In the twenty-seventh and final weekly Metropolitan Division snapshot of the 2023-24 season, the New York Rangers are a point away from locking up first, the New York Islanders finally lost but remain ahead in third, and the wild card remains a chase going into the final days of the season. All this and more in this week’s snapshot.
Welcome to the end of the 2023-24 regular season. This is the final week. It is not even a full week of games. It is just the end. Normally, I tend to end the snapshots in the final full week of the season. But I did not for this season as the drama will go down to the final days of the season for the Metropolitan Division. To that end, here is the snapshot of the division as of this morning.
My understanding of clinching scenarios are as follows:
- The New York Rangers will secure first place in the Metropolitan Division and the East with any point in their final game, a home game against Ottawa, or Carolina gets fewer than three points in their next two games. Which are at Chicago and Columbus. If the Rangers out-earn Dallas, who plays St. Louis on Wednesday, then they get the President’s Trophy.
- The New York Islanders can clinch a spot with at least two points earned in their next two games without any help. That will be at the New Jersey Devils and then at home against Pittsburgh. The most Islander thing would be to lose both beyond 60 minutes, but we shall see. The most frightening thing for the Isles would be to lose both games as that would mean they need help to get in.
- Your wildcard teams in terms of potential points: Washington Capitals (max: 91 points), Detroit Red Wings (max: 91 points), Pittsburgh Penguins (max: 90 points), and Philadelphia Flyers (max: 89 points). This is a spicy situation made hotter by the schedule. Caps and Flyers play each other; Penguins and Islanders play each other after playing Nashville and New Jersey respectively; Detroit has a home-and-home with Montreal; and the Caps’ additional game is against Boston the night before playing Philly.
There is still plenty to play for.
Here are the games at hand for the final four days of the season for the division. The season effectively ends for the division on Wednesday. The NHL season ends on April 18 but all of six of those games are in the Western Conference. Detroit is the only Atlantic Division team with a real shot at the wild card so they remain as the only team in the wild card watch. Games within the division are highlighted and in bold. And circle those games because they are huge.
Now for the week that was and the final games for each team in the Metropolitan Division in this regular season.
New York Rangers
What Happened Last Week: The New York Rangers slipped up a bit but managed to salvage the week with a 2-2-0 result. They have one game remaining and a very good shot at not only securing the division but also the President’s Trophy.
April 7, vs. Montreal, 5-2 Win: You cannot look past any opponents in the NHL. The Rangers did the right thing and just slammed down Montreal. Shots were 46-28 in favor of New York. They never let their foot off the pedal for this one. Granted, Cayden Primeau was on fire early on. Montreal ended the first period up 1-0 thanks to Cole Caufield scoring with 30 seconds left. Then the Rangers got power play – thanks to Juraj Slafkovsky – in the second period and Mika Zibanejad tied it up. Then they got another one early in the third thanks to Joel Armia and Chris Kreider made it a 2-1 game with his own PPG. Then Artemi Panarin scored shortly after that for a 3-1 lead. Alex Newhook did provide a score to make it a one-shot game with less than eight minutes left in regulation. But Igor Shesterkin was too good, Zibanejad scored a late insurance goal, and Alexis Lafreniere sealed up the win with an empty netter. Montreal tried but the Rangers would not be ensnared.
April 9, at NY Islanders, 4-2 Loss: The Rangers would be tripped up by a horrid first period against the Islanders. They conceded 17 shots to the Isles. Igor Shesterkin was beaten three times – and it did not include a Mat Barzal penalty shot just 1:25 into the game. Mike Reilly opened the scoring, Bo Horvat tipped home a Noah Dobson shot, and Kyle Palmieri poked in a score for a 3-0 deficit in the third period. How can the Rangers recover? Through their power play. Chris Kreider punished a Reilly penalty to make it 3-1. Later on in the second, Dobson was sent off for a delay of game. Adam Fox punished that to make it 3-2. The Rangers upped the pressure and kept the Isles from doing anything – especially in the third period. The Rangers out-shot the Isles 13-4. But they could not beat Semyon Varlamov without the man advantage. Even when they pulled Shesterkin, they could not do so in the third period. With six seconds left, Anders Lee put in an empty net goal to seal up the loss. The Rangers had a chance to cause further chaos in the Eastern Conference playoff race, lock up their own chances of winning the division, and hurt their rivals. They did not succeed at any of that.
