The Flyers have climbed up to 12th place and are within four points of the eighth and final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference.
The Islanders, Hurricanes and Capitals sit between the Flyers and the eighth spot, while the Sabres and Lightning are breathing down their necks.
All five of the teams surrounding the Flyers in the Eastern Conference standings are in action tonight, so here is a look at three of those important matchups:
Sabres (13-17-6, 32 pts.) at Penguins (28-8-0, 56 pts.), 7:30 p.m.
The Penguins have won 15 games in a row, all in the month of March. But as the calendar flips to April, the Penguins find themselves without their captain, Sidney Crosby, who was struck in the face with a puck, breaking his jaw.
Even without Crosby, the Penguins shut out the streaking Islanders on Saturday by a score of 2-0. It was the team's third shutout in a row. Tomas Vokoun stopped all 35 shots he faced, andMatt Cooke and James Neal netted third period goals to break the scoreless tie.
The Sabres, on the other hand, have been consistently inconsistent all season long. They have yet to develop the ability to stop long losing streaks, as they have five this season of three games or longer. They are in the midst of a four-game losing streak at the moment, although they have mustered two points during that span in two shootout losses.
In its last game on Easter Sunday, Buffalo laid an egg and got blanked 2-0 by the Bruins. Ryan Miller stopped 29 shots, but allowed two third-period scores and got no help from his offense for the duration of the game.
The Sabres and Pens have squared off just once this season, a game in which the Penguins won 4-3. Buffalo had a 3-2 lead in the third period, but the Penguins used late goals from Pascal Dupuis and Paul Martin to pave the way to victory.
Jets (18-17-2, 38 pts.) at Islanders (17-16-3, 37 pts.), 7 p.m.
All may seem comfortable for the Jets, who currently own the third seed in the East, but their 38 points rank just seventh in the conference. They have just one more point than the eighth and ninth-place Rangers and Islanders, respectively. They are only four points ahead of their division-rivals Carolina and Washington, who are tied for 10th.
Winnipeg has struggled mightily of late. The Jets have dropped three straight and have been outscored 11-3 in those games. Things won’t get any easier for Winnipeg in the coming days either, as they play their next two games on the road. The team is just 1-3 in its last four road games.
Speaking of the Islanders, they are coming off possibly their biggest win of the season on Monday over the Devils. New York snapped New Jersey’s five-game point streak by winning its fourth game in the last five tries. The 3-1 win inched the Islanders within two points of the seventh-place Devils and tied them with the eighth-place Rangers. Frans Nielsen had two assists and John Tavares scored for the 22nd time this season in the win.
The Islanders have not met with the Jets since Jan. 27, when they lost 5-4 in overtime. Evander Kane tapped a rebound past Evgeni Nabakov in the extra period to seal the two points for Winnipeg.
Capitals (16-17-2, 34 pts.) at Hurricanes (16-16-2, 34 pts.), 7 p.m.
The Caps and ‘Canes are deadlocked for the 10th slot in the East, and both teams are just three points out of the playoff picture.
After digging themselves a deep hole to start the season, the Capitals have drastically improved their play. However lately, they have struggled defensively. Washington has allowed 11 goals in its last three games (1-1-1) after allowing just three goals in the previous three games (3-0-0).
On Sunday in Philadelphia, the Capitals blew a two-goal lead in the third period and ended up losing 5-4 in overtime (see story). Alex Ovechkin scored, but finished with a minus-two rating. Goaltender Braden Holtby allowed the game winner to Ruslan Fedotenko 1:34 into overtime.
The Hurricanes have had every opportunity to overtake the struggling Jets atop the Southeast Division, but have played terrible hockey since mid-March. Carolina is just 1-7-1 since March 14 and has been held to just one goal in six of the nine games. The team has been outscored 32-14 in that span.
On Monday, Montreal completely shut down Carolina’s attack, holding the ‘Canes to just 19 shots in the 4-1 win.
The Hurricanes have won just one of the three meetings with the Capitals this season. In the most recent game, Washington won 3-2 thanks to Mike Ribeiro’s third period tally.
