East Division Update - March 25th

All of the divisions' teams were in action tonight, making for an action-packed evening. The Penguins hosted Buffalo again, the Capitals hosted the Devils, the Flyers hosted the Rangers and the Bruins hosted the Islanders. These games were all pretty competitive, so let's get to my analysis below.

(Image Credits (left to right): 1 - NewsBeezer, 2 - Jaspers' Rink, 3 - HomeNewsHere, 4 - Philidelphia Inquirerer)

SABERS @ PENGUINS

The Sabers are the Sabers and that's about all there really is to say. The Penguins were coming off a dominant performance against the Sabers in their last contest and carried that same momentum into this one, capitalizing on their scoring chances. The Sabers pressured for long periods of time in this game, but Pittsburgh goaltender Casey DeSmith turned away their chances. The Pens goalie stopped all 36 Sabers shots and earned the shutout for the third time in his career against Buffalo. The Sabers also had a goal called back on an offside, in which Jeff Skinner went in before the puck, which helped preserve the shutout for DeSmith. Penguins would win this one 4-0, a game in which Sidney Crosby earned his 1,300th career point. The loss extends the Sabers skid to 16 games, which is near the record when Pittsburgh lost 18 straight in 2003-2004.

Scoring:

Sabers: No Goals.

Penguins: Radim Zohorna (1st NHL Goal), Jared McCann (6,7 - PPG's), Jake Guentzal (14 - EN).

DEVILS @ CAPITALS

The New Jersey Devils had been playing better hockey coming into this game, beating Pittsburgh in 2/3 last weekend. The Capitals were coming off a loss to the Rangers in their last contest and looked to get back to winning. The Capitals and Devils fought it out pretty hard in this one, with New Jersey controlling the majority of the play and keeping the game more defensive-minded. The Devils had leads in both of the first two periods but squandered them to a Capitals team that has been surging offensively as of late. Capitals captain Alex Ovechkin continues to heat up in the goal category, scoring another bomb of a slapshot which led Washington to the narrow 4-3 win in regulation. The Devils looked very good for long parts of this game, and should not be disappointed with their effort. Center Jack Hughes has been a stud for New Jersey all year, after starting his NHL campaign slow last season. Evgeny Kuznetzov got two goals for Washington as well, as he hopes to break out of a bit of a scoring drought. The Devils outshot Washington 24-22, but could not beat Vitek Vanecek in the waning moments of the game.

Scoring:

Devils: Nicholas Merkley (2), Miles Wood (10), Jesper Bratt (3-PPG).

Capitals: Dimitry Orlov (4), Alex Ovechkin (15), Evgeny Kuznetzov (4,5).

ISLANDERS @ BRUINS

This game was exactly what the Isles wanted it to be. It was a close, highly-competitive defensive-minded game, which plays right into Barry Trotz's strengths. The Islanders got the 4-3 win in overtime, after fighting hard and controlling most of the offensive zone time. The Bruins lost another close game, and that is continuing to hurt them in the standings as they trail Pittsburgh now by 7 points. The Islanders are fighting with Washington for first place in the East, and continue to show why they deserve to be in the running for the division title. The Bruins need to get their game together quickly, as the push for the playoffs is now on and we're into the second half of the season. Tukka Rask also got hurt in this game for Boston, which could mean even more trouble for an already slacking team.

Scoring:

Bruins: Karson Kuhlman (1), Steven Kampfer (1 - PPG), Anders Bjork (2).

Islanders: Jean Gabriel-Pageau (11), Josh Bailey (5), Oliver Wahlstrom (9), Anothony Beauvillier (5 - OT Winner).

RANGERS @ FLYERS

This game was another blowout win by the Rangers, as they continue to dominate Philidelphia this season. The Flyers have REAL struggles keeping the puck out of their net right now and are not scoring enough goals to compensate for it. The Rangers are beginning to click as a team, which is making them a little bit of a threat to sneak up the standings. The Blueshirts offense is absolutely buzzing right now, with Mika Zibinijad and Artemi Panarin finding their respective games at the right time. The Flyers, I think will miss the playoffs because of how poorly Carter Hart and Brian Elliot have played for them in goal in their second half of the season. Teams are supposed to get better and gain confidence down the stretch, and Philidelphia is doing just the opposite of that.

Scoring:

Rangers: Ryan Strome (11), Pavel Buchnevich (12,13 - SHG), Mika Zibenijad (8,9,10 - Hattrick/PPG's), K'Andre Miller (3), Filip Chytil (5).

Flyers: Claude Giroux (8), Kevin Hayes (10 - PPG), Sean Couturier (9 - PPG).

Standings Update After Tonight

1. Islanders

2. Capitals

3. Penguins

4. Bruins

5. Rangers

6. Flyers

7. Devils

8. Sabers