April 11, vs. Philadelphia, 4-1 Loss: 4-1 loss to Philadelphia? Who lost their last eight games? With their playoff hopes hanging in the balance? Indeed. Cam York opened the scoring in the first period. But the Rangers got the cure for what ails them: a power play. Specifically, a 5-on-3 as a too many men on the ice call by Philly led to an Erik Johnson charging penalty during that kill. Artemi Panarin converted it to make it 1-1. But the Rangers could not beat Ersson. Or get all that much on him with just 13 shots in the rest of the game after a 12-shot first period. As the Rangers were getting squeezed at one end, Bobby Brink made it 2-1 early in the second period and Travis Konecny made it 3-1 late in the second period. The Rangers were frustrated. They were dug in deeper after Noah Cates made it 4-1 with less than six minutes into the third period. The Rangers were beat. And a door has slightly opened for the Hurricanes.
April 13, vs. NY Islanders: 3-2 Shootout (SO) Win: The Rangers avoided a three-game losing streak heading into their final game by getting some revenge on their hated rivals across the City. It was contentious. It was filled with shots. It was scoreless for one period and of all of the people to open the scoring, few expected a shorthanded goal from Braden Schnieder in the second period. Pierre Engvall seemingly tied it up on that power play but a successful challenge by the Rangers wiped that goal out. They were unsuccessful in stopping Brock Nelson. He tied it up legitimately after the halfway mark of the first and put the Isles up 2-1 with 38 seconds left in the second period. The Rangers mounted a comeback effort with a mighty 20 shots on net in the third period. Artemi Panarin would break through with the third period equalizer with just over four minutes left. Nothing further would convert so overtime would be necessary. The Isles owned the fourth period but nothing went in so a shootout was needed. There, Panarin and Vincent Trocheck were the lone scorers. The 2-0 shootout win yielded a 3-2 result in the standings. One that all but sews up first place. Job done, as ever this season.
What’s Coming Up for Their End of the Season: The New York Rangers will end their season at home against Ottawa on Monday. A win secures the division, first in the Eastern Conference, and the President’s Trophy. Watch out for Brady Tkachuk, though. He does not take losing well despite being a Senator.
Carolina Hurricanes
What Happened Last Week: The Carolina Hurricanes swept their week. By going 3-0-0, they enter the end of their season just one point behind the New York Rangers for first and even own the regulation win tie breaker. They need help to take first – the cheer is “Go Sens Go,” Canes fans – but it could be sniped at the end.
April 7, vs. Columbus, 3-0 Win: Carolina did not mess around in this one. Andrei Svechnikov scoring 17 seconds into the game set the tone. Sebastian Aho punishing an Alexandre Texier holding penalty for a 2-0 lead in the first period furthered it. Surprisingly, Carolina did nothing with a 5-on-3 in the second period amid three straight penalties for the Blue Jackets. No matter. The Canes controlled a lot of the play. What the Blue Jackets did generate was stopped by Frederik Andersen. Teuvo Teravainen scored in the third period to juice the score for a dominant 3-0 win. Very nice. A fine season ender at home.
April 9, at Boston, 4-1 Win: The Hurricanes went into Boston to start their season-ending road trip. They came away with a decisive win. It took a period for the scoring to start. When it did, Carolina went up first with Svechnikov and Teravainen scoring less than three minutes apart for a 2-0 lead. Charlie McAvoy cut into that late in the second period. It did not lead to any comeback. Jake Guentzel tapped in a puck that snuck through Jeremy Swayman to make it 3-1 past halfway through the third. Seth Jarvis scored shorthanded minutes later on a Guentzel penalty for 4-1. The Canes held true, thanks to Pytor Kochetkov, and won their third straight game.
