Who’s in and who’s out if NHL playoffs started today
By Tyler Brown
Metropolitan Division
1. Pittsburgh Penguins
The Pens are just too good to be kept down. The first half of the season was largely a forgettable affair for Pittsburgh (39-25-4), who were mired with bad goaltending from newly anointed started Matt Murray and anemic starts from their trio of superstars. Whether it was just a hangover from the long playoff slog to two Cups for the Pens or just a slow start is no matter now, as the Pens have leaned on their battle tested core to string together a strong second half. Sidney Crosby has been his usual godlike self; Evgeni Malkin and Phil Kessel are the reason for the league-leading powerplay; and a healthy Kris Letang has made the Penguins’ lack of defensive depth a non-issue. The Pens are, as always, the team to beat in the Metropolitan.
2. Washington Capitals
After last year’s second-round disaster, many expected the Washington Capitals (37-23-7) to blow it all up and go back to the drawing board. There were calls to trade generational player Alexander Ovechkin before his inevitable decline and an aura of defeat swirled around the team. The Caps ignored the haters, kept their core together and did what they do best — won lots of regular season games. Spurred by a resurgent Ovechkin, the Caps once again look like a strong contender in the Metropolitan. Pending UFA John Carlson has put together a strong season and is in Norris contention, while Evgeny Kuznetsov has continued to create chemistry with Ovechkin and will need a much better playoffs this year to truly become the elite player he has flirted with in his short NHL career.
The rest of the cast is still supremely talented and motivated by last year’s loss. They should provide a strong challenge to their first-round opponent and get a chance to get back at a Penguins team who seems to have their number in recent years.
3. Philadelphia Flyers
The 10-game losing streak that Philadelphia (34-23-11) put up in November is almost forgotten, and the Flyers have been one of the hottest team in the NHL in 2018. The move to make captain Claude Giroux into a winger has paid off in spades, with newly minted first line center Sean Couturier on pace for 40 goals while still providing his usual level of defensive responsibility and allowing the Flyers to use Wayne Simmonds and Jakub Voracek in a second line role. Travis Konecny, Nolan Patrick and a talented young blue line are showing that the best times are still ahead for the Flyers.
If the Flyers can find a healthy goaltender in time to start the playoffs, they just might surprise someone.