NHL playoff race report: Opportunities await Penguins and Islanders this week

Welcome to the post-trade deadline NHL world! It’s a hellish landscape full of streaky teams battling each other for a handful of playoff spots. It’s a Great Time To Be Alive™.

So each Monday we’ll hit the reset button, take a step back, and look at how the playoff race in each conference has changed. Who’s up. Who’s down. What changed since the previous week. What games teams need to take care of this week. You get the idea.

Onward!

Pittsburgh Penguins (43-16-8, 94 points)

Holds second in Metropolitan by two points, 15 games left (11 vs. quality teams)

Outlook: Taking advantage of the Capitals’ plummet. Pittsburgh extended its win streak to five games last week. But the Pens finish their road trip against the Flames on Monday, the NHL’s hottest team.

Met goal for last week? No. Kris Letang remains out with an undisclosed injury.

Goal for this week: Keep the streak alive and pass the Capitals in the standings.

Washington Capitals (44-17-7, 95 points)

Leads Eastern Conference and Metropolitan by one point, 14 games left (11 vs. quality teams)

Outlook: Dropping points out of nowhere. Washington has lost four straight games and just lost its new toy in a suspension. A second-straight Presidents’ Trophy isn’t the foregone conclusion it was a week ago.

Met goal for last week? Nope and nope. Braden Holtby is still winless against the Stars (so strange), and Kevin Shattenkirk only had one power play point in three games before his suspension.

Goal for this week: Stop the slide, but that won’t be easy. The Wild, Predators, and Lightning are all on tap this week. Washington chose a bad time to start slumping.

Columbus Blue Jackets (43-18-6, 92 points)

Holds third in Metropolitan by two points, 15 games left (11 vs. quality teams)

Outlook: Columbus lost ground to the Penguins last week after an odd rout at the hands of the Sabres over the weekend.

Met goal for last week? Nope. Taking advantage of an easy schedule does not include losing to Buffalo. The Jackets should’ve swept the week.

Goal for this week: Bounce back with statement games against tougher competition. That means sticking to their identity: Score first in at least three of the four games.

Montreal Canadiens (39-22-8, 86 points)

Leads Atlantic Division by two points, 13 games left (eight vs. quality teams)

Outlook: That division lead is looking precarious.

Met goal for last week? Eh. If the goal was to “withstand” the road trip, then they did so ...but that 5-0 loss in Calgary was briefly demoralizing.

Goal for this week: Sweep the Senators in a critical home-and-home weekend series. Their points lead over Ottawa is the difference between facing the Rangers in the first round or the Bruins in an emotionally charged trap series.

Ottawa Senators (39-22-6, 84 points)

Holds second place in Atlantic Division by six points, 15 games left (12 vs. quality teams)

Outlook: That six-point cushion over Boston is delicious. Both teams enjoyed a successful week (Ottawa extended its winning streak to six games), but only the Senators earned those extra two points.

Met goal for last week? Yes. See above.

Goal for this week: End the week as healthy as they began it. Which isn’t that healthy, mind you: Mark Stone, Kyle Turris, and Bobby Ryan are all dealing with issues despite Ottawa’s recent success.

Boston Bruins (36-26-6, 78 points)

Holds third place in Atlantic Division by two points, 14 games left (12 vs. quality teams)

Outlook: As impressive as those wins over Detroit and Philadelphia were, the loss last Monday in Ottawa stung.

Met goal for last week? No. Boston’s 4-2 loss in Ottawa kept the Bruins from earning every possible point last week.

Goal for this week: Take a month-worth of momentum on one of the more dreaded road trips in hockey: the Western Canada road swing.

New York Rangers (44-23-2, 90 points)

Holds first wild card by 14 points, 13 games left (12 vs. quality teams)

Outlook: A disappointing loss to the Hurricanes aside, the Rangers are doing well. Though the injury to Henrik Lundqvist could prove costly if Antti Raanta stumbles.

Met goal for last week? Yes. For the most part. New York stopped bleeding goals, holding opponents to one goal per game on average in its three wins.

Goal for this week: Let Antti Raanta prove he’s one of the best backups in the game.

New York Islanders (32-24-11, 75 points)

Trailing wild card by one point, 15 games left (eight vs. quality teams)

Outlook: Breathing down Toronto’s neck. Interim head coach Doug Weight has infused this team with confidence at the right time, and the Islanders finished up one of their longest road trips of the season with two wins in Western Canada.

Met goal for last week? Yes. Thomas Greiss was the star in the Isles’ 4-1 win in Edmonton and helped stave off the Canucks in a 4-3 overtime win two nights later.