April 12, at St. Louis, 5-2 Win: In a game loaded with shots, the Hurricanes pulled through for a fourth straight victory. Zack Bolduc of St. Louis opened the scoring late in the first period, but Jordan Martinook tied it up with just over a minute left in the first. St. Louis went up when Jordan Kyrou punished a Brendan Lemieux tripping penalty on Kyrou in the second period. This was answered minutes later by Seth Jarvis to tie it up once more. The go-ahead goal would come from Jaccob Slavin in the third period, putting home a feed from Sebastian Aho. The Blues tried to tie it up once more but they could not. Frederik Andersen would not allow it. The Blues pulled their goalie late and it led to a Jake Guentzel empty net goal to seal it up at 4-2. Then the Blues did it again and Guentzel got a second ENG to boost his goal total up to 30 for the season. A win all the same and suddenly the Hurricanes can snipe first place from New York with some help.
What’s Coming Up for Their End of the Season: The Carolina Hurricanes will end their season with the end of this road trip. It will stop in Chicago and Columbus. The Hurricanes will keep an eye on the Rangers. If they falter, then the Hurricanes can take over with victories over two teams they really should beat normally. If the Rangers do not or the Canes lose to Chicago somehow, well, the stakes for the last game goes down.
New York Islanders
What Happened Last Week: The New York Islanders went 2-0-1 to enter the end of the season in third place. If only they did not drop the third period lead last night. Story of the Isles season, although they have certainly salvaged it. Clinching a playoff spot is possible in their final two games.
April 9 vs. NY Rangers, 4-2 Win: The Islanders won the latest chapter of this hated rivalry to boost their playoff odds greatly. The first period was a dream for the Islanders faithful. Mike Reilly opened the scoring, Bo Horvat tipped in a Noah Dobson shot, and Kyle Palmieri poked home a goal for a 3-0 lead. 3-0! How could this hold up? It almost did not. The Islanders got into penalty trouble. Reilly’s interference call against Jack Roslovic led to Chris Kreider scoring a PPG. Dobson’s delay of game call led to Adam Fox converting that power play to make it 3-2. A very testy 3-2. The Islanders season has been full of blown leads and lost opportunities. On this night, though, they did not. Despite being out-shot 13-4 in the third period, the score held. Semyon Varlamov would not be beaten again despite the Rangers’ intentions. Anders Lee ended it all with an empty netter with six seconds left for two huge points for the Royal Blue and Orange.
April 11, vs. Montreal, 3-2 Overtime (OT) Win: The Islanders needed overtime to avoid a loss to a playoff-less Montreal team, but they did get it done. When you are in the driver’s seat, this is fine. The start of the game was not. Jordan Harris scored late in the first period despite the Isles owning most of the shots. They took it further in the second period, out-shooting the Canadiens 14-5. All they got was a Pierre Engvall equalizer. This meant the Canadiens had a chance and they took it when Cole Caufield scored early in the third period. Casey Cizikas snuffed out disappointment with a wraparound minutes later. But the Isles could not beat Sam Montembeault again in regulation. Overtime was needed. Fortunately for the Isles, they owned overtime – and ended it. Kyle Palmieri was the hero to give the Isles an important second point to stay at least three points ahead of the pack behind them.
April 13, at NY Rangers, 3-2 SO Loss: The Islanders wanted to get one more over their hated rivals in the Rangers and ensure that their last two games are not mission-critical. Things did not go according to plan. After a goalless first period, the Isles conceded a shorty to Braden Schneider of all players. While Pierre Engvall tied it up on the power play, that goal was wiped out due to a successful challenge. A hero would emerge for the Isles: Brock Nelson. He put up a brace in the second period, with the go-ahead goal going in with 38 seconds left in the second. The Isles would try but not succeed at building on that. They were hit with a deluge of rubber. Adam Pelech, of all players, was hooked on a breakaway by Artemi Panarin and given a penalty shot – but he did not convert it. While one cannot fault Pelech for that, it must have stung when Panarin did tie up the game with over four minutes left. Yes, another third period lead lost yielding post-regulation play. The Isles had all four shots in overtime but nothing went in. The shootout came and nothing continued to go in while Panarin and Vincent Trocheck scored for the Rangers. The Islanders’ winning streak ended at six. The point earned is huge but Monday’s game in Newark and Pittsburgh on Wednesday will matter for them.
