East Division Update - March 11th

All eight teams in the division were in action once again this evening, making for a very busy night. The slumping Sabers hosted the Pittsburgh Penguins, the Capitals took a trip to Philidelphia to open up a two-game set, the Devils traveled to Long Island to face the Islanders, and the Bruins welcomed the New York Rangers in an original six matchup. The post is a lot to cover, and as a result, each summary will be shorter than usual. Let us dive into each game below.

(Image Credits: 1 - Daily Herald, 2 - Blueshirt Banter, 3 - Broad Street Hockey, 4 - PensBurgh)

DEVILS @ ISLANDERS

The New Jersey Devils have been in a lot of tight games lately, and come out of them with nothing to show for it. They are at the bottom of the division due to their inability to finish the game the right way. The Islanders are the hottest team in the NHL right now, having won 6 straight coming into this one, and climbing into first place this past week. This game turned out as expected, with the Isles winning their 7th straight and the Devils losing another close one in regulation. Final Score, NYI - 5, NJD - 3.

Scoring:

Devils: Janne Kuokkanen (3), Mikhail Maltsev (4), Jack Hughes (6) (Even Strength).

Islanders: Matt Martin (5), Adam Pelech (2), Noah Dobson (3), Josh Baily (3), Brock Nelson (11).

RANGERS @ BRUINS

The Boston Bruins have been slumping recently and needed a big performance in this game against a Rangers team coming off two losses to Pittsburgh earlier this week. The Rangers played well for stretches of those games in Pitt earlier this week but still fell short of gaining any ground in the division. They are a young team that is starting to gel but still needs to get familiar with each other before they become a contender. The Bruins absolutely got the performance they needed in this one, dominating the Rangers all night en-route to a 4-0 win at TD Garden in Boston. The Rangers are still trying to find their team game, and this game proved they've got some work ahead of them yet. Boston goalie Jaroslav Halak made 27 saves for the shutout in this one as well.

Scoring:

Rangers: No Goals.

Bruins: David Pasternak (12, Even Strength), Patrice Bergeron (10, SHG), David Krejci (1, Even Strength), Jake Debrusk (2, Even Strength).

CAPITALS @ FLYERS

The Caps came into this one picking up some momentum, having recently beaten the New Jersey Devils at home in overtime. They have been playing better defensively lately, and are starting to get consistent goaltending from Ilya Samsonov, who returned from a conditioning stint in Hershey just two weeks ago. The Flyers have been slumping lately and looked to turn it around here at home against the Capitals. The Caps would continue their offensive prowess, and get some goals from the defense as well, leading them to a 5-3 victory. The Flyers made critical mistakes again, and goaltender Brian Elliot was beaten 4 times on 21 shots against. This was a close one at the end as Philly was trying to make a push, but Washington added an empty netter to seal it. The Capitals captain Alex Ovechkin is continuing to heat up as well, adding another goal tonight to reach 715 in his outstanding career.

Scoring:

Capitals: Alex Ovechkin (9), Conor Sheary (6), John Carlson (6), Nic Dowd (4) (Even Strength), Nic Dowd (5 - Empty Net).

Flyers: Travis Konecny (7, PPG), Ivan Proverov (3, ES), Scott Laughton (7, ES).

PENGUINS @ SABERS

The Penguins were coming off two big wins against the New York Rangers last week and looked to win their fourth straight in Buffalo tonight. The Sabers have been on a MAJOR slump this season, having lost 8 in a row, and playing without captain Jack Eichel due to an injury. The outcome was what most would've expected, with the Penguins skating to a 5-2 win. The Sabers really only pushed in the first period, with the Penguins dominating them for 45/60 minutes tonight. Buffalo did hit 4 posts in this game, which is just the way the puck is bouncing for the Sabers this season. The Penguins Evgeni Malkin added another goal in this one, as he and Kasperi Kapanen keep developing their chemistry and play. Pens goalie Tristan Jarry got another win as well, stopping 21/23, and nearly scoring an empty-net goal.

Scoring:

Penguins: Evgeni Malkin (7, ES), Brandon Tanev (6, ES), Jake Guentzel (9, PPG), Anothony Angelo (1, ES), Bryan Rust (9, EN).

Sabers: Tage Thompson (1, ES), Victor Olofsson (8, ES).

Standings Update After Tonight:

1. Islanders

2. Capitals

3. Penguins

4. Bruins

5. Flyers

6. Rangers

7. Devils

8. Sabers