Jonathan Huberdeau (The Canadian Press)
Another exciting fortnight of NHL hockey. The Edmonton Oilers absolutely collapsed and then won against the Calgary Flames. The Florida Panthers scored 16 goals in two games and then promptly lost to the same Calgary Flames team that even Edmonton beat. The Leafs blew 20 straight multi-goal leads or something like that. All in all, it was another good week of hockey action in a season that just keeps on giving.
Like I did two weeks ago, I'll be counting down the 32 teams in the league and writing a little blurb on each one. The power rankings are based primarily on the whole season, but recent play is weighed a bit more heavily than that of three months ago.
Let's get on with it!
Last Week: 1
Points Percentage: .756
Week Ahead: vs CHI, vs BOS, @ CHI, vs BUF
The Avs are a juggernaut. That's right; I used the word. They have a point percentage of .850 in their last 30 games, a 139-point pace over a full season. I can't imagine any team knocking them off the top spot anytime soon (except for number 2). They have a terrifying offense, the best D-pairing in the league this year and a goaltending tandem that is starting to warm up. Despite only playing 28 games this year, Devon Toews leads the NHL in +/- and is scoring above a point-per-game rate from the blueline, proving that my praise was warranted.
If there is any year that the playoff curse will end for Colorado, it is this one.
2. Carolina Hurricanes
Frederik Andersen (James Guillory, USA Today)
Last Week: 2
Points Percentage: .737
Week Ahead: vs VGK, @ OTT, vs NJD, vs SJS
The Hurricanes are the only team that really don't have any problems at all. An admittedly embarrassing 6-0 loss to the Columbus Blue Jackets was the first time they've been shut out all season. They have an excellent D corps and a Vezina-calibre goaltender.
What they do have over the Avalanche is a deep prospect pool. A trade for Dallas' John Klingberg is on the table and they may be in the market for a forward.
Their power-play is clicking in 2022, they possess the league's second best penalty kill and they lead the NHL in shots allowed per game at 28.0.
All is well in Raleigh; let's see if it translates to the playoffs.
3. Florida Panthers
Last Week: 5
Points Percentage: .744
Week Ahead: @ WPG, vs VGK, vs SJS
Although a 5-1 loss in Calgary bumped them down in my eyes, Florida is still definitively a top-3 team in the league. Colorado and Carolina are in their own tier, but the Panthers lead the next grouping of squads. Between December 16 and January 16, the Panthers won every single game, didn't concede a single power play goal and scored 6 goals on 40 shots per game.
Jonathan Huberdeau has transformed into a bona fide Hart and Art Ross candidate. He has 22 points in his last 11 games and is tied with Connor McDavid for third in NHL scoring. Aaron Ekblad may be prevented from securing a Norris Trophy by the generational talent that is Cale Makar, but he should be a finalist. Sergei Bobrovsky is finally paying off the major contract that Florida offered him.
A mediocre road record has me a little hesitant on their chances for now, but that should correct itself.
4. Tampa Bay Lightning
Last Week: 4
Points Percentage: .709
Week Ahead: vs NJD, vs VGK
The two-time defending Cup champs are positioned to make yet another run at the crown. Despite losing their entire third line in the offseason, Jon Cooper and Julien Brisebois have continued to work their brilliance and helped the Lightning keep the path clear.
With Andrei Vasilevskiy in vintage form, Nikita Kucherov back and making wild passes, as well as Steven Stamkos proving that he remains a superstar, the Lightning are still the scariest team to face in the postseason.
5. Pittsburgh Penguins
Last Week: 6
Points Percentage: .688
Week Ahead: vs ARI, vs SEA, vs DET, vs LAK
Every time we expect them to fall, they rise with a vengeance. They are on pace for a 16th consecutive playoff berth, the longest such streak in North American sports history.
Tristan Jarry is proving his doubters wrong in net. Kris Letang is proving his importance to this squad. Even without Sidney Crosby at his best (though he did pot a hat-trick recently), Pittsburgh are doing what they do best: finding random players and transforming them into legitimate stars. Mike Sullivan is cementing his status as one of the league's best coaches.
The Pens are here to stay.
6. New York Rangers
Chris Kreider (Getty Images)
Last Week: 10
Points Percentage: .690
Week Ahead: vs LAK, @ CBJ, vs MIN, vs SEA
As much as I'm stunned by the Rangers season, I can't deny their excellence. They've dealt with every challenge thrown their way, including a mid-week 3-1 deficit to the next team on this list.
