NHL Metropolitan Division Power Rankings: Capitals Are Elite

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The Metropolitan Division, projected to be one of the best in the NHL, is off to a slow start. The Washington Capitals have used that opportunity to grab the lead in the division and have emerged as the clear favorites to win the division.

Before the 2015-2016 NHL season began, many pundits and experts believed that the Metropolitan Division could have as many as five playoff teams. The division would currently have four playoff teams (entering Sunday). Only three of them are ones that people would have expected to be up there. Preseason favorites in the Pittsburgh Penguins and Columbus Blue Jackets have been struggling mightily.

MORE FROM STARS AND STICKS: NHL Power Rankings

Meanwhile, preseason favorites in the Washington Capitals, New York Rangers, and New York Islanders have been able to live up to their hype thus far as the top three teams in the Metropolitan Division and are among the best teams in the NHL. The Philadelphia Flyers have been better than expected thus far and currently hold one of the two Eastern Conference wild-card spots. If the season ended today, the Flyers would be in the NHL playoffs.

It’s still early in the 2015-2016 season. However, the Metropolitan Division has quickly taken shape. The Capitals, Rangers, and Islanders have jumped out to fast starts. The trio is separated by just one point. The Flyers, Devils, and Penguins are battling for a wild card spot. The Hurricanes and Blue Jackets are both struggling and face a huge uphill battle if they want to make the playoffs.

Next: #8: Bringing Up The Rear

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NHL Metropolitan Division Power Rankings: #8 – Columbus Blue Jackets

Coming in at number eight in this week’s division power rankings is a team that nobody thought would be in last place: the Columbus Blue Jackets. Last season, the Blue Jackets contended for the playoffs despite suffering countless injuries. They built momentum for the 2015-2016 season by finishing last season on an extremely impressive run.

They made one of the biggest splashes of the offseason by taking advantage of the Chicago Blackhawks and their salary cap situation by trading for forward Brandon Saad. Saad joined an already impressive forward group led by Ryan Johansen, Nick Foligno, Scott Hartnell, and Brandon Dubinsky. This led to many pundits (including ourselves) believing that they would be a playoff team.

SEE ALSO: Scouting The Blue Jackets

They failed to address their defense this offseason. Columbus trusted that their current group of defensemen would be good enough. That has definitely not been the case so far. Jack Johnson has struggled as a top pairing defenseman. Ryan Murphy has been asked to be what he is not: a top four defenseman. Worst of all, goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky has been horrendous and unable to mask his team’s flaws.

They started with a 0-8-0 start. That led to former head coach Todd Richards being fired. They hired John Tortorella to replace him and hopefully light a fire under the team to get them back in the playoff race. They own a 1-1-0 record with him so far. They face an uphill battle to get back into the NHL playoffs. A playoff berth wouldn’t be impossible, but it is highly unlikely.

Next: #7: Carolina Hurricanes

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NHL Metropolitan Division Power Rankings: #7 – Carolina Hurricanes

Coming in at number seven on our Metropolitan Division power rankings is a team that a lot of people saw as being a lottery team: the Carolina Hurricanes. The Hurricanes were not expected by anyone to compete this season. So far this season, they haven’t competed. The Carolina Hurricanes have good underlying numbers. They have a 54.4% even strength CF%, which is third in the NHL.

So why are they so bad? Corsi only tells a part of the story. You still have to be able to score goals and prevent your opponents from scoring goals. Those are two things that the Hurricanes have been unable to do so far. They have scored 14 goals and allowed 25 goals through eight games. Goaltenders Cam Ward and Eddie Lack were expected to provide league average goaltending for Carolina this season. That hasn’t been the case. Both Lack (83.2% even strength adjusted save percentage) and Ward (90.48% even strength adjusted save percentage) have been sub-par this season.

READ MORE: Scouting The Hurricanes

Despite creating more shot attempts for than they allow at even strength, they aren’t scoring goals because their 5.7% shooting percentage at even strength is 24th in the league. They also have a 5.7% shooting percentage during all situations (third worst in the league). They rely a bit too heavily on Jordan Staal, Eric Staal, and Kris Versteeg to score goals.

