Alex Ovechkin returned to his sniping ways, and he then scored his 500th career goal. His milestone was only part of the team’s success, as the Capitals have now grabbed a commanding lead in the NHL Power Rankings. Chicago is oh-so-close to passing the Dallas Stars for second, and Colorado, Arizona, Tampa Bay, and Carolina all took big jumps.
1. Washington Capitals (69 points)
Last week: 1
They were in a dogfight with Dallas for the best team in the NHL, but the Caps hit the gas and ripped off five straight wins. Alex Ovechkin stole the spotlight in the NHL, of course. He had five goals in three games against the Islanders, Rangers, and Senators, including his 500th goal in the Ottawa game. If he plays into his 40’s (he is currently 30), he has a chance at breaking Wayne Gretzky’s record for career goals (894).
2. Dallas Stars (62 points)
Last week: 2
After what had been an unbelievable start to the season, the Stars have lost their shine, and they are now tied with Chicago for the Central Division lead. Their only win in 2016 was a 2-1 shootout win against Winnipeg. Antoine Roussel, known more for racking up penalty minutes, has been fairly productive offensively, scoring his seventh goal of the season in a blowout loss to the New York Rangers.
3. Chicago Blackhawks (62 points)
Last week: 3
The Blackhawks have had a crowded schedule since January 5, but they have taken the opportunity to catch fire and enter a tie for first place in the division. They have won nine straight games, including a sweep of the Pittsburgh Penguins, a blowout against the tough Avalanche, and a defensive battle against Montreal. With two goals against Colorado, Marian Hossa is now seven goals away from joining Ovechkin in the 500 goal club. Patrick Kane also had two goals in that game, and he leads the NHL in points. His 63 points are ten more than Jamie Benn, who has the second most points.
4. Florida Panthers (57 points)
Last week: 4
They set a season-best 12-game winning streak, but Canada proved to be too much for the Panthers. After narrowly escaping with a win over Edmonton, they suffered an overtime loss (and an entertaining benches-clearing brawl) to Vancouver. They then lost 6-0 to Calgary. They play one more road game against their in-state rivals before returning home. Aleksander Barkov had tallied a point in five straight games (one goal and four assists) before the Flames burned the Cats.
5. Los Angeles Kings (57 points)
Last week: 5
The problem with being in the Pacific Division is that the Kings do not play tough opponents very often, so getting five points against Toronto, St. Louis, and Detroit is certainly a morale booster. Anze Kopitar has been one of the hottest players in the league, with at least one point in eight of his last nine games. He topped it off with a goal and three assists against the Wings, and he now has 12 assists during the nine-game span.
6. St. Louis Blues (57 points)
Last week: 6
Dallas and Chicago have a firm grip of the division lead, but St. Louis is not far behind. They had tallied at least one point in four straight games before reeling against Carolina. The 4-1 loss was depressing, but it was nothing for the city of St. Louis compared to the fact that the Rams moved out this week.
7. New York Islanders (53 points)
Last week: 7
The week got off to a terrible start, for the Isles lost to Washington and Philadelphia by a combined 8-1 score. They responded with an easy win over Columbus and a huge third period to overcome the Rangers. Brock Nelson stole the spotlight for the Islanders, getting a hat trick against Columbus and also scoring against Washington and New York.
8. Detroit Red Wings (53 points)
Last week: 11
Florida has taken the Atlantic Division by storm, but Detroit is the only other team in the division that can get points on a consistent basis. Considering their playoff streak, that should come as no surprise. Had they not faltered against the Kings, Detroit would have been undefeated in their six-game road trip (Jimmy Howard happened to start the LA game). The roadie was capped off with a huge comeback win over Arizona, ending with a feed from Dylan Larkin to Danny DeKeyser in overtime.
9. Minnesota Wild (52 points)
Last week: 8
It is beginning to look like another one of those seasons again. Despite having the fifth best record in the Western Conference, the Wild are once again fourth in the Central Division. If the season ended today, Minnesota would once again have to settle for a wild-card spot. To make matters worse, winning a seven-game series over Los Angeles, their would-be opponent, is certainly not a guarantee. Devan Dubnyk was sharp against Dallas, giving up just one late goal for a 2-1 win.
