Metropolitan Division
The National Hockey League's Metropolitan Division was formed in 2013 as one of the two divisions in the Eastern Conference as part of a league realignment.[1] It is also a successor of the original Atlantic Division and one of the two successors to the Southeast Division. Six of its teams were previously together in the Patrick Division from 1981 to 1993 (one joined in 1982). It is the only NHL division without a Canadian team, with five of the division's clubs located in either the New York City area or in Pennsylvania and the other three in North Carolina, Ohio and Washington, D.C.
| Conference | Eastern Conference |
|---|---|
| League | National Hockey League |
| Sport | Ice hockey |
| Founded | 2013 |
| Teams | |
| No. of teams | 8 |
| Championships | |
| Most recent champion(s) | Washington Capitals (5th title) |
| Most titles | Washington Capitals (5 titles) |
The Metropolitan Division contains some of the most historic and intense rivalries in the NHL, including Flyers–Penguins, Devils–Rangers, Capitals–Penguins, Islanders–Rangers, Capitals–Rangers, Flyers–Rangers, Capitals–Flyers, and Devils–Flyers. Three of its teams (Rangers, Islanders, Devils) are within the league's largest market (New York), the Flyers are in the fourth largest market (Philadelphia), and the Capitals are in the seventh largest (Washington, D.C.). Games between Metropolitan Division teams are frequently shown on U.S. national television.
Current standings
| Pos | Team | GP | W | L | OTL | RW | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Washington Capitals | 69 | 41 | 20 | 8 | 31 | 240 | 215 | +25 | 90 |
| 2 | Philadelphia Flyers | 69 | 41 | 21 | 7 | 31 | 232 | 196 | +36 | 89 |
| 3 | Pittsburgh Penguins | 69 | 40 | 23 | 6 | 29 | 224 | 196 | +28 | 86 |
| 4 | Carolina Hurricanes | 68 | 38 | 25 | 5 | 27 | 222 | 193 | +29 | 81 |
| 5 | Columbus Blue Jackets | 70 | 33 | 22 | 15 | 25 | 180 | 187 | −7 | 81 |
| 6 | New York Islanders | 68 | 35 | 23 | 10 | 24 | 192 | 193 | −1 | 80 |
| 7 | New York Rangers | 70 | 37 | 28 | 5 | 31 | 234 | 222 | +12 | 79 |
| 8 | New Jersey Devils | 69 | 28 | 29 | 12 | 22 | 189 | 230 | −41 | 68 |
Division lineups
2013–present
Changes from the 2012–13 season
- The Metropolitan Division is formed due to NHL realignment
- The Northeast and Southeast Divisions are dissolved due to NHL realignment
- The New Jersey Devils, New York Islanders, New York Rangers, Philadelphia Flyers, and Pittsburgh Penguins come from the Atlantic Division
- The Carolina Hurricanes and Washington Capitals come from the Southeast Division
- The Columbus Blue Jackets come from the Central Division
Division champions
- 2014 – Pittsburgh Penguins (51–24–7, 109 pts)
- 2015 – New York Rangers (53–22–7, 113 pts)
- 2016 – Washington Capitals (56–18–8, 120 pts)
- 2017 – Washington Capitals (55–19–8, 118 pts)
- 2018 – Washington Capitals (49–26–7, 105 pts)
- 2019 – Washington Capitals (48–26–8, 104 pts)
- 2020 – Washington Capitals (41–20–8, 90 pts)
Season results
| Season | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th | 5th | 6th | 7th | 8th |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2013–14 | Pittsburgh (109) | NY Rangers (96) | Philadelphia (94) | Columbus (93) | Washington (90) | New Jersey (88) | Carolina (83) | NY Islanders (79) |
| 2014–15 | NY Rangers (113)‡ | Washington (101) | NY Islanders (101) | Pittsburgh (98) | Columbus (89) | Philadelphia (84) | New Jersey (78) | Carolina (71) |
| 2015–16 | Washington (120)‡ | Pittsburgh (104)† | NY Rangers (101) | NY Islanders (100) | Philadelphia (96) | Carolina (86) | New Jersey (84) | Columbus (76) |
| 2016–17 | Washington (118)‡ | Pittsburgh (111)† | Columbus (108) | NY Rangers (102) | NY Islanders (94) | Philadelphia (88) | Carolina (87) | New Jersey (70) |
| 2017–18 | Washington (105)† | Pittsburgh (100) | Philadelphia (98) | Columbus (97) | New Jersey (97) | Carolina (83) | NY Islanders (80) | NY Rangers (77) |
| 2018–19 | Washington (104) | NY Islanders (103) | Pittsburgh (100) | Carolina (99) | Columbus (98) | Philadelphia (82) | NY Rangers (78) | New Jersey (72) |
| 2019–20** | Washington (69 gp 90 pts. .652 ppct.) | Philadelphia (69 gp 89 pts. .645 ppct.) | Pittsburgh (69 gp 86 pts. .623 ppct.) | Carolina (68 gp 81 pts. .596 ppct.) | NY Islanders (68 gp 80 pts. .588 ppct.) | Columbus (70 gp 81 pts. .579 ppct.) | NY Rangers (70 gp 79 pts. .564 ppct.) | New Jersey (69 gp 68 pts. .493 ppct.) |
- Qualified for playoffs
- ‡ denotes winner of the Presidents' Trophy
- † denotes winner of the Stanley Cup
- ** 2019–20 season rankings were determined by points percentage; season was cut short by the COVID-19 pandemic
Stanley Cup winners produced
- 2016 – Pittsburgh Penguins
- 2017 – Pittsburgh Penguins
- 2018 – Washington Capitals
Presidents' Trophy winners produced
- 2015 – New York Rangers
- 2016 – Washington Capitals
- 2017 – Washington Capitals
Metropolitan Division titles won by team
Teams in bold are currently in the division.
| Team | Wins | Last win |
|---|---|---|
| Washington Capitals | 5 | 2020 |
| New York Rangers | 1 | 2015 |
| Pittsburgh Penguins | 1 | 2014 |
| Carolina Hurricanes | 0 | — |
| Columbus Blue Jackets | 0 | — |
| New Jersey Devils | 0 | — |
| New York Islanders | 0 | — |
| Philadelphia Flyers | 0 | — |
References
- "NHL introduces new division names with schedule". National Hockey League. July 19, 2013. Retrieved March 11, 2016.
- "NHL Hockey Standings". www.nhl.com. National Hockey League.
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