What’s Coming Up for Their End of the Season: The New York Islanders have a valuable game in Newark on Monday night. And depending on results, an even more valuable one against Pittsburgh on Wednesday night. A lot of eyes will be on the Islanders. A lot of fan bases will be supporting New Jersey on Monday and possibly Pittsburgh on Wednesday. True to the way they do business, the Isles will not care. One win or two OT losses should secure the postseason.
Washington Capitals
What Happened Last Week: The Washington Capitals won the week by going 2-1-1. They move up to fourth place. By the grace of the regulation win tie breaker, they own the second wild card spot ahead of Detroit, 30-27 in RW. They are far from safe.
April 7, vs. Ottawa, 3-2 OT Loss: Washington needed a win. They got one point in losing to a team that lost to New Jersey – New Jersey – the night before. In what became a very low event game, the Caps went up early thanks to Max Pacioretty in the first period. A 1-0 lead that lasted until 5:40 in the second period when Mark Kastelic scored a game tying goal. Late in that period, Aliaksei Protas made it a 2-1 game for the Caps. But the Capitals struggled to attack and so Ottawa would tie it up once more. Ridly Grieg provided it with a bit over seven minutes left in the third period. Overtime would be needed. There, Jake Sanderson took a shot at the Caps’ playoff hopes by taking a shot in OT that won the game for Ottawa. One point earned, but the Caps needed two. Especially from a non-playoff team like Ottawa.
April 9, at Detroit, 2-1 Win: The Capitals won a crucial game for the wild card race in Detroit. They faced loads of rubber. Charlie Lindgren was on fire for the game, denying all but one shot. The Red Wings were better at limiting the Capitals’ attack, but they were broken through in the second period. Late in the second, Dylan Strome beat Alex Lyon for a 1-0 lead. With eight seconds left in the period, the Putinist doubled the lead for Washington. A big goal as it gave the Caps some breathing room. Detroit would get one on the board, but it was too little, too late. Patrick Kane scored with 1.1 seconds left in the game. Two seconds left, officially. The Caps will be fine with that even if it denied Lindgren a shutout. The regulation win was huge for the Caps in jumping past Detroit in the standings (and Pittsburgh and Philadelphia) to own the second wild card spot for at least the night.
April 11, at Buffalo, 4-2 Loss: The Capitals lost a crucial game where the other results were not kind to Washington. In what was a low-shooting affair (Caps led in shots 24-17), the Sabres went up and never looked back. Zach Benson opened the scoring with a tip-in with a minute left in the first period. Buffalo went up 2-0 with a goal from Alex Tuch, but Connor McMichael responded with a one-touch goal from a Max Pacioretty pass to make it 2-1. The Capitals would not, well, capitalize. Buffalo did not attack much but they hit home when Jack Quinn beat Darcy Kuemper after a sick toe drag about halfway through the third to put Buffalo up 3-1. And the Capitals did, well, not much. Dylan Cozens put in an empty net goal, Tom Wilson got real mad, Wilson scored a late tip-in goal for consolation, and then had a big beef at the end of the 4-2 loss. A loss that puts Washington on the brink of missing the playoffs. To come so close, yet be so far. It hurts. It is what it is, though.
April 13, vs. Tampa Bay, 4-2 Win: The Capitals rallied to win a very important game against the Lightning. The first period saw the Bolts match what the Caps put up. Sonny Milano’s goal to open the scoring was answered about three minutes later by Anthony Duclair. Milano scored less than a minute after Duclair’s goal; this was answered by Brandon Hagel less than three minutes after that. The 2-2 score held all the way to the third period. The Lightning took two penalties in a row: Tanner Jeannot boarding Vincent Iorio and Nick Paul tripping Milano. Just after the 5-on-3 overrun ended, John Carlson converted the power play caused by Paul to make it a 3-2 game. Within the final four minutes, Nic Dowd scored a huge insurance goal on Andrei Vasilevskiy. Charlie Lindgren held on, the Capitals’ hopes live on with the week-ending victory.
