A perennial powerhouse and home of the last three Stanley Cup champions, the Metropolitan Division is experiencing a downturn. How bad is it? The New York Rangers are just three points out of a playoff spot.
Gary Bettman’s NHL is a league of parity. The salary cap has ensured that there will be no more dynasties and the NFL’s “any given Sunday” philosophy has become the NHL mantra. The point for losing a game in overtime has guaranteed that a majority of teams (22 out of 31 as of today) will have a winning record.
Yet, after years of domination, the Metropolitan looks to be on the downswing.
This could be do to a variety of reasons including the cost of success. The current model for winning is to feature two or three highly paid players and surround them with entry level contracts. When those young players age out and need raises, they leave the team in search of that big pay day.
How bad is it? While there are variances in the schedule with some teams playing far fewer games than others, the Met lags far behind when it comes to points. The top 15 teams in the entire league have 14 or more points this season and only the Met’s Pittsburgh Penguins make the list, sneaking in with 14.
The November 1 benchmark
Five years ago, Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet pointed out that teams four points or more out of the playoffs on November 1, rarely make the post-season. Believe it or not, the Rangers are in the mix for post-season play as of today.
The reason is that the mediocrity of the Metropolitan has resulted in parity within the division itself. The Rangers have the fewest points in the Division with nine but are only three points out of a playoff spot.
Compare that to the Atlantic where the Florida Panthers have only seven points in nine games but are already seven points out of a playoff spot. In the Central, the St. Louis Blues have nine points like the Rangers but are six points out of the last spot. Even in the Pacific Division which rivals the Met when it comes to mediocrity, the last place Kings (seven points) are six points out.
More numbers
When it comes to head to head division competition, the Central is beating up on the Met with an 11-3-2 record. The Atlantic has a 12-8-3 record versus the Metropolitan. The Pacific is the only division under .500 with an 11-12-5 record (thanks to the Rangers’ two wins against San Jose).
The news is a little better when it comes to winning percentage. The Atlantic and Central Divisions each place four teams in the top 16. The Metropolitan has four teams in the top 16 while the Pacific lags with only two.
The Met also is an offensive powerhouse. Four of the top eight teams in the NHL with goals per game are in the Division.
1. Pittsburgh 4.30
2. Washington 3.80
3. Tampa 3.64
4. St. Louis 3.60
5. Columbus 3.55
6. Toronto 3.50
7. Nashville 3.50
8. New Jersey 3.44
On the negative side, when it comes to defense, six of the eight teams in the Met Division are in the bottom half of the league with four (including the Rangers) among the ten worst.
Home versus road games should have an impact on the standings. Here’s how the divisions stand so far this season.
Metropolitan Division 46 home, 41 away
Central Division 46 home, 35 away
Atlantic Division 44 home, 46 away
Pacific Division 41 home, 55 away
With 74% of their games at home, it’s not a surprise that the Central Division has jumped out to a quick start with a .663 winning percentage. The Met has played 53% of their games on home ice but has only a .532 winning percentage. Both the Atlantic and Pacific divisions have a better home winning percentage and both divisions will have more home games coming up so there could be even more of a decline in Metropolitan Division performance.