Is Alex Ovechkin the primary weapon in Washington? Probably, but Evgeny Kuznetsov is giving the Great 8 a run for his money. It should come as no surprise that the abundance of weapons in the United States capital has given the Capitals the top spot in the NHL Power Rankings for an unthinkable number of weeks. The Anaheim Ducks continue to climb up the rankings, but the Edmonton Oilers are the new #30. Something tells me this has occurred plenty of times in recent memory.
1. Washington Capitals (94 points)
Last week: 1 (88 points)
Losing to Montreal is not as acceptable as it used to be, but it was the only blip to their winter cruise. They got past the Devils, Coyotes, and Wild to cap off a 3-1-0 home stand, and they visit the Chicago Blackhawks in what could be a Stanley Cup Finals preview. The sad part of Evgeny Kuznetsov’s breakout season is that the Great 8 is overshadowing all of it. Kuznetsov has a staggering three goals and eight assists in his last 11 games. He has seven goals and 22 assists in 2016, and his 44 assists are third in the NHL. His 30 +/- is the best mark in the league.
2. Chicago Blackhawks (81 points)
Last week: 2 (81 points)
They had more trades than they had games this week. Andrew Ladd, Dale Weise, Christian Ehrhoff, and Tomas Fleischmann have all become Blackhawks, and Chicago has more incentive to expect another Stanley Cup. It does not help, however, that they failed to get any points and just two goals for the week. Artemi Panarin has been a non-factor since his hat trick against the Rangers last week, with a -4 +/- in his last two games. He and his line mates (Artem Anisimov and Patrick Kane need to regroup soon.
3. Dallas Stars (82 points)
Last week: 3 (80 points)
They officially have the lead in the Central Division, but they still are not looking impressive. Their only win was to the Jets, and they lost the second matchup at home. Jason Spezza, in particular, had a field day against Winnipeg. After scoring one on the road, he added two more goals in the losing effort.
4. St. Louis Blues (79 points)
Last week: 4 (71 points)
St. Louis should be glad that Chicago and Dallas did not do too well, either. After a defensive-less win over Arizona, they took tumbles against the Sharks, Rangers, and Predators. The highly divisive issue of whether the Blues are serious Stanley Cup contenders continues to this day, but they only trail the Blackhawks by two points, so the Central Division race will be a real highlight. With a goal against San Jose, Jay Bouwmeester has now scored two of his three season goals in February against the Sharks.
5. Los Angeles Kings (78 points)
Last week: 6 (70 points)
Their safety net is gone, but their play has been outstanding of late. They won three straight 2-1 games to Nashville, Calgary, and Edmonton. Unfortunately, they have not scored more than two goals since their road win against the Rangers (six-game drought). Jonathan Quick has been the obvious team MVP of late, and he had 33 saves in LA’s overtime victory over the Predators. Then Jhonas Enroth shut out the Sabres.
6. New York Rangers (78 points)
Last week: 7 (72 points)
The only thing separating the Rangers from the Washington Capitals is a rough patch in December (4-7-3). Otherwise, New York would have a reasonable chance at both the Metropolitan Division Championship and the Presidents Trophy. Instead, they are just pulling away with one of the two other guaranteed division playoff spots. Henrik Lundqvist had a rough night in New Jersey, but was stellar in his other starts. His 2-1 victory over the Blues gave him 30 wins for the season, joining Martin Brodeur and Patrick Roy for the only goalies with 30 wins in at least 10 seasons.
7. Florida Panthers (78 points)
Last week: 5 (73 points)
The Panthers are new to being buyers at the Trade Deadline, and they had yet to make any moves…before today. They grabbed Jakub Kindl, Teddy Purcell, and Jiri Hudler, giving away draft picks that had become an abundance in recent years (These deals are not official yet). On the ice, meanwhile, Florida had a severely light schedule and took advantage of it. Aleksander Barkov returned from injury and scored two goals against Arizona and another one against Columbus. He now has six goals in as many played games this month.
8. Tampa Bay Lightning (74 points)
Last week: 9 (66 points)
They could not have asked for a better week. They got four big wins (three on the road) against the Penguins, Hurricanes, Coyotes, and Devils. Their momentum can keep rolling if they can shut down the Bruins in Massachusetts, especially with weaker opponents afterwards. Ryan Callahan had two goals (Both against Carolina) and three assists this week.
