Morning Skate: The Metropolitan Division is a buzzsaw ready to cut down the rest of the NHL

Good luck getting past the Devils, or the Penguins, or the Capitals, or the Blue Jackets...

It really is a shame that the NHL's playoff system is the way it is at the moment. If trends continue, even a quarter way through the season, a very solid team will likely be left out of the playoffs. Most likely? That team will come from the Metropolitan Division.

There's not better, or hotly contested, division in the NHL right now than the Metropolitan. That mantle used to be held by the Central Division in recent years, but over the last two the Metropolitan has become the NHL's division of death.

Looking down the standings, all eight teams are separated by a spread of 10 points or less. While five teams are currently locked in playoff spots, heavyweight Pittsburgh Penguins sit just on the outside looking in, with the Philadelphia Flyers and Carolina Hurricanes trailing not far behind.

The dominance isn't just because a fair number of teams in the Atlantic are having less than stellar seasons. The New Jersey Devils, who received the No. 1 pick in the draft last season, have exceeded expectations with a young core lead by Nico Hischier. The New York Islanders are finally getting the offensive output around captain John Tavares, and it's got them sitting at 37 points in 30 games. Even the Flyers and Hurricanes have had their moments this season, as they slowly but surely climb their way back into the race.

It's very fair to say no team should feel comfortable even facing the bottom of the Metropolitan Division this year, given how much they've stood out. Come playoff time, they'll be a force to be reckoned with, if they don't wear themselves out playing against each other in the regular season that is.

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