Chris Kreider is making my once bold statement that he was the best net-front presence in the NHL look like an absolute fact. Igor Shesterkin is the heir to Henrik Lundqvist. Adam Fox is giving an already competitive Norris Trophy race a shot in the arm with his consistently amazing play on both sides of the puck.
Now they just need their former top-two picks to score...
7. Toronto Maple Leafs
Last Week: 3
Points Percentage: .697
Week Ahead: vs ANA, @ DET
Good news: the Leafs probably should have gone undefeated on their tough road trip. Bad news: they didn't.
Toronto's third periods, once their strength as evidenced by Jack Campbell's .979 SV% in the last period way back in mid-November, have been atrocious recently. As nice as a good start is, you need to finish off your good work for it to matter and the Leafs are falling short in that department.
They are still an incredibly talented team and there was some promise during a victory over the Islanders on Saturday.
8. St. Louis Blues
Last Week: 7
Points Percentage: .663
Week Ahead: @ CGY, vs CGY, vs WPG
Jordan Kyrou and Robert Thomas have deservedly gathered most of the media attention in St. Louis this year, but let's shine a light on Ivan Barbashev. The former third-line center has been a negative player via Game Score Value Added in two of the last three seasons, but he is stepping his offense up to a new level.
His defense and play-driving ability haven't improved in the analytics-wise, but it's hard to argue when he is on pace for 73 points.
The Blues' starting goaltender Jordan Binnington is becoming a problem, however. He is the main reason I can't put this team higher.
9. Minnesota Wild
Ryan Hartman (Hannah Foslien, Getty Images)
Last Week: 11
Points Percentage: .689
Week Ahead: vs MTL, @ NYR, @ NYI
The Wild keep trucking along, helped by superstar Kirill Kaprizov and some of most timely goals I've ever watched.
The clutch scoring is a key part of what is driving the Wild. Coach Dean Evason is rewriting how pulling goalies works in the NHL. I remember in the Winter Classic when he pulled the goalie with 8 minutes remaining in the game. I also watched a game when they played the Colorado Avalanche, in which they forced overtime by pulling the goalie with just under 3 minutes left.
Evason is breaking the mould with his bold strategy and it appears to be working.
10. Vegas Golden Knights
Last Week: 8
Points Percentage: .610
Week Ahead: @ WSH, @ CAR, @ FLA, @ TBL
The Golden Knights are not a Cup contender on this day. However, these power rankings do have a little bit of future projection added to them, which keeps the Knights in the top 10. Despite an underwhelming home record, Vegas should get Alec Martinez, Max Pacioretty and Jack Eichel back in the coming weeks.
The real question is the same as it was when the Eichel trade was completed. What sort of salary cap shenanigans will Vegas' ingenious front office implement to stay under the cap?
Their goaltending is not what it was without Marc-Andre Fleury and their middle-six forwards need to find the next level.
11. Boston Bruins
Last Week: 13
Points Percentage: .658
Week Ahead: vs ANA, @ COL, @ ARI, @ DAL
For better or worse, the Bruins are back. Tuukka Rask's return correlated with Boston's recent dominant stretch. David Pastrnak is finally making my fantasy team look good with 11 goals and 3 assists in his last 10 games. The rest of the Perfection Line is predictably brilliant. Charlie McAvoy is dominating play every time he hits the ice.
The worry, as usual with Boston, is depth. Jake DeBrusk is still likely to be traded. Charlie Coyle has disappointed for most of the season.
Despite that, you can always bet on Boston making a big trade. Tomas Hertl makes a lot of sense and he would fix some scoring woes in the middle-six.
12. Nashville Predators
Last Week: 12
Points Percentage: .640
Week Ahead: @ SEA, @ EDM
Fair play to the Preds. A team expected to enter their first rebuild year in a while after losing some key members of their squad, Nashville has revitalized themselves with excellent goaltending, bounce back seasons from everybody on their forward corps and a typically excellent D corps, highlighted by Roman Josi.
They are currently scheduled to go head-to-head with the Blues in the first round, which would be a fascinating matchup.
Let's see if Nashville can keep this going and if they add at the deadline.