10. New York Rangers (51 points)
Last week: 10
They had two huge wins against Dallas and Boston, but they failed in the games that mattered more. Losing to Washington is forgivable, but they lost 3-1 against the Islanders after holding a 1-0 lead after two periods. This team would be better if Rick Nash was more productive. After 42 goals last season, he has just 12 this season. His only points in 2016 have been from his three-assist night against Dallas.
11. Montreal Canadiens (49 points)
Last week: 9
At what point do we start writing this team off? The win at the Winter Classic was supposed to be a spark, but their only win since has been against New Jersey (2-1 was the score). Mike Condon has been incredible for the Habs lately, with at least a 94% save percentage in his last four games. Unfortunately, he is only 2-2-0 in those games. How many offensive players does Montreal need to be successful?
12. Colorado Avalanche (47 points)
Last week: 16
What more does Colorado need to prove? They are certainly no doormat anymore, and they have won games that they should win. Their only losses over the past week have been against Chicago and Tampa Bay, two teams that are very hot. Tyson Barrie has added two more goals in his last five games, including one against New Jersey. Calvin Pickard started that game and shut the Devils out. It was his first career shutout.
13. Arizona Coyotes (49 points)
Last week: 18
The overtime loss to Detroit was ugly, but the Coyotes had a four-game winning streak heading into that game. Louis Domingue continues to cement his spot as the starting goalie, and Oliver Ekman-Larsson continues to be a standout despite other breakouts on the team. He had the game-winning goal and three assists against Edmonton, and all of those assists helped Max Domi get a hat trick.
14. Tampa Bay Lightning (48 points)
Last week: 17
Ben Bishop was very outspoken after shutting out Colorado on Tuesday. He supposedly took his anger out on Stan Kroenke, the owner of the Avalanche, with the performance. Why? Kroenke was also a key part of moving the St. Louis Rams to Los Angeles. Bishop grew up in Missouri and was a huge Rams fan. I do not blame Bishop. Who wouldn’t be angry?
15. Boston Bruins (47 points)
Last week: 13
Their only win in their last five games was against New Jersey (Sensing a theme?). Unfortunately, the offense has failed to crack two goals in their other games, hence the results. Tuukka Rask had 40 saves against Ottawa, but he lost in overtime. He has been on the wrong end of the final score in seven of his last eight games, and most of them have not been his fault.
16. Nashville Predators (46 points)
Last week: 12
Another team that seemingly looks lifeless. It took them five games to get one point, and they are now in sixth place in the Central Division. The only reason why Nashville even has that point is because they has a huge third period against Winnipeg, the one division rival beneath them in the standings, to send the game into overtime. The Preds traded Seth Jones for Ryan Johansen in order to find some more offense. Johansen has done his part, scoring two goals and recording four assists since the trade. Now they need wins.
17. Ottawa Senators (46 points)
Last week: 15
It was uplifting to beat the Bruins in overtime, but the Senators went on to get blasted in both Washington and Anaheim. Not a good way to start the road trip. Erik Karlsson is doing all he can to keep the defense intact, and he also contributed four assists in a three game span. Unfortunately, he needs way more help from his teammates.
18. New Jersey Devils (47 points)
Last week: 14
Things have gone from bad to worse for the Devils. Their defense was outstanding against Minnesota, but they have looked ugly in all the other games. In regulation losses to Montreal, Boston, St. Louis, and Colorado, they have been outscored 14-4. Jon Merrill scored the game-winning goal against Minnesota, and it was his first goal of the season.
19. Carolina Hurricanes (47 points)
Last week: 25
Look who showed up to crash the party? No, it is not Owen Wilson or Vince Vaughn. It is the Canes! With four straight wins (two against Columbus), the Hurricanes are now tied with the Bruins and Devils for the second wild card spot. The long rebuilding process is finally paying off. Jordan Staal had a goal and an assist against Vancouver and in both Columbus games, and no point was bigger than his overtime winner in Nationwide Arena.
