East Division Update - March 29th

There were two games tonight, both of which were close. The Penguins hosted the Islander again in Pittsburgh, while the Flyers traveled to Buffalo for a date with the bottom-feeder Sabers. My analysis of the two below.

(Image Credits: 1 - PensBurgh, 2 - Times Now Canada)

ISLANDERS @ PENGUINS

This game was sure to be a good one after what happened Saturday night in Pittsburgh. The Penguins poured it on in that one, beating the Islanders 6-3, and looked to continue that here tonight. The Islanders came out sloppy again, and Pittsburgh took advantage scoring early on the powerplay. The Islanders would give up another goal to Jared McCann off the rush, putting them down 2-0 after the first period. The Islanders settled down in the second period and began to tilt the ice in their favor. New York outshot Pittsburgh heavily in the second period, but only got one goal on the man-advantage. The Pens shutdown the Islanders in the third period, and won this game 2-1. Mat Barzal was flying all night for the Isles, he just couldn't bury one past the Pens' goalies. The Penguins would have to put Casey DeSmith in the net after Tristan Jarry left the game early due to an upper-body injury. There is no further update as to how long he'll remain out of the lineup. DeSmith made 19 saves upon his entrance into the game, including critical ones in the second period when New York controlled the ice completely. Pittsburgh is flying right now, getting contributions throughout the lineup, and finished the month of March with a fantastic record of 13-2-1 despite all their injuries.

Scoring:

Islanders: Matt Martin (6-PPG).

Penguins: Anthony Angello (2-PPG), Jared McCann (8).

FLYERS @ SABERS

This game looked like it would be the one that Buffalo could finally get two points. The Flyers had been struggling immensely lately, and Buffalo took it to them early, leading 3-0 after two periods. The Flyers knew they couldn't let themselves lose to the Sabers though, and began a comeback early in the final frame. The Sabers had a chance at the empty net to seal the 4-2 win late but pushed it wide. The Flyers took it right back and tied it, eventually leading to overtime. The two battled it out in the extra frame, but Philly prevailed on a goal from defenseman Ivan Proverov that sealed the 4-3 win for the Flyers. The Sabers couldn't avoid a collapse yet again and have now lost 18 straight games, equalling the 03'-04' Penguins skid for worst in NHL history. The Flyers needed to not lose this game, but this shows that the team is not anywhere near where they need to be if they have hopes of making the playoffs. As if things could not get worse for Buffalo, Dylan Cozens got hurt in the first period and did return the rest of the game.

Scoring:

Flyers: Kevin Hayes (11), Claude Giroux (9), Sean Couturier (10), Ivan Provorov (5 - OT Winner).

Sabers: Henri Jokiharju (2), Cody Eakin (2), Brandon Montour (2).

Standings Update After Tonight:

1. Washington - 50 Points

2. NY Islanders - 48 Points

3. Pittsburgh - 48 Points

4. Boston - 39 Points

5. Philidelphia - 38 Points

6. NY Rangers - 34 Points

7. Devils - 30 Points

8. Sabers - 17 Points