East Division Update - March 2nd

There were no games in the division last night, but tonight would tell a different tale. 6 teams in the East took the ice tonight, which made for a very exciting evening. Tonight's games featured Buffalo @ NY Rangers, Philidelphia @ Pittsburgh, and NY Islanders @ New Jersey Devils. A few covid storylines come with this post, as well as my analysis of the games, which you can find below.

(Images Credits: 1 - Eyes on Isles, 2 - Blueshirt Banter, 3 - PensBurgh)

ISLANDERS @ DEVILS

The New York Islanders have been rolling lately, and they would continue that trend Tuesday night in New Jersey against a sliding Devils team. The Devils were coming off back-to-back losses against Washington, while the Islanders were riding high, earning 3/4 points in their two home games over the weekend against Pittsburgh. The Islanders maintained their defensive identity in this game, earning a 2-1 win. Goaltender Semyon Varlamov was excellent again, making 28/29 saves for the victory. As I mentioned, the Devils continued their woes as of late and lost another close game which furthered their downward trend in the standings.

Scoring:

1st Period: No Goals.

2nd Period: No Goals.

3rd Period: Islanders: Oliver Wahlstrom (4), Anders Lee (10) (Even Strength). New Jersey: Miles Wood (7) (Even Strength).

SABERS @ RANGERS

The Rangers have been getting better lately, especially at home. The depth scoring is starting to show up for New York, as they begin to try and climb a little bit in the division. The Sabers, on the other hand, have been struggling like no other, and captain Jack Eichel is now involved in trade rumors to make things worse. The Sabers would again drop a close game here tonight at MSG, as they can't seem to put a complete team game together. The Rangers have also gotten a bit of a boost from having fans back, something the entire league is starting to see at limited capacities.

Scoring:

1st Period: Rangers: Pavel Buchnevich (6), Alexis Lafreniere (3) (Even Strength). Buffalo: Sam Reinhart (8) (Even Strength).

2nd Period: Rangers: Chris Kreider (10, Even Strength). Buffalo: Tobias Reider (4, Even Strength).

3rd Period: No Goals.

PHILIDELPHIA @ PITTSBURGH

This rivalry is one of the better in the NHL, the famed battle of Pennsylvania. The Pens were coming off a sloppy 2-0 loss in Long Island on Sunday evening, while Philidephia came in riding a three-game winning streak. The Penguins had to play this one without superstar center and captain Sidney Crosby, as he, along with assistant coach Todd Rierden, were placed on the covid protocol list today. The Penguins again gave up two early powerplay chances to the Flyers but rebounded with a solid effort to secure the 5-2 win. This would improve them to 8-1 at home this season. Penguins goalie Tristan Jarry was excellent again tonight, making 40 saves on 42 shots, and keeping Pittsburgh in it when the Flyers pressed hard. Philly had their chances, but couldn't score when it was close. Goaltender Carter Hart gave up an empty-net goal on miscommunication in the third period and allowed 5 goals on 27 shots for the Flyers. The Penguins offense really turned it on tonight without Crosby and made some sweet passing plays to score some goals. They finally got contributions from their whole team, which they desperately need to continue if they want to make the playoffs.

Scoring:

1st Period: No Goals.

2nd Period: Flyers: Joel Farabee (9, Even Strength). Penguins: Kasperi Kapanen (4,5) (Even Strength, PPG), Bryan Rust (7, Even Strength).

3rd Period: Flyers: Joel Farabee (10, Even Strength). Penguins: Mike Matheson (2, Even Strength, ENG), Cody Ceci (2, Even Strength).

Standings Update After Tonight:

1. Washington

2. NY Islanders

3. Boston

4. Philadelphia

5. Pittsburgh

6. NY Rangers

7. New Jersey

8. Buffalo