East Division Update - February 20th

This Saturday was full of action across the league, but held some big games within the division, as well as a big milestone (I will get to that in another post).

(Credit: Image 1: NY Times, Image 2: Record-Journal, Image 3: Pittsburgh Post Gazette)

Game 1: Rangers @ Capitals

Game 2: Devils @ Sabers

Game 3: Islanders @ Penguins

RANGERS @ CAPITALS

This game featured two teams that were both starting to trend in the right direction. The Capitals were coming off a win against Buffalo on Thursday night in D.C., while the Rangers were coming off a big shootout victory in Philadelphia. The Rangers have had their way with the Caps this year, and that continued for this 12:30pm start in Washington. The Rangers got the momentum early, with a powerplay goal from Kreider in the first period, and never looked back. They skated to a 4-1 win, and continued where they left off in Philly on Thursday. Number-one pick Lafreniere got his second goal of the season in this game, which should help him pick up his game offensively.

Scoring:

1st Period: Rangers: Chris Kreider, 5th of the season (PPG)

2nd Period: Rangers: Alexis Lafreniere, 2nd of the season (Even Strength) and Ryan Strome, 5th of the season (Even Strength). Washington: Dimitry Orlov, 1st of the season (Even Strength)

3rd Period: Rangers: Mika Zibanejad, 2nd of the season (SHG)

DEVILS @ SABERS

This game featured two teams going in opposite directions. The Devils were coming off a big win against the Bruins a few nights ago, while the Sabers lost their recent game at home to the New York Islanders. The Sabers have had many problems this season, and that doesn't just include the hockey aspect. The team facility was shut down for about 15 days due to a covid outbreak, and this threw off any chemistry that could've been. The Devils also had an outbreak issue, but were playing well before it, and continued to play well upon their return. The Sabers would be the ones to take this game, as it was a tight checking, 3-2 Buffalo win. This shows that even the bad teams, can have a good game every once in a while.

Scoring:

1st Period: Buffalo: Colin Miller, 2nd of the season (Even Strength)

2nd Period: Buffalo: Sam Reinhart, 4th/5th of the season, (4 - Even Strength, 5 - PPG)

3rd Period: New Jersey: Kyle Palmieri, 3rd of the season, (Even Strength)/ P.K. Subban, 1st of the season, (PPG)

ISLANDERS @ PENGUINS

This one was again highly anticipated, as the Penguins beat the Isles 4-1 on Thursday night. The Pens have been playing well lately, getting contributions throughout the lineup. The Islanders had an 8-game point streak prior to Thursdays' game, and were looking to get back in the win column. The Penguins gave a very nice tribute to captain Sidney Crosby for skating in his 1000th career game. The team gave him a fantastic video, as well as a silver stick for his achievement. The staff also presented him with a collage of pictures from every one of his games, that formed a larger portrait of his three Stanley Cup championships. That photo is included below. In the game, the Penguins started very slow, with goaltender Tristan Jarry keeping them in it for much of the first two periods. The third would be different, as the Pens got a PPG and contributions from defenseman to beat the Isles again in a come behind win, 3-2. The Islanders fought very hard in this game, but just couldn't beat Jarry. As for Pittsburgh, this is their second win in a row against New York, who they've beat 3/4 times so far. Crosby would also add two assists in his 1000th game, putting him at 1,278 points.

Scoring:

1st Period: None, Tristan Jarry was the reason why. Shots 15-4 Isles after 1.

2nd Period: Penguins: Kris Letang, 1st of the season (PPG). Islanders: Jordan Eberle, 7th of the season (Even Strength)

3rd Period: Islanders: Brock Nelson, 5th of the season (Even Strength) Penguins: Mike Matheson, 1st of the season (Even Strength)/ Kris Letang, 2nd of the season (Even Strength)

- Tristan Jarry made 33 saves on 35 shots, while Varlomov made only 15 saves on 18 shots.