin. While they did not convert on the power play, Malkin did put a puck in close on Allen such that the goalie trapped it with his skate and the post. Luke Hughes put the puck in himself to make it 2-1. Early in the second, Brett Pesce hooked Rickard Rakell. Luck shined once more as Malkin took a shot and Allen’s save rebounded off Valtteri Puustinen and into the net for a 2-2 game. The Penguins held the Devils to little in the second period with just 4 shots. A more offensive third period took a turn for the Penguins when Cody Glass high-sticked Sidney Crosby. The Penguins punished that when Bryan Rust found Crosby backdoor on Allen’s flank for a 3-2 lead. The Devils could not put a response together. When Allen was pulled, it was not long before Bryan Rust put in an empty net goal. The Penguins won 4-2. Does it mean much that they won or that they won the week? No. Do they care? Based on recent weeks, probably not.
What’s Coming Up in This Final Week: The Penguins have two last games to play at home for this season. This afternoon, they will host Boston in a game with some lottery balls on the line. The Penguins are then off until Thursday, when they will host the Capitals. The rebuild may be happening soon, Penguins. A very interesting offseason awaits the Black and Gold of Western Pennsylvania.
Philadelphia Flyers
Wednesday at New York Rangers – Philadelphia had three days to prepare to spoil the Rangers with a victory in their building. They would succeed so in a game loaded with goals. The first period just had one. A too many men on the ice call was not only not punished but Vincent Trocheck scored shorthanded to make it 1-0. Philadelphia responded with two goals in the second period. Tyson Foerster tied it up close to halfway through the second. Garnet Hathaway scored a shorty late in the period. However, the Rangers hit back after the power play with Artemi Panarin scoring. It was 2-2 going into the third. Then the game went off. Over 3 minutes in, Travis Sanheim scored. Jonny Brodzinski and J.T. Miller each scored to make it 4-3 with 13 minutes left in the third. A minute after Miller’s goal, Jakob Pelletier banged in a rebound for 4-4. With just over 8 minutes left, Sean Couturier broke the tie for Philly. Foerster scored a clapper with fewer than five minutes left. A desperate Rangers team pulled one back with a late goal by Chris Kreider. But Foerster iced the game with an empty netter, which also completed a hat trick for him. Owen Tippett added one more ENG with 13 seconds left. The Flyers won 8-5 to spoil the Rangers. If nothing else, they have the bragging rights.
Saturday vs. New York Islanders – The Philadelphia Flyers have not gone away quietly. They hosted an Islanders team that was all but eliminated knowing that any win by Philly would eliminate them. After no goals in the first period, Philly struck first in the second period. Tyson Foerster scored a power play goal to punish a Noah Dobson penalty. The Isles had a response. They punished a high sticking call by Cam York with a tip-in by Anders Lee for 1-1. Late in the second, Dobson made it 2-1 to put the Flyers down. Philly was not done just yet. Jakob Pelletier finished an odd-man rush early in the third to tie it up. Foerster scored a brace past the halfway mark to make it 3-2. The Flyers could not keep the lead, though. With the net empty for the Islanders, Bo Horvat scored a last-minute equalizer to force overtime. The fourth period solved nothing. As did four shooters for each side in the shootout. Bobby Brink, though, sought to change that. He beat Marcus Hogberg to score. Sam Ersson denied Kyle Palmieri. The Flyers won the shootout to win the game at 4-3. They won both of their games this week and officially knocked the Islanders out of playoff contention. Feels good, Flyers.
What’s Coming Up in This Final Week: The Flyers will play out the string against three other teams with nothing to play for. The Flyers will visit Ottawa this afternoon. On Tuesday, the Flyers will host Columbus in their final home game of the season. Philadelphia’s campaign will end on Thursday night in Buffalo. The rebuild shall continue in Philadelphia. But they remain committed to just not failing their way to the final game.
That was the twenty-fourth and final weekly Metropolitan Division snapshot for this season. Whether you read one or some or all of them throughout the season, I hope you appreciated this week-by-week look at what is happening within the division. As long as playoff spots are driven by the division standings, such a snapshot will have value. This coming week is low on stakes. Do not worry. Shortly after the 17th will begin the most exciting hockey tournament in the world: the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Please leave thoughts about the week that was for all eight teams in the division and the final days for them in this season. Thank you again for reading.