9. Boston Bruins (74 points)
Last week: 8 (68 points)
While the Lightning is beating everybody, almost everybody is going into the TD Garden and beating the Bruins. The Blue Jackets gave Boston their 18th loss, regulation or extra time, this season, already. At least they destroyed the Penguins at home for the second time this season. Oh, right. Their road performances were picture perfect once again. Matt Beleskey had five goals this week, including two in Boston’s road win over Carolina. Brad Marchand, however, now has a whopping 12 goals in February and 17 since January 16.
10. Anaheim Ducks (74 points)
Last week: 13 (68 points)
This is getting ridiculous! The Ducks have now won seven straight games and 13 of 15. How was this team so bad earlier in the year (They were once 29th in the NHL Power Rankings)? There have been a lot of breakouts this season, but Rickard Rakell is one of the newer stud potentials. He scored the overtime winner against the Oilers, and he now has six goals in February after just four in December and January combined.
11. New York Islanders (73 points)
Last week: 11 (69 points)
It is a shame that the Islanders are this low, but the number of strong teams in the NHL have increased since the new year began. The Islanders are unfortunately on the short end. Fortunately for the fan base, the Islanders have reportedly looked for a way to cut contract negotiations with the Barclays Center. There have been reported obstructed views, lost tradition, and feelings of “second-class citizens” in sharing their arena with the Brooklyn Nets. The Barclays Center was planned to be a temporary home, but the fans need an arena similar, in both style and location, to the Nassau Coliseum to retain fan interest. It is also worth mentioning that the Islanders are third-to-last in attendance.
12. Detroit Red Wings (71 points)
Last week: 10 (67 points)
They can at least celebrate for getting points in every game. They went to extra time three times, but they only got the extra point twice in four games. After scoring the lone goal in a shootout loss to Philadelphia, Niklas Kronwall had two assists in the outdoor game at Coors Field. Poor Avalanche.
13. San Jose Sharks (70 points)
Last week: 12 (67 points)
The week got off to a good start after a win against the Blues, but the Sharks fell to Colorado in overtime and Buffalo at home. They had a modest three wins on the road, but they are now the worst of the California teams. Fortunately, they shipped Alex Stalock to Toronto and got James Reimer in return. Joe Thornton got two goals and two assists against St. Louis, and he now tied for fourth in the NHL in assists.
14. Nashville Predators (73 points)
Last week: 17 (64 points)
They had a heavy schedule this week, but it is still impressive that they got nine points in just five games. Their only loss was against Los Angeles in overtime, but that was overshadowed with convincing wins over Chicago and St. Louis. Filip Forsberg had a rare week, getting a hat trick in two games (against Toronto and St. Louis). That is shades of Jeff Skinner in December!
15. Pittsburgh Penguins (70 points)
Last week: 14 (66 points)
The Penguins are the solid definition of an average team. They took care of business against Buffalo and Winnipeg, but scuffled against Tampa Bay and Boston. They still have command of the second wild card spot. Carl Hagelin had only one goal with Pittsburgh (against Anaheim, his former team) before Saturday’s match against Winnipeg, but he had two goals in Pittsburgh’s 4-1 win over the Jets.
16. Colorado Avalanche (68 points)
Last week: 15 (64 points)
The Avalanche can feel good knowing that the Bruins’ season has not been derailed from an outdoor home game loss, but Semyon Varlamov should not. After being pulled in Buffalo, he has allowed four goals in two straight starts. Calvin Pickard is not exactly a star goalie by any stretch, but with a playoff spot on the line, the Avalanche need to go with the hot hand, and the hot hand Varlamov is not.
17. New Jersey Devils (67 points)
Last week: 15 (65 points)
The Devils has one good game against the Rangers, but their league worst offense was not their only issue this week. Corey Schneider gave up four goals twice, and he was pulled during New Jersey’s 6-1 loss to Columbus. Damon Severson got two assists this week, and his 14 assists lead all New Jersey defensemen.
18. Philadelphia Flyers (67 points)
Last week: 21 (61 points)
None of their opponents are currently in the playoff picture, but the Flyers looked like a playoff team. They got three wins this week, and their last they are undefeated to begin their six-game home stand. Claude Giroux got his 500th career point, but no highlight was bigger than the late (and possibly controversial) save from Michal Neuvirth, who has at least temporarily taken over the starting goalie position.
19. Carolina Hurricanes (66 points)
Last week: 19 (64 points)
After a rough week, the Hurricanes have fallen back into seventh in the Metropolitan Division. Their only win was against the Flyers. Cam Ward was outstanding in that game, making 36 saves on 37 shots on goal.