What’s Coming Up for Their End of the Season: Washington will end their campaign with a nasty back-to-back set. They will host Boston on Monday night. While the B’s may have nothing to play for, they are really good and teams just do not stop being good for a night. On the next night, they will go to Philadelphia for a game that could decide the playoffs. The Capitals may own the spot right now but they will need results to keep it. Good luck, Caps. You will need it.
Philadelphia Flyers
What Happened Last Week: The Philadelphia Flyers took one hideous, seemingly season-killing loss to open their week. Then they won two games against a top and near-bottom team in their own division to win the week (2-1-0), move up to fifth place, and keep playoff hopes alive.
April 9, at Montreal, 9-3 Loss: What the hell, Philadelphia? I thought the Devils had a poorly played game leading to an ugly loss. This makes that look like a masterpiece. I am baffled by this final score. 9-3 to Montreal? Juraj Slafkovsky tipped home a Michael Matheson shot for a 1-0 deficit just over a minute into the game, but that held. But the Flyers spiraled out of control over eight minutes into the second period. Slafkovsky scored. Then Brendan Gallagher scored. Then Slafkovsky earned his hat trick. Then Josh Anderson scored. At this point, Sam Ersson was replaced by Ivan Fedotov. He was quickly beaten by Christian Dvorak. At this point, it was 6-0 in the second period. Philly got a consolation goal early in the third from Ryan Poehling. Woo. Then came more pain by Montreal. Dvorak scored again. Over a minute later, Gallagher scored again. The Flyers got two more consolation goals from Joel Farabee and Erik Johnson. If that was not enough, Joel Armia scored with less than two minutes left. 9-3. Eight losses in a row. Mostly to teams the Flyers have soared over this season. How are you the way you are, Philadelphia?
April 11, at NY Rangers, 4-1 Win: The Flyers ended their terrible losing streak at this awful time by beating the division leaders by three. What? Really? Really. The first period seemed like it would be a close one at least. Cam York scored early. But a five-on-three late in the first period led to an equalizer by Artemi Panarin. But the Flyers’ penalty kill held true after then. Bobby Brink scored early in the second to make it 2-1. Travis Konecny provided a huge insurance goal within the final minute of the second period to make it 3-1. The Rangers could not get back into the game. When Noah Cates made it 4-1 just under six minutes into the third period, the Flyers could relax a bit. Sam Ersson was great. The Flyers finally won a game. Carolina appreciated it too. Maybe their playoff hopes are not dead yet.
April 13, vs. New Jersey, 1-0 Win: The Flyers took on the Devils and the two played a game that featured not a whole lot getting on net. Shots were 21-20 in favor of Philly for the entire game. Goalies Sam Ersson and Kaapo Kahkonen certainly did their jobs well. Fortunately for Philadelphia, they got the lone goal to beat Kahkonen against a sleepy and disinterested Devils squad. While killing their only penalty of the game, Travis Konecny scored a shorthanded goal. The only goal of a game was scored 50 seconds past halfway through the second period and it held up. Philly lives on for another day.
What’s Coming Up for Their End of the Season: Philadelphia has one last potential shot. And it is on Tuesday when they host a Washington Capitals team that will be similarly desperate. They still need help. It is still a must-win game for the Flyers.
Pittsburgh Penguins
What Happened Last Week: The Pittsburgh Penguins went 1-1-1 in this past week and fall to sixth place. Worse, they are behind three teams by a point – and two of those teams have the same number of games played as the Pens.
April 8, at Toronto, 3-2 OT Loss: Pittsburgh will wish they got two from this one. However, their position allows them to at least appreciate a point in this one. They did well to start with a strong first period and Rickard Rakell scoring late for a 1-0 lead. Matthew Knies tied it up for Toronto on a tip-in in the second period. Auston Matthews put up a PPG early in the third to force Pittsburgh to attack more. That did pay off for the Pens as Drew O’Connor tied it up for Pittsburgh. That held for overtime. Alas, Jake McCabe finished it in OT to hand the Penguins the OTL. A point still earned to keep ahead.
