Looks like the Montreal Canadiens have company. Brad Marchand’s early shorthanded goal not only continues his torrid goal rampage, but it helped the Boston Bruins upend the Minnesota Wild on Saturday. Minnesota is now 1-11-2 in their last 14 games and are on the verge of falling out of the postseason race entirely. Meanwhile, the Washington Capitals are continuing to run away with the NHL Power Rankings lead.
1. Washington Capitals (84 points)
Last week: 1 (78 points)
They had a five-game winning streak and had an opportunity to have an eight point week. Unfortunately, they could not pull off a comeback against the Stars. Alex Ovechkin recorded the hat trick against Minnesota and had a ridiculous six goals this week. Meanwhile, Nicklas Backstrom had five assists in three games, including three against the Wild.
2. Chicago Blackhawks (77 points)
Last week: 2 (76 points)
Have you ever seen clips of “superheroes” looking confident and then crashing into a brick wall? That was the Blackhawks this week. They had been flying high and mighty, but then got just one point in three home games. This included an ugly shutout loss to the Sharks. Brent Seabrook should be thanked for giving the Blackhawks a point this week. He had both goals in Chicago’s 3-2 overtime loss to the Anaheim Ducks.
3. Dallas Stars (77 points)
Last week: 3 (71 points)
What a week for the Stars! They knocked out the struggling Wild in overtime, but the other two wins were much bigger. They beat the Blackhawks 4-2 before defeating the Capitals 4-3. We now have a tie for first in the Central Division. Mattias Janmark got his first goal since January 15 in Dallas’s huge four-goal second period against Washington.
4. St. Louis Blues (71 points)
Last week: 5 (68 points)
The Blues had two games this week and got three points. After a defensive battle that ended in a shootout loss to Winnipeg, the Blues went into South Florida and outscored the Panthers 5-3. Next week, however, will be a challenge, with Tampa Bay, Dallas, and Los Angeles on the schedule. Rookie Robby Fabbri has a point in all but one of St. Louis’s five games in February, including his first goal of the month at Florida.
5. Florida Panthers (70 points)
Last week: 4 (68 points)
After a near-perfect week, the Panthers had little to celebrate this week. They had an offensive explosion in Buffalo, but that was the only game where Florida got any points. Alex Petrovic had a night to remember against Buffalo, recording the Gordie Howe hat trick (a goal, an assist, and a fight) and the fighting hat trick (He had three fights against Evander Kane and was subsequently tossed).
6. Los Angeles Kings (69 points)
Last week: 6 (65 points)
The road trip started about as well as physically possible, as the Kings put up a nine-spot on the Bruins. Anze Kopitar put up a hat trick in LA’s wild overtime victory against the Rangers. Unfortunately, the Kings had issues in Brooklyn, and the Islanders made them pay, winning 5-2. With Jonathan Quick injured after the Bruins game, the Kings have used three goalies in as many games, with Jonas Enroth flopping in Brooklyn and Peter Budaj benefitting from a late LA push in Manhattan.
7. Tampa Bay Lightning (64 points)
Last week: 7 (62 points)
The road trip to Canada was bad, as the Lightning lost to Ottawa and Montreal. But late-game heroics helped the Lightning salvage two point in Nashville. Steven Stamkos scored the game-tying goal with 26 seconds remaining in regulation and then assisted Tyler Johnson on the overtime winner. Johnson, who has had a disappointing season after a breakout performance in last year’s postseason, now has three goals in February.
8. Boston Bruins (66 points)
Last week: 10 (62 points)
Usually a team that gives up nine goals in one game does not make a jump in the Power Rankings, but the Bruins figured things out on the road. They demolished the Jets in Canada and continued the Wild’s ice-cold stretch. They now have a slim hold of second place in the Atlantic Division. Brad Marchand is the hottest player in the NHL right now. With a goal in each game this week, he now has at least one goal in 11 of his last 12 games.
9. New York Rangers (68 points)
Last week: 8 (63 points)
The Rangers got themselves a four-winning streak with wins over New Jersey and Pittsburgh, but they failed to make it five after the Kings got hot late. Henrik Lundqvist had a monster week, allowing just one goal. This included a 34-save shoutout in Consol Energy Arena. He did not get the start against LA.
