In this week's Eastern Edge, we'll take a look at noteworthy trends across the Eastern Conference during the month of March. Our discussion will include coverage of the red-hot Rangers, faltering Flyers and pristine Penguins, as well as a few quick stats from other teams!

Red-Hot Rangers

The Rangers boast the best offense in the Eastern Conference during the month of March, averaging 3.80 goals per game. Only the Avalanche scored more goals per game (3.94) this month. New York's strong offensive numbers were supported by a 9-0 and 8-3 win over the Flyers. As you'll see, there are a number of strong individual performances underlying the team's scoring success.

Mika Zibanejad has 21 points through 15 games in March, bolstered by two separate six-point showings against the Flyers. It's crazy to think that 12 of his points were tallied in just two games, but even if you took those two games away, he still has nine points through 13 games this month. That may not seem very impressive at first, but nine points in 13 games represents a scoring pace of 0.69 points per game – a significant improvement from the 0.32 points per game he registered through the first two months of the season. 

Ryan Strome and Adam Fox share the league lead for power-play production as each player holds 10 points with the man advantage this month. The Rangers have converted on 23.5-percent of their opportunities in March – a significant improvement from the 14.9-percent success rate they posted through January and February. While Fox has been a prominent piece of New York's power play all season, Strome saw his share of the team's total power-play time jump from 51-percent over the first two months of the season to 66-percent in March.

Another Ranger thriving this month is Pavel Buchnevich, who has 18 points in 14 games. He's having an incredible breakout performance with 31 points in 33 games overall and is benefitting from a career-high 19 minutes of ice time per game. He's still available in 27-percent of Yahoo Leagues as I write this!

This past month has highlighted the difference in quality between New York's netminders. Igor Shesterkin continued to set himself apart from his fellow goaltenders, posting a 2.06 GAA and .942 save percentage through four games. In contrast, Keith Kinkaid posted a 2.61 GAA and .891 save percentage through eight appearances. Alexander Georgiev was even worse, with a 3.17 GAA and .872 save percentage through six outings. Look for Shesterkin to get the majority of starts down the stretch as the Rangers make a push for the playoffs.

Faltering Flyers

The Flyers have struggled in March, winning six of their 16 games. The lack of team success is caused by an inability to keep the puck out of their net, as they've conceded a league worst 4.31 goals per game. Carter Hart is mired in the worst stretch of his young career, posting a 5.04 GAA and .815 save percentage through eight starts this month. Brian Elliot hasn't been much better, registering a 3.52 GAA and .855 save percentage in eight starts of his own. Although Philly's defense and goaltending have struggled, the team's offense has still been productive. Through 16 games, Claude Giroux, Jakub Voracek and Travis Konecny each have 13 points. Sean Couturier has also been excellent with 15 points in 15 games. In contrast, James van Riemsdyk's hot start seems like a distant memory as he has just six points in his last 16 appearances.

Pristine Penguins

I mentioned that the Rangers have the conference's most potent offense during the month of March, but the Penguins were right behind them with 3.56 goals per game. Pittsburgh's strong offense is comprised of many impressive individual performances. The big guns have come to play as Sidney Crosby has 21 points in 15 appearances, Evgeni Malkin has 12 points in nine outings, Jake Guentzel has 17 points in 16 games and Kris Letang has 13 in the same span. We've also seen solid numbers from the team's supporting cast this month. Jared McCann has 10 points in 10 games, Kasperi Kapanen has 11 in 13, and Brandon Tanev has eight in 10. 

Not only has the offense been good, but Pittsburgh's netminders have been on fire in the month of March. Tristan Jarry sports an 8-2-1 record, alongside a .928 save percentage and 2.33 GAA. Casey DeSmith has won four of his five games, posting a .969 save percentage and 0.89 GAA in the process. This represents an incredible bounceback stretch for both netminders, who had save percentages below .900 through the first two months of the campaign.

Quick Stats

Tampa's 'secondary scorers' had strong showings in March. Through 15 games this month, Ondrej Palat has 16 points, Yanni Gourde has 14 points and Alex Killorn has 13 points.

Ilya Samsonov has solid numbers this month, with a 6-1-0 record, .920 save percentage and 2.17 GAA. He's bounced back from a tough start as COVID protocols limited him to just three games through January and Feburary. Although he managed to win two of those three starts, he registered a lacklustre 2.92 GAA and .878 save percentage in the process.  

Carey Price's early struggles were well-documented as he posted a 3.13 GAA and .888 save percentage while winning five of his 12 games during the first two months of 2021. He's bounced back in March, posting a 5-1-2 record alongside 2.10 GAA and .926 save percentage.

Martin Necas leads the Hurricanes with 17 points in 13 games this month as he continues to impress the hockey world amidst this breakout sophomore season. His strong performance has resulted in more opportunity – a pattern which became especially obvious in recent games. Through eight appearances since March 11^th, he's averaged 20 minutes of ice time and enjoyed a 70-percent share of the team's total power-play time.