East Division Update - March 13th

Once again, all eight teams in the division were in action, making for a busy night. The post for this one will be brief summaries, but I'll still make sure to get the point across. Let's dive into the action for March 13th below.

(Image Credits: 1 - Broad Street Hockey, 2 - PensBurgh, 3 - All About the Jersey, 4 - WCVB)

WASHINGTON @ PHILIDELPHIA

The Caps and Flyers met for the second time in two games, getting pretty familiar with each other at this point. The Caps came out hard and built themselves to a 3-0 lead by the second period. Philly pushed back, however, making a game out of it. The Caps and Flyers would trade chances until Nic Dowd got the goal late in the third to put Washington up by two. The Flyers tried to get back into it, but only added one tally, ultimately losing this one 5-4 at home. The Capitals are rolling as of late, earning their fourth victory in a row, which is a season-high for them. Philadelphia continues to struggle with their goaltending, as Brian Elliot was beaten from severe angles twice in this game.

Scoring:

Washington: Daniel Sprong (5), Carl Hagelin (3), Nick Jensen (2), Alex Ovechkin (10-PPG), Nic Dowd (6).

Philidelphia: James Van Riemsdyk (12), Nolan Patrick (3), Shayne Gostisbehere (5, PPG), Claude Giroux (5).

PENGUINS @ SABERS

When things aren't going well for a team, they can't seem to get a stroke of puck luck whatsoever. This was the case with the Buffalo Sabers in their matchup with the Pittsburgh Penguins last night at KeyBank Center. The Sabers had some great chances throughout the first two periods, but couldn't beat goaltender Casey DeSmith, as he picked up the shutout and got Pittsburgh the 3-0 win. The Penguins just coasted through the first two periods, but finally broke the 0-0 tie on the powerplay, thanks to winger Jake Guentzal. Sidney Crosby and Mark Jankowski added empty-net goals in the final minutes to secure Pittsburgh their 5th straight win. The Sabers have now lost 10 in a row, and cannot seem to get anything going in the right direction right now.

Scoring:

Penguins: Jake Guentzal (10-PPG), Sidney Crosby (10-EN), Mark Jankowski (2-EN).

Sabers: No Goals.

ISLANDERS @ DEVILS

This game was a close one between the Islanders and Devils, in which New Jersey lead for the majority of the contest. The Devils have had trouble holding leads however and lost this one as well. The Islanders pulled off the come-from-behind win 3-2 and earned their 8th straight, which clearly makes them the hottest team in the NHL right now. The Devils failed to finish a game again, just one of the big reasons they sit at the bottom of the Eastern division standings. The Islanders have played New Jersey and Buffalo a lot lately, which is something to take note of, although 8 in a row is still an impressive feat. Another note is Isles captain Anders Lee was placed on Long Term Injured Reserve before the game, which will make things challenging for the offense going forward.

Scoring:

Islanders: Oliver Wahlstrom (5), Kieffer Bellows (1,2).

Devils: Pavel Zacha (7), Janne Kuokkanen (4).

RANGERS @ BRUINS

This game was not much of a challenge for the Rangers, which came as a surprise to many. The Boston Bruins have been struggling lately, but many would've thought they'd put up a better effort in this game, especially against a Rangers team that has had some trouble lately as well. The Rangers got a major boost with the return of Artemi Panarin after some allegations forced him away from the rink for a few weeks. He got involved in the offense right away, getting an assist on the first goal. The Rangers skated to a commanding 4-0 win at TD Garden and held Boston to only 18 shots on goal. The Bruins are starting to pay for losing these games, and have fallen behind Pittsburgh in the standings, who they play in two important games next week.

Scoring:

Bruins: No Goals.

Rangers: K'Andre Miller (2), Chris Krieder (14), Ryan Strome (10), Pavel Buchnevich (8).

Standings Update After Tonight:

1. Islanders

2. Capitals

3. Penguins

4. Bruins

5. Flyers

6. Rangers

7. Devils

8. Sabers