10. Detroit Red Wings (65 points)
Last week: 9 (60 points)
The San Antonio Spurs of the NHL had another good week. After defensive masterpieces against Florida and Ottawa, the Wings fell short in a shootout against Colorado. Luke Glendening had a late assist to put away the Senators, and it was his eighth of the season.
11. New York Islanders (64 points)
Last week: 11 (58 points)
Good week. They had trouble in their loss to Carolina, but they already had three wins heading into that match on Saturday. This included a legendary 8-1 beatdown against the Oilers. Kyle Okposo got the hat trick in that game, and he has at least one point in four straight games.
12. San Jose Sharks (63 points)
Last week: 11 (58 points)
No one will accuse Martin Jones of being a bad goalie, especially after his dominant 33-save shutout on the Blackhawks. Unfortunately, Alex Stalock is a horrible backup, and he showed it against Calgary as the Sharks lost in a shootout despite scoring five goals. Expect the Sharks to look for a reliable backup before the deadline.
13. New Jersey Devils (63 points)
Last week: 13 (59 points)
The Devils’ offense was absent in New York, but it did just enough to outlast the Oilers and Flyers. They won 2-1 in both games. Adam Henrique had a very good week, as he scored three goals in his last four games. His overtime goal finished the Flyers on Saturday.
14. Pittsburgh Penguins (63 points)
Last week: 15 (59 points)
New Jersey and Pittsburgh have been neck for a vast majority of 2016, and with the teams being eight and nine in the conference, their battle for playoff positioning will be fun to watch moving forward. The Anaheim Ducks have looked better lately, but they were shut down in Pittsburgh, and Kris Letang added two assists in the 6-2 win.
15. Colorado Avalanche (62 points)
Last week: 14 (58 points)
The Avalanche got the week off poorly against Vancouver, but they finished it with two wins in Ottawa and Detroit. They hope to build a long winning streak, which is certainly possible with Buffalo, Montreal, Edmonton, and Vancouver coming up on the schedule. Jarome Iginla, who was drafted all the way back in 1995, had quite a night in Ottawa, scoring two goals and recording an assist in the 4-3 win.
16. Anaheim Ducks (62 points)
Last week: 18 (57 points)
GOOOOOOAAAAAALLLLLLLL!!!!!!! There are no wins that have been bigger for the Ducks than the overtime winner in Chicago. It was not just the opponent that the Ducks, but also who won it. Ryan Getzlaf still has a laughably bad goal total (five), but his overtime goal gives him his second in February. Maybe this is what Getzlaf needs to get his goal to levels are strong as his assist total (35).
17. Nashville Predators (61 points)
Last week: 16 (58 points)
The bottom half of the Western Conference is awfully weak, and the Predators are benefitting from it. They only won at Florida on Saturday, but they now have a comfortable grasp on the second wild card spot. James Neal scored again in Florida, and he now has three goals in his last four games. He leads the team with 21 goals.
18. Carolina Hurricanes (60 points)
Last week: 18 (56 points)
Carolina had just two 2-1 shootout losses to show for heading into their matchup against the Islanders, but the fans got an offensive show, something that has not happened a whole lot this season. Victor Rask notched two goals in the rout, and it was this first time he found the net since January 24.
19. Arizona Coyotes (56 points)
Last week: 21 (54 points)
The Coyotes had their Power Play working perfectly against the Flames. They knocked out the league worst Power Play defense with three goals on seven chances. Unfortunately, beating the Flames ended a 0-4-1 stretch, and the Yotes are still trailing Nashville, San Jose and Anaheim for a playoff spot by a widening margin. With a goal against Calgary, Shane Doan is now the franchise leader in points. That includes when the Coyotes were the old Winnipeg Jets.
20. Philadelphia Flyers (59 points)
Last week: 19 (55 points)
Not a great week for the Flyers. They had nothing to show for against Washington and Anaheim, but they had no problems taking care of the Sabres. Despite losing in overtime to New Jersey, the Flyers had something to celebrate because Shayne Gostisbehere entered the record books. His game-tying goal against the Devils gave Gostisbehere the record for the longest point streak for a rookie defenseman in NHL history.
