POWER RANKINGS
The Penguins and Lightning are on fire and the bottom of the league is still bad. Not too many surprises in this week’s power rankings as every team is beyond the midway point.
1. St. Louis Blues (2):
Continue to play Gloria for all to hear.
2. Pittsburgh Penguins (3):
Sidney Crosby is back and the Penguins are already one of the hottest teams in hockey. They may be ready to go on one of their traditional runs.
3. Washington Capitals (1):
Their comeback against the Sharks was great but that
5-1 loss to the Devils on Saturday night was the worst the Caps have looked all season.
4. Tampa Bay Lightning (4):
Remember when everyone thought the Lightning were done? Apparently that was extremely wrong. The Lightning might be playing the best hockey in the league.
5. Dallas Stars (5):
Speaking of turnarounds, what the Stars have done might be the most impressive in the league given the way their season started and having a midseason coaching change.
6. Boston Bruins (8):
Their statement against the Predators then high-scoring output against the Jets and overtime win against the Islanders looked great but then their shootout woes returned in spectacular fashion after blowing a three-goal lead in Philadelphia.
7. Toronto Maple Leafs (7):
The Sheldon Keefe era has looked great on the Leafs.
8. Vancouver Canucks (9):
The Canucks probably aren’t in that top tier of teams yet, but the young group is playing really good hockey and as of now is in a good playoff position.
9. Arizona Coyotes (13):
Taylor Hall has pushed the Coyotes’ ceiling much higher than it was a month and a half ago.
10. New York Islanders (10):
Slowly but surely the Islanders have come back down to earth and hold only a twopoint lead for a playoff spot.
11. Vegas Golden Knights (11):
Three straight losses isn’t good in an extremely tough conference.
12. Colorado Avalanche (6):
The Avs have started to slide and entered Tuesday night with just a three-point lead on a playoff spot.
13. Calgary Flames (22):
A good week and a half put the Flames in a better position after some mediocre hockey.
14. Edmonton Oilers (19):
Connor McDavid continues to be ridiculous on a nightly basis.
15. Carolina Hurricanes (15):
Their defense looked good heading into the year and it’s proving its worth now.
16. Winnipeg Jets (23):
Connor Hellebyuck has slowed down and that’s made the Jets play more like the pedestrian team they appeared to be.
17. Philadelphia Flyers (14):
Their shootout win against the Bruins was solid after dropping five of six.
18. Columbus Blue Jackets (18):
If the Blue Jackets end up back in the postseason, John Tortorella should be a shoein for coach of the year.
19. Florida Panthers (12):
Any goaltending at all would put the Panthers in the top third of the league.
20. Nashville Predators (17):
Goalie goal, goalie goal, goalie goal, goalie goal.
21. N.Y. Rangers (26):
Artemi Panarin is trying his best to carry the Rangers.
22. Buffalo Sabres (21):
That they fell off the cliff after their hot start isn’t surprising, but they’ve been mired in mediocrity or worse for some time now.
23. Chicago Blackhawks (20):
The west is so tight it’s not a lost season but it doesn’t feel like a winning one for the Blackhawks either.
24. San Jose Sharks (25):
Logan Couture is going to be out for a while and that makes a bad season even less tolerable for the Sharks.
25. Minnesota Wild (16):
They had a bit of a surge but the whole goal-scoring thing is still evading the Wild.
26. Montreal Canadiens (27):
As it turns out, the Canadiens are just bad, after all.
27. Ottawa Senators (30):
They haven’t been good but the bar is so low on the floor that this hasn’t been the worst season the Senators can have.
28. Anaheim Ducks (28):
Continuing their seasonlong visit in the bottom third of the league standings and rankings.
29. L.A. Kings (29):
That fire sale can happen any day now.
30. New Jersey Devils (24):
Ray Shero was ousted just days after the Devils crushed the Capitals, so it seems like nothing can save their season.
31. Detroit Red Wings (31):
Imagine if the Red Wings are this bad and they still don’t get the first overall pick.