FanPost

Metropolitan Division Breakdown




At the start of the season, the Pittsburgh Penguins seemed to be favorites to win the Metropolitan Division for the third consecutive season, but some unexpected twists have really shaken things up since then.

1st Place: New York Islanders(75 pts) - The Islanders struggled through their first 20 games, but since have been on a tear and have never looked back. The Islanders currently lead the Metro and have become an Eastern Conference powerhouse, thanks in large part to the offensive talents of a young, deep roster led by captain John Tavares and great goal tending by Jaroslav Halak.

2nd Place: New York Rangers(73 pts) - The defending Conference champion Rangers have crawled their way back near the top of the Division despite a mediocre start due to multiple injuries. Among those were their top 2 defensemen, Ryan McDonagh, and Dan Boyle. Their offense has had no trouble scoring goals, however, veteran winger Rick Nash is in the midst of a career campaign, and finds himself in tight race for the Rocket Richard Trophy as the League's goal scoring leader.

3rd Place: Pittsburgh Penguins(73 pts) - The Pens started as clear-cut favorites to make another deep playoff run after being upset by the Rangers in seven games last season. The injury bug worked its magic yet again on Pittsburgh this year, as they've lost winger Pascal Dupuis and young D-man Olli Maata for the season, as well as minor IR stints from almost their entire roster. Pittsburgh never went too far astray, however, thanks to the goal tending of Marc Andre Fleury and their high octane offense led by Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin.

4th Place: Washington Capitals(70 pts) - The Capitals were another team that started slow but have been outstanding as of late, thanks to their power play ranked fourth overall led by the duo of Alex Ovechkin and Niklas Backstrom, and a great defense shaped by new head coach, Barry Trotz. The Caps will attempt to get back into the playoffs after missing them last season, and to win their first Stanley Cup in franchise History.

It has become a tight race in the Metropolitan Division as we approach the home stretch of the regular season, and watching it unfold will be nothing short of grade-A entertainment.

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