20. Pittsburgh Penguins (46 points)
Last week: 20
On paper, getting just one win in four games is not great. However, they defeated Montreal, got a point against Chicago, and a point against Carolina. Considering how hot the Blackhawks and Hurricanes have been lately, not all hope is lost in Steel City. Sidney Crosby has a goal and three assists in four games, including two assists against Carolina.
21. Vancouver Canucks (44 points)
Last week: 21
It is hard to ignore the fact that Vancouver would be in last place in the Central Division, but they are making a hard push for the postseason. They defeated the suddenly torrential Hurricanes and ended Panthers’ 12-game winning streak (Henrik Sedin probably should have avoided the Florida bench, though), and got a point against Tampa Bay, another hot team. Let us ignore the flat performance against Washington since they are not the only team to do that. Bo Horvat has four goals and three assists in January. None of those points were bigger than his two third period goals against Carolina, with the second coming with 1:06 left to win the game.
22. San Jose Sharks (46 points)
Last week: 27
The home struggles continued against Detroit, but then the Sharks turned things up a notch. They have since won four straight games, including two home matches against Toronto (in a brutal 7-0 fashion) and Edmonton (in a shootout). Tomas Hertl has been quiet for most of the season, but he does have three goals and three assists in eight games.
23. Philadelphia Flyers (45 points)
Last week: 24
Carolina’s hot streak has the Flyers in second-to-last place in the heated Metropolitan Division, but at least Philly has won four straight games. They have also scored four goals in three of their last four, and their last win was a 3-2 thriller over Boston. Brayden Schenn had a goal and four assists in wins against Montreal and Minnesota.
24. Calgary Flames (42 points)
Last week: 19
Calgary is as dangerous as any other team, but they are lacking consistency. Their offense failed against Arizona and their defense failed against San Jose. Then, out of nowhere, they blasted Florida 6-0. Of course, we cannot talk about that game without bringing up Sam Bennett’s four goal performance that nearly doubled his season goal total (he also scored against San Jose). The Flames cannot afford to lose to the Oilers.
25. Winnipeg Jets (43 points)
Last week: 22
Winnipeg is beginning to suffocate in their brutal division. Sure, they beat Nashville twice and could very well be in sixth place by next week, but it is hard to believe that the other teams will have a long skid and open a door. Andrew Ladd had three assists in Winnipeg’s home game against the Preds, but the Jets needed overtime just to salvage two points in a game they had led 4-1 in the third period.
26. Anaheim Ducks (43 points)
Last week: 23
They had four home games and a golden opportunity to make a statement in the Pacific Division, but they only beat St. Louis and Ottawa. They fell to Detroit and was shutout by a Toronto team that had just lost 7-0 to San Jose. Not good for a resume builder. Ryan Kesler had two goals against St. Louis, and that led to a shootout win.
27. Toronto Maple Leafs (39 points)
Last week: 28
They got a big win against Anaheim, but they have been on a tailspin ever since they lost 7-0 to the Sharks. That included a bad home loss to Columbus. Tyler Bozak had two assists in the win against the Ducks.
28. Edmonton Oilers (37 points)
Last week: 26
They got points against Arizona and San Jose, but they are winless in their last four games. Jordan Eberle has two goals and five assists in January, including three assists against the Coyotes.
29. Buffalo Sabres (38 points)
It is scary how dangerous this team could be with all their young phenoms. Rasmus Ristolainen had a hat trick earlier this season, and now Sam Reinhart has a hat trick after scoring three goals against Winnipeg (although everyone in Winnipeg was focused on Evander Kane…). Jack Eichel, meanwhile, has come close several times recently. I would be surprised if Buffalo does not win the Presidents Trophy within the next 15 years.
30. Columbus Blue Jackets (36 points)
Last week: 29
Back to the bottom! Beating Toronto in Canada was not enough to stop them from returning to the cellar. With their defense as thin as a toothpick, the Jackets probably got the better deal by giving away the underachieving Ryan Johansen for Seth Jones. Of course, Jones is not going to transform this team into a contender immediately. The season is pretty much lost for the Ohio fan base.