21. Montreal Canadiens (58 points)
Last week: 24 (54 points)
The Montreal Canadiens looked like they had something big to talk about again, ripping off three straight games. Unfortunately, they lost to Buffalo…again. Tomas Plekanec continues to stay hot, and Ben Scrivens looks like he has wrapped up the starting goalie position. That is big considering it is still unclear when Carey Price is returning.
22. Vancouver Canucks (56 points)
Last week: 23 (52 points)
After losing to Toronto, the Canucks have now lost four straight home games. They succeeded on the road, however, as the Canucks defeated the Avalanche and the Coyotes. This time, I will do a player analysis for Vancouver. Jannik Hansen scored the game-winner against Arizona and had an assist against the Leafs. Outside of the Sedins, he leads the team in goals and points.
23. Ottawa Senators (56 points)
Last week: 22 (54 points)
They could only get a win when Tampa Bay came to town. The Canadiens have once again passed them in the standings and the Senators will most certainly need another big rally to return to the playoffs. Mark Stone is one of the few bright spots for the offense. He has a goal in five of his last seven games after two goals against the Lightning and another one against the Avalanche.
24. Minnesota Wild (56 points)
Last week: 20 (55 points)
The Wild reached the final straw. With just one win in 14 games, Mike Yeo has officially been fired from his head coaching position.
25. Calgary Flames (53 points)
Last week: 25 (49 points)
February has been promising for Calgary, and they got three straight wins against Vancouver, Toronto, and San Jose. Unfortunately, the Flames lost Karri Ramo in the shootout win to the Sharks. It is unclear when Ramo will return, so Jonas Hiller will have to hold the fort down in the near future and try to help the Flames return to the playoff picture. Johnny Gaudreau had two assists in San Jose after sitting out of the Toronto game due to disciplinary reasons.
26. Winnipeg Jets (53 points)
Last week: 26 (49 points)
The Jets can be relieved knowing Dustin Byfuglien will remain in Winnipeg in the near future. Even better, with shootout wins to St. Louis and Edmonton, they are now just three points behind the free-falling Wild in the Central Division. Ondrej Pavelec has returned from injury, and Connor Hellebuyck has been sent back down to the NHL. We will probably see him again soon.
27. Edmonton Oilers (50 points)
Last week: 27 (47 points)
They fared well against Toronto, but that was it. The offense remains anemic, scoring just one goal against New York (while the Islanders offense exploded on now-AHL goalie Anders Nilsson), New Jersey, and Winnipeg. Laurent Brossoit started his second career game against the Jets and was fantastic. He saved 32 of 33 shots and kept the Jets off the board long enough for Matt Hendricks to tie the game up and send it to extra time. Winnipeg eventually won in a shootout.
28. Columbus Blue Jackets (52 points)
Last week: 28 (47 points)
It may be too late to make the playoffs, but John Tortorella has at least made the Jackets look respectable. With wins to Anaheim and Ottawa, Columbus has now won four of five. After scoring the only two Columbus goals in Calgary last week, William Karlsson added to his goal total with a netter with four seconds left in the second period of the Jackets’ shootout win against the Ducks. He now has two multi-goal games and seven goals for the season.
29. Buffalo Sabres (50 points)
Last week: 30 (48 points)
Defense was a problem this week. Evander Kane’s fighting rampage could not save the Sabres from giving up seven goals to the Panthers. Then they gave up five goals to the Flyers. Even in their win to Montreal, the Sabres had problems, giving up four goals. Marcus Foligno led the charge with two goals on the Habs, and he now has three in his last two games against the Canadiens.
30. Toronto Maple Leafs (49 points)
Last week: 29 (47 points)
The Leafs somewhat saved their week with a win in Vancouver, but even Mike Babcock cannot save their season. They traded away captain Dion Phaneuf to Ottawa and got Milan Michalek, Colin Greening, and Jared Cowan in return. Nazem Kadri did not help morale in Toronto in any way this week. His throat slash gesture toward Calgary’s Mark Giordano resulted in a hefty fine.