13. Washington Capitals
Alex Ovechkin (Nick Wass, Associated Press)
Last Week: 9
Points Percentage: .655
Week Ahead: vs VGK, vs SJS, @ DAL
Despite one of his best seasons in years, Ovi is having a tough time keeping the Caps alive in the race for home-ice advantage in the playoffs.
The squad has lost 9 non-regulation games this year, highest in the league. Even if they managed to win just a couple of those games, their record would be a bit more appealing.
The Caps need to find that clinical edge to stay in the playoff hunt.
14. Calgary Flames
Last Week: 14
Points Percentage: .583
Week Ahead: vs STL, @ CBJ, @ STL, vs VAN
A hot start is keeping the Flames firmly in the playoff race. They still have a few games in hand and I do expect them to make the postseason, but they are no longer a team that can realistically be expected to compete with the elite teams.
My bold Flames prediction at the start of the year that Darryl Sutter would win the Jack Adams looked a lot better a month or so ago, but he is undoubtedly doing a commendable job keeping this team tight in the defensive zone.
15. Los Angeles Kings
Last Week: 16
Points Percentage: .549
Week Ahead: @ NYR, @ NYI, @ PHI, @ PIT
The Kings are exceeding expectations this year and are in a fairly good position to make the postseason. Great goaltending and some underrated depth scoring is helping the Kings find the next level.
The team is going to need some extra sparks from their young prospects to make a major difference, but for this year, the Kings should be perfectly happy with the year they are having.
16. Winnipeg Jets
Nikolaj Ehlers (Getty Images)
Last Week: 19
Points Percentage: .541
Week Ahead: vs FLA, vs VAN, @ STL
The Jets are yet to find a consistent purple patch of form. They had won 4 of their 5 games since mid-December before a three-game losing streak culminated tonight in Pittsburgh.
Despite that, Connor Hellebuyck is still an incredible goalie, Blake Wheeler scored in just his second game back from injury and they are more motivated to go on a winning streak than ever.
17. Dallas Stars
Last Week: 17
Points Percentage: .553
Week Ahead: @ PHI, @ NJD, vs WSH, vs BOS
The Stars are the most weird teams in the NHL, yet they are never treated like it. Every season, the Stars go through a tough stretch, a key front office member calls out the superstars and some high-profile players are benched.
The Stars are in the midst of one of those months now. John Klingberg wants out, but he isn't playing well enough to help Dallas get a big haul in return for his services. Rick Bowness is not bothering with diplomacy, calling on his players to do better without any niceties.
Even with all the drama, the Stars are still staying afloat, which is frankly remarkable.
18. Anaheim Ducks
Last Week: 15
Points Percentage: .547
Week Ahead: @ BOS, @ TOR, @ MTL, @ OTT
The excellent start to the season in Orange County has fizzled as the season has gone along and a playoff spot looks unlikely. Even so, this season must be considered a success.
The young guns are filling the net, but the past month in particular has exposed their defensive woes.
The Ducks are a real wild card at the trade deadline. If they decide to sell, Rickard Rakell and Josh Manson could go for a decent trade package.
19. Vancouver Canucks
Last Week: 18
Points Percentage: .500
Week Ahead: vs EDM, @ WPG, @ CGY
Unlike two weeks ago, the Canucks have officially lost a regulation game under Bruce Boudreau. They were wiped out by Florida, Tampa Bay and Carolina, but wins over the Capitals and Predators as well as a good performance against the Panthers last Friday has shown that Boudreau truly does have a good chance to get this team far.
They still have a lot of ground to make up, but they've shown enough promise lately to have me convinced that a playoff spot is still possible.
20. Edmonton Oilers
Evan Bouchard (Perry White, USA Today)
Last Week: 20
Points Percentage: .541
Week Ahead: @ VAN, vs NSH, @ MTL
We'll see whether a win over their Albertan rivals will be enough to end the turmoil we've seen in Edmonton recently.
The Leon Draisaitl-Jim Matheson exchange has gone viral and is sending shockwaves through the hockey world. Connor McDavid has been moved down to the second line by Dave Tippett, which should probably require jail time.
The game against the Panthers showed everything wrong with the Oilers. At home, the Oilers came out of the gate hot, outshooting Florida 14-3. They out-chanced them heavily all game, and still lost 6-0. Yikes.