The Hurricanes are a team in transition. They have already rebuilt their blue line. Now they need to find their forwards.

Next: #6: New Jersey Devils

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NHL Metropolitan Division Power Rankings: #6 – New Jersey Devils

The New Jersey Devils have a been a tad bit of a surprise this season. Many experts expected the Devils to finish in last place (or at least close to it). So far, the Devils have been better than expected with a 4-3-1 record. Several factors have played a role in this sudden improvement.

Their goaltending, as expected, has been outstanding. Goalies Cory Schneider and Keith Kinkaid have been excellent so far. They have combined to give the Devils one of the best even strength save percentages (93.8%) in the league. Their goaltending has kept them in a lot of games despite a -3 goal differential (-2 at even strength).

SEE ALSO: Scouting The Devils

Their offense has struggled, only scoring 19 goals in their eight games. What has improved regarding their offense is their puck possession. Last season, the Devils were one of the worst puck possession teams in the league. That has changed this season. They have an even strength CF% of 50.3%. That’s the kind of change that the Devils will need to rebuild.

Forward Adam Henrique has been impressive so far for the Devils with six goals and nine points so far in eight games. Forward Mike Cammalleri leads the team with 11 points. Forward Lee Stempniak has been a nice addition with seven points in eight games.

Next: #5: Pittsburgh Penguins

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NHL Metropolitan Division Power Rankings: #5 – Pittsburgh Penguins

The Pittsburgh Penguins have been a disappointment so far this season. Many pundits had them as contenders to win the Metropolitan Division. So far, they have yet to live up to those lofty expectations with a 4-4-0 record through eight games. What’s surprising is how they’ve been bad.

The Penguins defense was their biggest issue going into the season. Eight games in, they’ve allowed just 16 goals. Kris Letang has been outstanding. Goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury has kept them in games so far. Their blue line isn’t producing, but it has been solid so far in terms of not allowing goals.

RELATED: Scouting The Penguins

Their biggest issue so far has been what was supposed to be their greatest strength: their forwards. Center Sidney Crosby has just three points. Forward Phil Kessel has just four points (though he has three goals). Center Evgeni Malkin has seven points in eight games.

What’s concerning is that the Penguins have not been strong possession wise. They rank 22nd in the league with a 48.4% even strength CF%. That’s unacceptable for a team that is as talented as the Penguins are. The Penguins have dug themselves into a bit of a hole early on. It’s a hole that they are fully capable of getting themselves out of. However, the clock is ticking. While you can’t win the division in October, you can lose it with a slow start.

Next: #4: Philadelphia Flyers

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NHL Metropolitan Division Power Rankings: #4- Philadelphia Flyers

The Flyers have been a bit of a surprise this season. They weren’t expected to be a playoff team, but if the regular season ended right now, they would be a playoff team with a 4-2-1 record. A large part of that is due to their stellar goaltending. Michal Neuvirth and Steve Mason have both been excellent between the pipes.

NHL Metropolitan Division Power Rankings: #3 – New York Islanders

The New York Islanders are off to a strong start to their season in their new home in Brooklyn. They currently hold a 5-2-1 record after making a return to the playoffs last season. They would be the number three seed in the Metropolitan Division if the playoffs began right now.

The Islanders are led by a high-octane offense. That offense revolves around captain and center John Tavares. He’s determined to be more than just a Hart Trophy finalist this season with 11 points in his first eight games. Forward Kyle Okposo has seven points in his first eight games (including three goals). They’ve had a relatively balanced attack with seven other forwards having at least five points.

The Islanders have struggled defensively. They have allowed 22 goals in their first eight games. None of their defensemen have been that active on offense. Johnny Boychuk leads the Islanders blueliners with four points. They have only 13 points from their defensemen through the first eight games. That’s a little concerning.

The Islanders were one of the strongest teams at even strength last season.The Islanders are allowing more shots against than they are generating at even strength. Their even strength score-adjusted CF% of 47.2% is the fifth-lowest in the NHL. It’s still early and this is probably just a small sample size.

