Pittsburgh Penguins: Who Is No. 1 In This Week’s Metro Division Power Rankings
By Larry Snyder
The Pittsburgh Penguins’ seven-game win streak came to a close in the Big Apple on Tuesday against the New York Rangers. Over those seven contests, the Black and Gold put up 32 goals while surrendering just eight on the scoreboard.
For Mike Johnston, the seven consecutive wins was also the longest win streak among rookie coaches in Pens history.
1) Pittsburgh Penguins (10-3-1, 21 points) – Last Week #1: One part of their game that Pittsburgh could work on is allowing goals in the third period. The Pens have put up 13 in the final frame, but they have also allowed 12 to the opposition. They continue to lead the division with just 32 goals surrendered overall on the score sheet.
2) New York Islanders (10-5-0, 20 points) – Last Week #2: The Isles decided to imitate the Pens by going on a four-game winning streak with victories this month over the Anaheim Ducks, the Los Angeles Kings, the Arizona Coyotes, and the Colorado Avalanche. Jack Capuano‘s squad has put up 12 goals and allowed just three over the streak.
3) Philadelphia Flyers (7-5-2, 16 points) – Last Week #5: Goaltender Steve Mason found his mojo this month by putting together a 3-1 record with a 1.78 goals-against-average and .950 save percentage. The starting job is his to lose, again.
4) Washington Capitals (7-5-3, 17 points) – Last Week #6: Center Marcus Johansson is off to a great start as he has eight goals in 15 contests, matching the total he achieved in 80 games last season. The Landskrona, Sweden native has put up seven of those eight goals at even strength.
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5) New Jersey Devils (7-7-2, 16 points) – Last Week #4: Goaltender Cory Schneider has started all 14 contests for the Devils this season, but he has also been pulled four times over the stretch of starts. At some point, coach Peter DeBoer will need to check out what he has in reserve with backups Scott Clemmensen and Keith Kinkaid.
6) New York Rangers (7-6-2, 16 points) – Last Week #3: Over their 15 games, the Blue Shirts have not lost more than three in a row. As Pittsburgh learned on Tuesday, having Henrik Lundqvist and his .914 save percentage between the pipes is a critical reason why they are not dropping too far in the standings.
7) Carolina Hurricanes (5-6-3, 13 points) – Last Week #8: Since flipping the calendar to November, the Canes have gone 5-0-1 and moved out of the Metro basement. Center Riley Nash is leading the charge with four goals and seven assists for 11 points while left wing Jiri Tlusty has put up six goals and defenseman Justin Faulk has contributed eight assists.
8) Columbus Blue Jackets (4-10-1, 9 points) – Last Week #7: With goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky injured, the Jacks are embracing the dubious distinction of a nine-game losing streak. Curtis McElhinney has posted a .887 save percentage while Anton Forsberg has contributed a .841 save percentage. Columbus leads the division with 55 goals allowed in 15 contests.