SOURCE : http://www.csnphilly.com/hockey-philadelphia-flyers/tonight-nhl-penguins-aim-win-16th-straight
The Islanders, Hurricanes and Capitals sit between the Flyers and the eighth spot, while the Sabres and Lightning are breathing down their necks.
All five of the teams surrounding the Flyers in the Eastern Conference standings are in action tonight, so here is a look at three of those important matchups:
Sabres (13-17-6, 32 pts.) at Penguins (28-8-0, 56 pts.), 7:30 p.m.
The Penguins have won 15 games in a row, all in the month of March. But as the calendar flips to April, the Penguins find themselves without their captain, Sidney Crosby, who was struck in the face with a puck, breaking his jaw.
Even without Crosby, the Penguins shut out the streaking Islanders on Saturday by a score of 2-0. It was the team's third shutout in a row. Tomas Vokoun stopped all 35 shots he faced, andMatt Cooke and James Neal netted third period goals to break the scoreless tie.
The Sabres, on the other hand, have been consistently inconsistent all season long. They have yet to develop the ability to stop long losing streaks, as they have five this season of three games or longer. They are in the midst of a four-game losing streak at the moment, although they have mustered two points during that span in two shootout losses.
In its last game on Easter Sunday, Buffalo laid an egg and got blanked 2-0 by the Bruins. Ryan Miller stopped 29 shots, but allowed two third-period scores and got no help from his offense for the duration of the game.
The Sabres and Pens have squared off just once this season, a game in which the Penguins won 4-3. Buffalo had a 3-2 lead in the third period, but the Penguins used late goals from Pascal Dupuis and Paul Martin to pave the way to victory.
Jets (18-17-2, 38 pts.) at Islanders (17-16-3, 37 pts.), 7 p.m.
All may seem comfortable for the Jets, who currently own the third seed in the East, but their 38 points rank just seventh in the conference. They have just one more point than the eighth and ninth-place Rangers and Islanders, respectively. They are only four points ahead of their division-rivals Carolina and Washington, who are tied for 10th.
Winnipeg has struggled mightily of late. The Jets have dropped three straight and have been outscored 11-3 in those games. Things won’t get any easier for Winnipeg in the coming days either, as they play their next two games on the road. The team is just 1-3 in its last four road games.
Speaking of the Islanders, they are coming off possibly their biggest win of the season on Monday over the Devils. New York snapped New Jersey’s five-game point streak by winning its fourth game in the last five tries. The 3-1 win inched the Islanders within two points of the seventh-place Devils and tied them with the eighth-place Rangers. Frans Nielsen had two assists and John Tavares scored for the 22nd time this season in the win.
The Islanders have not met with the Jets since Jan. 27, when they lost 5-4 in overtime. Evander Kane tapped a rebound past Evgeni Nabakov in the extra period to seal the two points for Winnipeg.
Capitals (16-17-2, 34 pts.) at Hurricanes (16-16-2, 34 pts.), 7 p.m.
The Caps and ‘Canes are deadlocked for the 10th slot in the East, and both teams are just three points out of the playoff picture.
After digging themselves a deep hole to start the season, the Capitals have drastically improved their play. However lately, they have struggled defensively. Washington has allowed 11 goals in its last three games (1-1-1) after allowing just three goals in the previous three games (3-0-0).
On Sunday in Philadelphia, the Capitals blew a two-goal lead in the third period and ended up losing 5-4 in overtime (see story). Alex Ovechkin scored, but finished with a minus-two rating. Goaltender Braden Holtby allowed the game winner to Ruslan Fedotenko 1:34 into overtime.
The Hurricanes have had every opportunity to overtake the struggling Jets atop the Southeast Division, but have played terrible hockey since mid-March. Carolina is just 1-7-1 since March 14 and has been held to just one goal in six of the nine games. The team has been outscored 32-14 in that span.
On Monday, Montreal completely shut down Carolina’s attack, holding the ‘Canes to just 19 shots in the 4-1 win.
The Hurricanes have won just one of the three meetings with the Capitals this season. In the most recent game, Washington won 3-2 thanks to Mike Ribeiro’s third period tally.
SOURCE : http://www.csnphilly.com/hockey-philadelphia-flyers/tonight-nhl-penguins-aim-win-16th-straight
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