East Division Update - February 27th

The division featured three games tonight, two of which were highly contested. The first, Pittsburgh @ NY Islanders, needed overtime to decide. The second, Washington @ New Jersey, needed a big-time third period by one to determine a winner. The third of three on the night, Flyers @ Sabers, was the only game that featured a shutout performance. My analysis of each game below.

(Image Credits: 1 - The Blade Never Breaks, 2 - The Sports Daily, 3 - NBCS Washington)

PENGUINS @ ISLANDERS

The Penguins came into this game with a sour taste, following a 5-2 loss to bitter rival Washington on Thursday night. The Pens knew they had to get back on track, as the standings are extremely tight in this division. The Islanders were feeling pretty good about themselves though, after routing division leader Boston 7-2 at home on Thursday. The Islanders started on top and kept fighting all game, but it wasn't enough to keep a team down that is used to playing without the lead. The Penguins got the W in this one in overtime, after coming into the third, down 3-2. Pittsburgh defenseman Kris Letang got two goals for the second time this season, continuing to heat up and contribute offensively. Islanders goalie Semyon Varlamov fell down on the Pittsburgh powerplay, and let some soft ones get by him after that, contributing to the loss. Tristan Jarry was great again for the Penguins though, making 24 saves on 27 shots, and staying cool under pressure in the second period.

Scoring:

1st Period: Islanders: Brock Nelson, 6th of the season (PPG). Penguins: None.

2nd Period: Islanders: Matt Barzal, 8th of the season (Even Strength), Josh Baily, 2nd of the season (Even Strength). Penguins: Sidney Crosby, 7th of the season (PPG), Kris Letang, 3rd of the season (Even Strength).

3rd Period: Penguins: Jared McCann, 3rd of the season (Even Strength). Islanders: No Goals.

Overtime: Kris Letang, 4th of the season (OT Winnter).

WASHINGTON @ NEW JERSEY

The Caps and Devils met for the second time in a week, after New Jersey blew a lead late in their last meeting. The Capitals were coming off a big win against the rival Pittsburgh Penguins on Thursday night, 5-2. The Devils were also coming off a win, coming in Buffalo on Thursday night in overtime, 4-3. This one was started on time by Washington, and not by New Jersey, as they found themselves down by three goals early in the first period. The Capitals got depth scoring throughout the game and were able to stem off the second-period surge by New Jersey to get the 5-2 victory. New Jersey goalie Mackenzie Blackwood struggled, giving up five goals on 23 shots. Washington goaltender Vitec Vanecek showed some promise in this game, making 22 saves on 24 shots for the win.

1st Period: Washington: Garnet Hathaway, 3rd of the season (Even Strength), Daniel Sprong, 3rd of the season (Even Strength), Lars Eller, 4th of the season (Even Strength). New Jersey: Nico Hischier, 2nd of the season (PPG).

2nd Period: New Jersey: Pavel Zacha, 6th of the season (Even Strength). Washington: No Goals.

3rd Period: Washington: Jakub Vrana, 6th of the season (Even Strength), Nic Dowd, 3rd of the season (Even Strength). New Jersey: No Goals.

FLYERS @ SABERS

The summary of this one won't last too long, as you can probably guess that the Sabers lost again. After losing captain Jack Eichel and goalie Linus Ullmark last game to injuries, the Sabers were really down in the dumps, looking for any kind of spark they could get. Unfortunately, they were playing a very good Flyers team tonight, and their woes would continue, as they got shutout 3-0 at home. Goalie Brian Elliot made 23 saves for the shutout for Philidephia, while Buffalo goaltender Carter Hutton gave up three goals on 39 shots. That stat wouldn't be too bad for Hutton, but his offense gave him no help in this one.

Scoring:

1st Period: Flyers: Sean Couturier, 4th of the season (Even Strength). Buffalo: No Goals.

2nd Period: Flyers: Shayne Gostisbehere, 2nd of the season (Even Strength), Scott Laughton, 5th of the season (Even Strength). Sabers: No Goals.

3rd Period: No Goals.

Standings Update After Tonight:

1. Capitals

2. Bruins

3. Islanders

4. Flyers

5. Penguins

6. Rangers

7. Devils

8. Sabers