Caps Resurgence Makes Metropolitan Division Crazy Competitive

The Washington Capitals’ recent recovery from their early season struggles has transformed the Metropolitan Division into the NHL’s most competitive division.

With the Capitals sitting with a five-game winning streak, the difference between second and sixth place in the Metropolitan is four points. The Hurricanes are in second with 38 points and Washington holds sixth with 34.

The Capitals, 7-2-1 in their last 10 games, aren’t even the division’s hottest team. The Pittsburgh Penguins (38 points) boast a six-game winning streak and are 8-1-1 in their last 10. The New York Rangers (35 points) also have won four in a row.

The top six teams in this division have winning records over the past 10 games. The top six teams have a positive goal-differential for the season.

Five Metropolitan teams are sitting in a playoff spot. The Islanders (35 points) and Rangers have the two wildcard places going into tonight’s game.

The Capitals, riding another wave of Alex Ovechkin goal scoring, are now only one point out of a wildcard spot.

The tightness of the Metropolitan race has prompted widespread speculation that these teams could be active before the trade deadline. The New York Rangers are linked to interest in Chicago’s Patrick Kane. The Islanders are said to covet a scorer.

Injured Capitals center Nicklas Backstrom has traveled with the team, fueling speculation that he will soon be back. Capitals general manager Brian MacLellan is an aggressive trader. Would he make a run at acquiring Vancouver’s Brock Boeser to strengthen his team?

With all of this going on, it’s easy to overlook that the Devils have been the biggest surprise in the league. The Devils have missed the playoffs nine of the past 10 seasons. Yet they own the NHL’s second-best record of 21-6-2.

Their consistency has been impressive. But if they can’t maintain this pace and come back to the pack, the Metro could become even crazier.

💰💰 The New York Rangers are worth $2.2 billion according to Forbes. Forbes released their NHL team values yesterday with the Blueshirts once again sitting atop the list with the Maple Leafs ($2 billion) and Canadiens ($1.85 billion) not too far behind. Average revenue per team last season was up to $185 million, compared with the previous record of $164 million in 2019. And average operating income was $49 million, just about double the previous high of $25 million in 2018 and 2019.

🚫🔥 The Calgary Flames aren't hot right now, losing their 4th straight last night. Not helping their cause, the Flames gave up two goals in the opening two minutes, one off the stick of Bo Horvat followed by Conor Garland's bury just 34 seconds later (watch both goals here). The Flames clawed back and even held a brief lead in the second period but ultimately fell in a shootout. Regardless of their recent woes, Canucks head coach Bruce Boudreau still believes the Flames are 'one of the best teams in the league.'

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