MORE FROM STARS AND STICKS: Scouting The Islanders

The Islanders have flaws. They are still an extremely good team and I expect them to work out their puck possession woes. They’re too talented to continue to struggle in terms of shot attempts.

Next: #2: New York Rangers

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NHL Metropolitan Division Power Rankings: #2 – New York Rangers

The New York Rangers are coming off a season that saw them go all the way to the Eastern Conference semifinals. They lost several important players during the offseason. Goaltender Cam Talbot got traded to the Edmonton Oilers. Forward Martin St. Louis retired. Forward Carl Hagelin got traded to the Anaheim Ducks. The Rangers find themselves in a great position despite those losses with a record of 6-2-2.

Goaltender Henrik Lundqvist looks as outstanding as he’s ever looked. Goaltender Antti Raanta has been excellent so far as King Henrik’s backup. Perhaps they won’t miss Cam Talbot as much as people thought? Their team has scored 28 goals through their first ten games. Oscar Lindberg has done a fantastic job so far for the Rangers. He’s been the shot of energy that the Rangers needed after losing Hagelin. They are similar players (though Lindberg is more talented).

Forward Rick Nash has had a rough start to the season with just one goal in ten games. Mats Zuccarello has been helping make up for Nash’s lack of scoring. So has J.T. Miller. The Rangers are going to be a darn good team. Expect to see them advance to the playoffs.

RELATED: Scouting The Rangers

Their weakness? Their puck possession has been poor. Their even strength score-adjusted CF% through nine games was 48.9%. That’s 20th in the NHL. They are a kind of team that can survive with subpar possession numbers thanks to Henrik and their fast forwards. It’s worth keeping an eye on.

Next: #1: Washington Capitals

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NHL Metropolitan Division Power Rankings: #1 – Washington Capitals

The Washington Capitals entered this season as a trendy Stanley Cup pick by many experts and pundits. They set the bar extremely high for themselves after taking the Rangers to seven games last season and by significantly improving their team during the offseason. It’s not easy to live up to high expectations. The Capitals have done exactly that so far this season with a 6-1-0 record.

The Capitals have an extremely well-balanced team. They have scored 29 goals through seven games while allowing just 18. Their +11 goal differential is second in the league. Their +9 even strength goal differential is third in the league. Their defense is even more outstanding once you realize that five of those goals against came in a blowout loss. Two of those five goals were empty net goals. Four more of those 18 goals allowed were scored on the second game of games on consecutive nights.

The Capitals have been getting scoring from a variety of sources this season. Captain Alex Ovechkin is up to his usual tricks with five goals and nine points in his first six games. Center Nicklas Backstrom is off to a hot start after missing the first three games of the season. He has four goals and seven points in his first four games. Center Evgeny Kuznetsov has done the impossible and unseated Backstrom as the first line center with 11 points.

Defenseman John Carlson is looking like a strong Norris Trophy contender with 10 points. Goalie Braden Holtby has been outstanding when the Caps have needed him to be outstanding (which hasn’t been often). New forwards T.J. Oshie and Justin Williams have made a strong impression so far with a combined 13 points.

They have nine players with at least five points. That’s a well-balanced offense. Their penalty kill lost three of their most used forwards last season in Joel Ward, Eric Fehr, and Troy Brouwer. Center Jay Beagle and forwards Tom Wilson and Jason Chimera have paved the way for a better penalty kill.

The Capitals rank third in even strength score-adjusted CF% (55.1%), seventh in even strength score-adjusted scoring chances for percentage (52.9%), fourth in even strength score-adjusted high-danger scoring chances for percentage (55.6%), and fourth in even strength Fenwick Close percentage (55.9%).

It’s still early in the season. The Capitals are clearly the team to beat in the Metropolitan Division. It’ll be interesting to see how the team responds after a five-day break when they play the Penguins on Wednesday. A break might be the worst thing for the Caps right now. They’re playing extremely well.

Next: Five Reasons Why The Caps Can Win The Stanley Cup

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