PHN Roundtable: How the Metro Views Penguins; End Game Predictions

The Pittsburgh Penguins are below .500. They have fought and scratched to get close to water level, and they’ve also dropkicked away numerous chances to rise above the bottom-of-the-competitive-pack standing. They’ve kept the draft of the playoff race, but they are surely not in it, either.

When the Penguins are good, they are very good, and when they are bad, they can set new standards of lethargic ineptitude. It can be quite a spectacle, and sometimes, the same occurs within the same game.

Currently, the Metro Division might only send three teams to the playoffs because the Detroit Red Wings and Ottawa Senators currently hold the wild card spots, with the Boston Bruins in a statistical tie. The top Metro teams are the surprising Columbus Blue Jackets and the risen-from-the-dead New York Rangers.

Columbus is one point behind the wild-card leaders, and New York is three back.

Pittsburgh Hockey Now pooled our Metro Division colleagues for a conversation. We asked three primary questions about the direction of the division that dominated hockey for the better part of the last 20 years.

Question 1: Which is the best team in the Metro, and who will win the playoff bracket?

Dan Kingerski, PHN: The Washington Capitals are clearly the class of the regular season field. Still, they have every look and feel of a team that is trying to win the regular season but will get bounced quickly in the playoffs when other teams match their intensity on defense. A healthy New Jersey Devils with goalie Jacob Markstrom should scare teams, but the Carolina Hurricanes with Mikko Rantanen are the class of the field. If they get anything resembling professional goaltending, this is the year they advance to the Eastern Conference Final.

James Nichols, New Jersey Hockey Now: Until proven otherwise, it’s the Washington Capitals on both fronts. They’ve easily been the most consistent team this season, and head coach Spencer Carbery has squeezed as much out of his team as possible. Alexander Ovechkin has seemingly found the fountain of youth. He missed 16 games yet is still on pace to break Wayne Gretzky’s goal record this season. Plus, they have eight skaters who all have registered 35 points or more, including two defensemen and strong goaltending. The Carolina Hurricanes and New Jersey Devils have shown too much inconsistency through 50-plus games this season, and the rest of the Metro is like the Wild West.

Russel Macias, NYI Hockey Now: The best team in the regular season is the Washington Capitals. They’ve become a well-oiled machine, as evidenced by their 10-point lead on the Hurricanes, all while playing one less game. The playoffs are a different story. As dominant as the Caps have been, it’s hard for me to see them go from being swept to winning multiple rounds. For now, I’ll go with the Devils to make the ECF. I think they will make a pair of big trades to shore up their depth, and Markstrom will do his job in the playoffs.

Will James, Philly Hockey Now: The Capitals have been dominating not just the Metropolitan division but the Eastern Conference overall. They have a plethora of point production, making it hard to see a fall-off soon. Looking ahead at their schedule, the Capitals do not have a “tough” stretch that could even give Carolina or Jersey a chance to make up some ground. Unless something drastic happens, I find it difficult to see the Caps not winning the Metro.

Question 2: Who will finish fourth in the Metro Division?

Kingerski: It’s the New York Rangers, all day. J.T. Miller makes a huge difference on that team. He’s happy to be there, and they’re happy to have him. Whatever else might be broken internally, having Miller, Mika Zibanejad, and Artemi Panarin makes up for a lot. The Columbus Blue Jackets are a great story and easy to root for, but unless they make a big add before the deadline, that little engine that could won’t make it over the hill.

Nichols: It will be one of the New York teams. I’m more inclined to say the Rangers. They have the star power to do it, and their worst is seemingly behind them, especially now that Miller is in the picture. If it’s not the Blueshirts, it will be because Igor Shesterkin isn’t playing like himself, whereas Ilya Sorokin has been a brick wall. Sometimes, your goalie can drag you across the finish line, which Sorokin is trying to do. However, the Islanders are being held together by paper clips and chewing gum.

Macias: I’m heavily inclined to choose the Rangers here just because they are the best roster. But they’ve been a disaster, and everything looks like they will sell off at least one of their marquee defenders. Instead, I’ll go with the Columbus Blue Jackets with Dean Evason’s squad rounding into form despite the glut of injuries.

James: Columbus’ Kirill Marchenko is out indefinitely with a broken jaw, and the production drops behind him. If they can get someone to step up in his absence, I won’t count Columbus out of fourth in the Metro, but I don’t think their current position will hold. The New York Rangers have too much star power and veteran presence on their team. A lot of their “star power” just is not clicking this year, but with the recent addition of Miller, I think the Rangers will make up the ground between them and the Blue Jackets, finish fourth in the Metro, and even make a run putting them in the playoffs.

Question 3: Does anyone fear the Penguins anymore?

Kingerski: No. The Penguins’ inconsistent nature, combined with their occasional marshmallow-soft play over the last few years, has made them chum in the water. Teams get up to play the Penguins because they were the dominant team from 2006 through 2022, and now it’s fun to beat the Penguins. Off the record, a few players around the league have chattered about the Penguins’ shortcomings with some glee. Until the Penguins put together a consistent stretch that goes beyond 10 games, they’re a wounded animal heading toward the bottom, not one that could strike.

Nichols: I don’t think anyone is doubting that the Devils are a better team than the Penguins. However, they kept it close in their last tilt (New Jersey won 3-2 in a shootout). I’d like to think that was the Devils playing down to their opponent amid a tough stretch of games, some key injuries, and looking forward to the Four Nations break. However, any team that possesses Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, and Kris Letang shouldn’t be taken lightly, even in today’s NHL.

Macisas: Short answer: No. Long answer: Sidney Crosby can take over a game every night he steps on the ice. That alone is scary when your team desperately needs a win for the Wild Card Race, and No. 87 is on the opposite side of the rink.

James: As long as Crosby is on the ice, there is reason for people to be scared of the Penguins. The Metropolitan Division has two ageless wonders–Crosby and Alexander Ovechkin. The Penguins’ current roster is nowhere near scary, yet when Sid is on the ice, absolutely anything can happen.