20. Ottawa Senators (66 points)
Last week: 22 (60 points)
After going undefeated on their latest home stand, the Senators got a much-needed win over the Oilers. Unfortunately, their Western Canada trip went south quickly, losing to Vancouver and Calg…what? Mika Zibanejad had a hat trick in a 2:37 timespan in the third period? That is even crazier than the Buffalo-Calgary game in the same building! Zack Smith has also gone on a hot streak, scoring four goals and adding two assists in five games.
21. Montreal Canadiens (65 points)
Last week: 21 (60 points)
The Habs are doing all they can to salvage their season. They got points in all three games this week, including key wins against Washington and the rival Maple Leafs. Max Pacioretty had two goals against Toronto, his second such performance against the Leafs this season (He also had two goals on the opening night matchup.)
22. Minnesota Wild (64 points)
Last week: 23
Things with John Torchetti had been going well. Even a outdoor win against the Blackhawks (it was not close) happened in the new regime. But a few tough breaks, along with a questionable non-goal that would have guaranteed at least one point, has now put the Wild in a tough hole behind both Nashville and Colorado for the two wild card spots. Erik Haula and Jason Pominville shined in the Stadium Series game, with each getting a goal and two assists.
23. Vancouver Canucks (60 points)
Last week: 24 (56 points)
Markus Granlund for Hunter Shinkaruk? Considering the prospect watch and what Granlund has done on paper, Vancouver looks like they lost that trade. You do not want to lose trades when rebuilding is in the near future. Emerson Etem has looked way better in Vancouver than in New York, and he had two goals in the win against Ottawa. Matt Bartkowski also had two goals in that game.
24. Arizona Coyotes (60 points)
Last week: 18 (60 points)
The Coyotes tried really hard to prove their worth after finishing last in the Western Conference last year and going winless in the preseason. Unfortunately, the season has gotten away from them, as they have lost five straight games. Shane Doan had two goals and two assists this week, including one and one against the Panthers.
25. Columbus Blue Jackets (60 points)
Last week: 27 (53 points)
Maybe the Jackets are on one those rolls. It certainly did not seem likely they would reach 60 points back in October, but here we are in February and Columbus is firing on all cylinders. So is Boone Jenner, who had two goals against the Bruins and one goal on Detroit. He trails Brandon Saad for the team lead by one goal.
26. Calgary Flames (56 points)
Last week: 25 (55 points)
Calgary has successfully played sellers without blowing up the team. They have only given up Jiri Hudler (Ten goals and 25 assists) and Markus Granlund (four goals and three assists) while the core has remained intact for next season. But will the Flames finally snap after that meltdown against the Senators? He may not win the Norris Trophy, but TJ Brodie should at least get some consideration. His season +/- is nearing +15, and he has 17 assists since January 19 after a three-assist night against Ottawa.
27. Winnipeg Jets (56 points)
Last week: 26 (54 points)
The Andrew Ladd era is over, and the Jets have a huge climb to prevent a disastrous season. At least they doubled up the Stars on the road. Joel Armia had two goals and two assists in the home-and-home against Dallas, and he could be a nice replacement for Ladd in future.
28. Buffalo Sabres (57 points)
Last week: 28 (55 points)
Quiet week for Buffalo’s front office. The Sabres already have a lot of players to build a championship club, and their only trade featured Phil Varone (42 games) as the player with the most NHL experience. On the ice, the Sabres played spoiler on the Sharks, and Zach Bogosian (one goal and one assist) was the key force. He also had two goals and one assist in a losing effort to the Penguins.
29. Toronto Maple Leafs (52 points)
Last week: 30 (49 points)
They are not to blame for their jump in the Power Rankings, but they may have given Edmonton a better chance at another #1 pick (Please no). Their motivation to win, however, is all but gone, now. James Reimer is now a Shark and Alex Stalock should be prepared to get booed off the ice regularly unless Jonathan Bernier starts every game. P.A. Parenteau continues his torrid pace, as he scored a goal and got an assist in Toronto’s 3-1 win over Carolina.
30. Edmonton Oilers (51 points)
Last week: 29 (50 points)
Maybe Rexall Place is the problem. It used to be the home of the 80’s dynasty featuring the Great One, but now it is the home of a team with most the greatest young talent that still does not know how to win. Thankfully, that arena is gonzo after this season. Taylor Hall is one of the younger players that should be better. He has just two goals this month, including one against Colorado.