Goal for this week: Keep the pressure on the Leafs during an easy week against the Hurricanes (twice) and Jets.

Toronto Maple Leafs (31-22-14, 76 points)

Holds wild card by one point, 15 games left (11 vs. quality teams)

Outlook: That was a week the Leafs desperately needed. Toronto ended a five-game slide with three straight wins.

Met goal for last week? Yes. Those wins over Detroit, Philadelphia, and Carolina held off the charging Islanders at least for another week. But now it gets tough.

Goal for this week: Keep that momentum alive during a truly tough week: A trip to Florida and Tampa Bay finishes with a home date with the red-hot Blackhawks on Saturday. Toronto needs to aim for at least three points out of six.

Tampa Bay Lightning (32-26-9, 73 points)

Trailing wild card by three points, 15 games left (10 vs. quality teams)

Outlook: Broken. The playoffs are still within reach, but injuries are back in Tampa Bay.

Met goal for last week? No. We told them to stay healthy. Then Tyler Johnson, Vladislav Namestnikov, and Cedric Paquette all suffered knee injuries in one game. Whoops.

Goal for this week: Hope the kids can keep producing. They still won that injury-plagued game against the Wild, and rookie Yan Gourde scored to help the Lightning beat the Panthers. If they can keep this up, they might get Steven Stamkos back with the playoffs still in play.

Florida Panthers (29-27-11, 69 points)

Trailing wild card by seven points, 15 games left (11 vs. quality teams)

Outlook: Whatever hope gained by Aleksander Barkov and Jonathan Huberdeau’s return has evaporated after losing eight of nine games and going winless last week.

Met goal for last week? No. Florida did not “get back into that winning groove.” It’s more like a losing waddle.

Goal for this week: Salvage. Salvage. Salvage. This is a difficult week with the Leafs, Blue Jackets, Rangers, and Penguins on deck. Florida must get points in at least three of four to stay relevant.

Philadelphia Flyers (31-28-8, 70 points)

Trailing wild card by six points, 15 games left (nine vs. quality teams)

Outlook: Philly wasted its opportunity after demolishing the Sabres on Tuesday. The Flyers followed that up with losses in Toronto and Boston, giving them a net loss in points for the week.

Met goal for last week? No. Aside from that 6-3 win in Buffalo, the Flyers were outscored 6-3 in their next two games. Michal Neuvirth and Steve Mason weren’t perfect, but they weren’t aided much either.

Goal for this week: Watch the tape of that Sabres win religiously, and put the lessons to use against the Blue Jackets and Penguins.

Carolina Hurricanes (27-27-11, 65 points)

Trailing wild card by 11 points, 17 games left (13 vs. quality teams)

Outlook: Sandwiched in between disappointing losses to Toronto and Colorado was an impressive win over the Rangers. Valentine Zykov also enjoyed a successful NHL debut with a goal in his first game.

Met goal for last week? No. We asked them to feast on struggling teams. They lost to the Avs and Leafs, so...

Goal for this week: Ask more of the youngsters and receive it. Zykov will get more playing time, and Lucas Wallmark just got called up over the weekend. This is the chance for both to prove they’re ready for the show next season.

Buffalo Sabres (28-29-12, 68 points)

Trailing wild card by eight points, 13 games left (12 vs. quality teams)

Outlook: A miserable week takes Buffalo out of the “in trouble” category and into this done-zo one. The win on Saturday ended a four-game slide that likely ended their playoff hopes.

Met goal for last week? No. Dropped points in two of three games instead of all three like we asked. Is it that hard? To follow the rules?

Goal for this week: Get a point on a brutal road trip across California.

Detroit Red Wings (26-30-11, 63 points)

Trailing wild card by 13 points, 15 games left (eight vs. quality teams)

Outlook: Well, they’re still out of the race by a good margin. But they proved they can still play spoiler against playoff teams in their own conference.

Met goal for last week? Nope. Petr Mrazek gave up 10 goals in three games. So much for that.

Goal for this week: Same as last week, I suppose. If Mrazek can’t turn it around against the two worst teams in the league, Detroit should be worried.

New Jersey Devils (25-31-12, 62 points)

Trailing wild card by 14 points, 14 games left (10 vs. quality teams)

Outlook: 10 straight losses. Carving a path up the lottery rankings.

Met goal for last week? No. They did not stop the bleeding. And now they are about to die.

Goal for this week: Catch up on The Expanse and Legion. Oh, wait, you meant New Jersey’s goal. I don’t know. Go get some pizza.