April 11, vs. Detroit, 6-5 OT Win: An absolutely huge game for both sides ended in favor of the Penguins. Albeit in overtime so Detroit remains just behind the Penguins in the standings. Not ideal for Pittsburgh but better than a loss. This was a wild one back and forth. Drew O’Connor scored 2:40 into the game and Lucas Raymond answered back at 3:39. Kris Letang made it 2-1 at 15:09 only for Raymond to tie it up at 19:46 (that’s 14 seconds left) in the first period. The Penguins took a big step forward in the second period with goals by Sidney Crosby and Bryan Rust. Jeff Petry would make it a one-score game with 36 seconds left in the second period, keeping Detroit in it. There were penalties in this game but the only special teams goal was a shorthanded goal by Jeff Carter early in the third period. But the Penguins could not maintain the 5-3 lead. Dylan Larkin scored at 12:56 and Raymond finished his hat trick at 14:53 to make it a 5-5 game. It was tense as the game went into overtime. After Rickard Rakell was denied at the right post, Crosby won the puck back and sent it to Erik Karlsson. Karlsson wound up, unloaded his slapshot, and the puck went in for the huge second point. The Penguins remain ahead of Detroit, Washington, and Philadelphia for another night thanks to that second point.
April 13, vs. Boston, 6-4 Loss: Boston pulled ahead in this one and the Penguins could never fully recover. After a strong first period effort by the Pens, the Bruins opened the scoring with a quick double over eight minutes into the second period. Jake DeBrusk and Pavel Zacha scored 14 seconds apart to put Pittsburgh down two. Bryan Rust re-directed in a puck a little later to get the Pens on the board. The Bruins responded with two more scores. Kevin Shattenkirk scored over a minute after Rust’s goal. While Pittsburgh had a power play from Jesper Boqvist tripping up Lars Eller, Brad Marchand scored a shorty to put the Pens down 4-1. The Penguins would muster up some hope in this one. Michael Bunting would convert the power play to make it 4-2 after Marchand’s goal. After Marcus Pettersson was sent to the box for tripping David Pastrnak, Drew O’Connor scored a huge shorthanded goal to make it a 4-3 game with over 15 minutes left in the game. The Pens killed that call and then another. Then Morgan Geekie tore down the hope with a one-timer in the slot with 5:50 left in the game. 5-3 for Boston. Pittsburgh pulled their goalie early and Danton Heinen scored an empty netter. Evgeni Malkin pulled a goal back but there was not going to be a miracle comeback of three goals within the final 100 seconds. The Penguins lost a crucial game and now sit behind three teams for a playoff spot.
What’s Coming Up for Their End of the Season: Pittsburgh will end this season with two big games. They will host Nashville on Monday. Nashville is in, the Penguins are not, but the pressure will be on all the same because a Penguins loss may seal their fate. On Wednesday night, they will visit the Islanders in what could be a win-or-go-home situation for the Penguins. And depending on Monday night, for the Islanders too. A season of “it’s so over / we’re so back” is coming to its conclusion.
New Jersey Devils
What Happened Last Week: The New Jersey Devils were eliminated on April 9 with a loss to Toronto. They went 1-2-1 to lose the week and just fade into their season ender on Monday. Feels bad, man.
April 7, vs. Nashville, 3-2 Shootout (SO) Loss: The New Jersey Devils saw two small leads go away before it all ended in the shootout, New Jersey’s first since their second game of this season. Jack Hughes opened the scoring by scoring on the game’s first shot against Juuse Saros. This was answered later when a Roman Josi shot went off a sensitive area of Kaapo Kahkonen and into the net. Kahkonen had to come out and Jake Allen came in. The Devils kept the score even and got a break early in the third period. Tomas Nosek picked off a lax Saros play next to the net to feed a puck to a crashing Chris Tierney. Tierney made it 2-1. Alas, third period leads and the Devils do not go together. Simon Nemec’s delay of game call at the end of a Kevin Bahl high-sticking penalty led to Luke Evangelista pounding in a rebound from Ryan O’Reilly for a 2-2 score. The score held all the way to the shootout. Only Ryan O’Reilly scored so the Devils got one meaningless point out of the loss.
