As the NHL heads into the month of December, it officially marks the time where almost every team has played a third of the NHL schedule. With student’s report cards being sent home to the moms and dads of the world, it’s only fitting to give every NHL team a report card of their own. Every day, over the next week, Last Word On Sports will cover one division a day, and break down each team into five separate categories; Offense, Defense, Goaltending, Coaching, and Management. Just like a school report card, each section will receive a grade between A+ and F. Today, we take a look at the Metropolitan Division.

The division has been a two-man race from the start of the season. Currently, the New York Islanders and Pittsburgh Penguins are duking it out for top spot as they continue to exchange wins. The Islanders, who have surprised most of the league, have benefitted from the free agency market and a couple of trades that have completely changed the make-up of their team. The Penguins, less of a surprise, have gotten excellent goaltending from Marc-Andre Fleury and offensive production from their top guns. The New York Rangers and Washington Capitals both have been hovering around the .500 mark, going through growing pains of a new coach (Washington) or injuries to significant pieces on their defensive core (New York). The bottom four are separated by six points, with the New Jersey Devils ahead of the pack (22 points) while the Columbus Blue Jackets are in the basement (16 points).

NHL Report Card, Term 1: Metropolitan Division

Our Hockey Department’s Tyler Shea, Griffin Schroeder, Charlie O’Connor Clarke, Ben Kerr and Shawn Wilken all sat down and graded each team.

1. New York Islanders – (19-7-0)

Offense: A

With a 2.96 average in goals for, both John Tavares and Brock Nelson have hit double digits in goals while sharing the lead for points with 23. In fact, six forwards have hit the double digits in points this season, including youngster Ryan Strome, who is enjoying a wonderful start to his season.

Defense: A

It was the belief that the Islanders were a top-4 defenseman away from being a real contender. They then added Johnny Boychuk and Nick Leddy for no roster players in return and have changed everything you’ve ever known about this team. Boychuk is an absolute log on defense, while Leddy is playing around 20 minutes a game. Thomas Hickey is also playing exceptionally well.

Goaltending: A+

Out with the old and in with the new, Jaroslav Halak and Chad Johnson step in and offer the consistent 1-2 punch that the Islanders have desperately needed. Halak is currently on an 11-game winning streak and sits in 4th for total wins this season. His impressive stats of 2.05 goals against and a .926 save percentage, the Islanders haven’t had to depend too much on Johnson. When they have gone to him, Johnson brings some confidence with a 5-3-0 record.

Coaching: A

Head coach Jack Capuano has his work cut out for him. An offense that can score goals, a defense he can count on an incredible goaltending duo, sometimes all he has to do is sit back and enjoy the game. Of course, he puts tons of work into the team’s strategy and that shows on the ice. There’s no doubt about his capabilities as a coach when you look at the Islanders record but the question is, can he maintain this surge?

Management: A+

Wow. From bringing in secondary scoring in Mikhail Grabovski and Nikolay Kulemin, to shoring up on defense with Boychuk and Leddy, to finally replacing his goaltending position, Garth Snow has turned this team from a bottom-feeding, dead-end team into a playoff contender. Snow himself did a 180 with all these moves, after the debacle he faced after trading away Thomas Vanek for a prospect and a pick, going from being a laughing stock to a highly-praised general manager.

2. Pittsburgh Penguins – (17-6-2)

Offense: A+

The team has Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin. It’s just not fair. After acquiring Patric Hornqvist in a trade that sent James Neal to Nashville, the Penguins added Blake Comeau to solidify their secondary scoring problems that has haunted them in the playoffs. The result? The team is scoring at will with a 3.20 average.

Defense: A The drop-off in point production from Kris Letang to the rest of the defensive roster is astounding. Letang has 18 points after 22 games. After that? 8 points in 25 games. Yet the talent that is on the blue-line goes beyond total point. Christian Ehrhoff, who is quickly becoming one of the best pick-ups in free agency this year, has a team-leading +13. Goalies: A Marc-Andre Fleury leads the NHL in shutouts and is two wins behind the league-lead for wins this season, held by Pekka Rinne, Ben Bishop and Ryan Miller, who all have 16. Thomas Greiss has played just 6 games this season and holds a 3-2-1 record but with Fleury leading the charge, Greiss is not such a bad back-up. Coaching: A In Mike Johnston’s first season as head coach of the Pittsburgh Penguins, he has brought new spark and emotion to already-packed roster. He has managed to make them believe that there is more to it than talent and that they can’t always win on that alone. The team looks more hungry and obsessed with winning hockey games. This isn’t just a good hockey team. This is a good, well-coached hockey team. Management: A

Hornqvist, Comeau and Ehrhoff. Three players that have completely changed the look to this team. Ehrhoff provides stability on the blue-line and is relied on by his team to do everything and more. He sure has responded. Comeau and Hornqvist both pack an offensive punch that surprises the opposition most nights when they are too occupied with shutting down Crosby and Malkin.