East Division Update - March 7th

(Image Credits: 1 - NHL.com, 2 - BroadStreetHockey, 3 - NHL.com)

There were three games tonight in the division, all of which we’re good ones. Today was hockey day in America, which is a nationwide celebration of the sport of hockey, and I couldn’t be happier to bring analysis to all of you everyday. The first game of the day came between the Sabers and Islanders in Long Island, the second game came between the Devils and the Bruins in Boston, and the night capped off in Pittsburgh, with the Penguins hosting the Rangers at PPG Paints Arena. Below I include my brief analysis of each game.

DEVILS @ BRUINS

This game was pretty evenly matched, which was unexpected with the direction each team was going. The Bruins are considered one of the elite teams in the East division, while the Devils are a bottom feeder and struggling right now. Today, however, this was not the case. New Jersey Devils goaltender Scott Wedgewood made 40 saves as the Devils shut out the Bruins 1-0 at TD Garden. The only goal in the game came late in the third period from Devils forward Kyle Palmeri.

Scoring:

1st Period: No Goals.

2nd Period: No Goals.

3rd Period: Devils: Kyle Palmeri (4, ES). Bruins: No Goals.

SABERS @ ISLANDERS

This game was pretty evenly matched early on, but then the Islanders pulled away and got the 5-2 victory over the Buffalo Sabres. The silver lining in this game for Buffalo is the goal by Jeff Skinner after he returned from injury today. Besides that however, the Islanders had their way in this one, beating the Sabres 5-2 for the third time in three games against them. The New York Islanders are climbing the standings and now sit at the top of the division while Buffalo remains at the bottom, having now lost 7 in a row.

Scoring:

1st Period: No Goals.

2nd Period: Islanders: Anders Lee (12), Brock Nelson (8), Casey Cizikas (4) (Even Strength). Sabers: No Goals.

3rd Period: Islanders: Cal Clutterbuck (3), Brock Nelson (9) (Even Strength). Sabers: Jeff Skinner (1), Colin Miller (3) (Even Strength).

RANGERS @ PENGUINS

One would think a team lead by Sidney Crosby would not be on the outside looking in on the playoff picture halfway through the season. This was the case for the penguins coming into the game today against the Rangers, as this East division just keeps getting tighter and tighter. The Rangers took an early lead in this game after the Penguins gave up another odd man rush, and Mika Zibenjad made no mistake. The Penguins would respond however, and chase goaltender Alexander Georgiev after getting three goals in a minute. Goaltender Keith Kinkaid would come in for the Rangers and do pretty well, but not enough to keep the Penguins off the score sheet, as Pittsburgh skated to a 5-1 win at home. Both teams we’re coming off games yesterday, and that was a clear indicator for the Penguins early, as they had a sloppy start. Their ability to come back has been apparent all season though, and it helped them tonight get a very much needed two points to put themselves back in the playoff race.

Scoring:

1st Period: Rangers: Mika Zibenjad (3,ES). Penguins: John Marino (1), Kasperi Kapanen (6), Sidney Crosby (8) (Even Strength).

2nd Period: No Goals.

3rd Period: Rangers: No Goals. Penguins: Evgeni Malkin (6), Zach Aston-Reese (5) (Even Strength).

WASHINGTON @ PHILADELPHIA

I also forgot a game between the Philadelphia Flyers and the Washington Capitals in Philadelphia. The Caps skated to a 3-1 win in this one, which helped them climb the standings and kept Philadelphia from getting any points. The win in this one helps the Penguins get back into the playoff picture and put Philadelphia on the outside looking in. Washington captain Alex Ovechkin scored in this game, which is something he hasn’t done a lot of this season. The Flyers have now lost two in a row, after coming into this game most recently losing to the Penguins yesterday, 4-3 in Pittsburgh.

Scoring:

Flyers: Joel Farabee (11) (Even Strength).

Capitals: Alex Ovechkin (8), Dmitry Orlov (2), Nick Jensen (1) (Even Strength).

Standings Update After Tonight:

1. Islanders

2. Capitals

3. Bruins

4. Penguins

5. Flyers

6. Rangers

7. Devils

8. Sabers