April 9, vs. Toronto, 5-2 Loss: Jack Hughes was shut down for the season prior to this game and scheduled for shoulder surgery. Why he was allowed to play as many practically meaningless games as he did is a question for the Devils management to answer. Anyway. The Devils came out with a listless effort overall against the Maple Leafs. Nick Robertson scored first off a rebound; the 53rd time the Devils did that this season. The Devils did answer back when Nico Hischier finished a lovely pass from Dawson Mercer late in the first period. In the second period, the Devils went up 2-1 on a power play. Yes, really. Dawson Mercer swept in a rebound around Joseph Woll for the lead. Jake Allen seemed in control. Then it fell apart and the Devils never recovered. A quick double from Tyler Bertuzzi and Mark Giordano just nine seconds apart from each other turned a 2-1 game into a 3-2 deficit. One the Devils would not recover from as the Maple Leafs kept attacking and the Devils struggled to keep up. Auston Matthews scored his 66th goal of the season in the third period, Bertuzzi added an ENG, and the Devils that essentially signaled their season was over lost like a team that knew that. And with this loss, their season was officially over. They were mathematically eliminated from the playoffs on this night.
April 11, at Toronto, 6-5 Win: It was going to be a long night as John Tavares scored five-hole on Jake Allen just 18 seconds into the game. But for Toronto too as Erik Haula put back a rebound just 21 seconds later to make it 1-1. Auston Matthews was found in space to make it 2-1 minutes later – only for Nolan Foote to take a terrible turnover by Mark Giordano and go around Ilya Samsonov to make it 2-2. Nick Robertson seemingly made it 3-2 on a rush play – but a successful offside challenge by New Jersey wiped that one off the board. After Max Domi slashed Luke Hughes, Timo Meier made it a 3-2 game with a one-timer from Jesper Bratt. That was all in the first period alone. Toronto would come back in the second period. Matthews would get free in front to one-touch a Domi feed around Jonas Siegenthaler to tie it up. Shortly after that, David Kampf was left alone at the crease and beat Allen to make it 4-3. This held until T.J. Brodie hooked Bratt. After a faceoff win by Nico Hischier, Meier blasted in a power play goal with 12 seconds left in the second period to make it 4-4. This held for another 10 minutes or so when Matthews tripped up Luke Hughes. This was punished by a long one timer by Jesper Bratt from the aforementioned Hughes to make it 5-4. Could the Devils hold onto the lead for 8 minutes and change? No. Toronto stormed the net and eventually would cash in when John Tavares roofed a shot past Allen to make it 5-5 with less than five minutes left. Overtime seemed inevitable until Bratt got free down the left side of the zone. He skated in, saw the far post, fired, and scored with 1:14 left in regulation. 6-5 for New Jersey. Samsonov was pulled, Ondrej Palat took a tripping penalty, and the Devils scrambled and scrambled to survive. Which they did. It was a meaningless game but still a win and something Maple Leafs fans can worry about as their team enters the postseason. I mean, six goals out of 20 shots on net? Not New Jersey’s problem.
April 13, at Philadelphia, 1-0 Loss: The New Jersey Devils followed up their 20-shot performance in Toronto with another one in Philadelphia. Unfortunately, Sam Ersson played a whole lot better than Ilya Samsonov. Ersson stopped all 20 that were on target and not into the legs and sticks and skates of Flyers. The Devils did keep the Flyers’ attack to a minimum with a mere 21 shots allowed. Unfortunately, the lone Devils power play of the early evening begat a Travis Konecny shorthanded goal. Kaapo Kahkonen did the best he could but teams cannot win without goals being scored. That shorty by Konecny did them in. A listless performance against a rival? Seems about right for the 2023-24 Devils.
