After Washington’s shootout victory over the Rangers and Philadelphia’s 4-1 blowout win over the Islanders, the Caps now sit atop the Metropolitan Division without some kind of virtual tie nonsense clouding it up.
Although the Islanders have played one fewer game than the Caps, the Caps have scored 1.26 standings points per game versus the Islanders’ 1.25 points per game. That 0.01 points per game changes everything.
The Islanders had a very bad Sunday hosting the Flyers. They controlled play for the full hour but leaked goals. They couldn’t crack whoever is the Flyers goalie now (turns out it’s Brian Elliott, huh, go figure) until the third period.
Meanwhile, the Washington Capitals defeated the Rangers, though did not notch up their regulation-overtime wins, the tiebreaker in which they are tied with the Isles. The Islanders still have one fewer game played than the Caps, so this story is still developing.
Further down the standings, Pittsburgh has put themselves in a much better playoff position with their 5-1 win over Montreal on Saturday, which also pushed the Canadiens into the final wild card spot. The Blue Jackets now sit outside the playoff picture, but they have two extra games in their back pocket so the Canadiens better watch out.
Full RMNB Coverage of Caps at Rangers
Headline photo: Mike Stobe