What’s Coming Up for Their End of the Season: The Devils will end their season of failure by hosting the Islanders on Monday night. They could do one last bit of damage to the playoff picture they played themselves out of in 2023-24. In theory. The Isles may be more secure than it looks.
Columbus Blue Jackets
What Happened Last Week: This season has been such a mess for the Columbus Blue Jackets. From start to finish, it has just been one failure and shortcoming after another. This past week was no different as they lost all four games on their road trip; a 0-4-0 week filled with decisive losses.
April 7, at Carolina, 3-0 Loss: So much for spoiling Carolina. The Hurricanes went up super early as Andrei Svechnikov scored 17 seconds into the game. An Alexandre Texier holding penalty begat a Sebastian Aho power play goal for a 2-0 lead. Columbus was out-played throughout the game and survived three straight calls in the second period, including a 5-on-3 situation. Frederik Andersen stopped what little the Blue Jackets generated. Teuvo Teravainen made it 3-0 in the third period to ensure the loss. Another loss to Carolina to keep this season dwindling to the end.
April 9, at Tampa Bay, 5-2 Loss: So much for spoiling Tampa Bay. This was a close game for over two periods. The first period featured a late goal by Brayden Point and an even later one by Kirill Marchenko to make it 1-1. In the second period, it was about the power play. Marchenko scored a PPG at 7:13 and about seven minutes later, Steven Stamkos scored a PPG himself. Coincidence? I think so. It all fell for Columbus in the third period. Anthony Cirelli broke the deadlock at 5:40, Stamkos scored on the next shift at 5:56, and the Blue Jackets could not claw one back after going down 4-2. Stamkos completed his hat trick with an empty net goal. Tampa Bay took the season series, 2-1-0, and Columbus will just move on with their final full week of tough road games.
April 11, at Florida, 4-0 Loss: So much for spoiling Florida. The Panthers put the Blue Jackets down early and never really let up. Matthew Tkachuk scored 47 seconds into the game. Sergei Bobrovsky stopped the 25 shots that Columbus generated. The Panthers would get three more goals among their 46 shots against Jet Greaves. A quick double late in the second period by Evan Rodrigues and Sam Reinhart made it 3-0. Vladimir Tarasenko tacked on a fourth goal late to complete the decisive shutout loss. Next.
April 13, at Nashville, 6-4 Loss: So much for spoiling Nashville. The Blue Jackets struck first with an early goal and a first NHL goal by James Malatesta. This was quickly responded by Tommy Novak to tie it up. A few minutes later, Kirill Marchenko tripped Cody Glass and Roman Josi responded with a PPG to put the Jackets down 2-1. Later in the first period, Novak struck again to make it a 3-1 game going into the second period. Nashville kept flexing on Jet Greaves in the second period. Cody Glass tipped home an Alexander Carrier shot early in the second for a 4-1 score. Alexandre Texier pulled a goal back past the halfway mark. But Columbus took another penalty (Alexander Nylander high sticking) and Filip Forsberg punished that to make it 5-2. Josi scored again shortly thereafter for a 6-2 score. The Predators could cruise through the third period and they did. Columbus got two consolation goals from one man: Trey Fix-Wolansky. The second of which took place with 30 seconds left. It’s almost over, Blue Jacket fans. Just one more night of potential pain.
What’s Coming Up for Their End of the Season: Columbus returns home for one last game in this season of misery. They will host Carolina on Tuesday night. Depending on what happens on Sunday and Monday, it may not matter much for Carolina. It definitely does not matter for Columbus. So it goes and how it went in 2023-24 for the Blue Jackets.
That’s it. 27 weekly Metropolitan Division snapshots. The regular season will end in this week. Thank you to everyone who read these snapshots either today, earlier, or throughout this season. I know they do not get a ton of comments or attention between it being on Sundays and it being about the standings. As long as the playoffs are driven by divisional play, such a snapshot has value to be covered on a week-to-week basis. In any case, feel free to leave any lasting comments or messages of hope or doubt for the eight teams in the division. Thank you, again, for reading.