21. San Jose Sharks
Last Week: 21
Points Percentage: .524
Week Ahead: @ WSH, @ FLA, @ CAR
The Sharks still have a chance to make the playoffs in a weak Pacific Division. If they do, Timo Meier will get legitimate Hart Trophy consideration. His 5-goal game against the Kings was one of the most fun games I've watched all year.
Other than that, they are lacking in all-around depth scoring, but if Meier can keep up his form, the Sharks could fly up this list when the next edition of the power rankings is released.
22. Detroit Red Wings
Last Week: 22
Points Percentage: .500
Week Ahead: vs CHI, @ PIT, vs TOR
Hope is starting to become stifled in Motown. Lucas Raymond has just 2 goals in the last 2 months. Moritz Seider is still playing well, but it hasn't been nearly the same dominant play he showcased earlier in the year.
Dylan Larkin is picking up some slack, but the Wings are edging closer to falling out of the playoff race entirely.
23. New York Islanders
Ilya Sorokin (Getty Images)
Last Week: 23
Points Percentage: .500
Week Ahead: vs PHI, vs LAK, vs SEA, vs MIN
The Islanders are going to play a lot of home games over the rest of the year, but their tough start to the year has probably kept them out of really challenging for the postseason.
Ilya Sorokin has seized the crease, which is promising. However, there are more disappointing performances than there are exciting ones, highlighted by Anthony Beauvillier, who really needs to start performing to the level of his contract.
24. Chicago Blackhawks
Last Week: 27
Points Percentage: .451
Week Ahead: @ COL, @ DET, vs COL
A mixed year in Chicago has certainly perked up a little bit lately. Marc-Andre Fleury is getting more comfortable and is keeping the Hawks in close games. Alex DeBrincat is right near the top of the league in goals and honestly I'm starting to wish that he made my top 50 NHL players list.
Despite that, they were expected to compete this year and they are definitely far from where they would like to be.
25. Columbus Blue Jackets
Last Week: 24
Points Percentage: .487
Week Ahead: vs CGY, vs NYR, @ MTL
A year that started off well has quickly fallen flat for the Jackets. Joonas Korpisalo's name has been tossed around in trade rumours and I do feel that selling on their assets would be a smart choice. I'll throw the idea out there and I'll probably be wrong, but what if we see Patrik Laine on the move? Wouldn't stun me.
26. New Jersey Devils
Last Week: 25
Points Percentage: .449
Week Ahead: vs DAL, @ TBL, @ CAR
We all expected Jack Hughes to break out. He has done so and is keeping the Devils relevant. One of the other players that we expected to help dictate the Devils' season was goaltender Mackenzie Blackwood. He has been much worse than Devils fans were hoping.
Blackwood has a sub-.900 SV% this season and is clearly not in the right spot mentally. If the Devils can't sort out their goaltending issues soon, Hughes' brilliance won't make any difference.
27. Ottawa Senators
Drake Batherson (Richard A. Whittaker, Getty Images)
Last Week: 28
Points Percentage: .368
Week Ahead: vs BUF, vs CAR, vs ANA
The Sens are finally playing competitively like we were hoping from them at the start of the year. Matt Murray is having his best season in a while, but the real star of this team is Drake Batherson.
With 33 points in 29 games, Batherson is proving himself as a real part of this rebuild. The retooling process may take a bit longer than expected, but Batherson is proving that they have enough forward depth to stay excited about the future.
28. Buffalo Sabres
Last Week: 30
Points Percentage: .402
Week Ahead: @ OTT, @ ARI, @ COL
The Sabres are a goaltending graveyard right now. Craig Anderson, Malcolm Subban, Dustin Tokarski and Ukko-Pekka Luukonen are all injured right now, leading the Sabres to employ little-known Michael Houser.
To be fair to Houser, he did put up a 43-save performance to beat the Sens recently. However, with a leaky defense around him, it's a bit unfair to the goalie.
Watching Peyton Krebs and Jack Quinn score their first NHL goals was very exciting, though.
29. Arizona Coyotes
Last Week: 31
Points Percentage: .300
Week Ahead: @ PIT, vs BOS, vs BUF
Clap it up for Andre Tourigny. The former Canadian world juniors coach is getting a squad severely lacking in talent to perform at their very best level.
Karel Vejmelka is proving himself a steady presence in net. Shayne Gostisbehere and Clayton Keller are both flying under-the-radar with their seasons currently. They outwork their opponents more than most teams on this list, especially those as low as the Yotes. Though they may not be the 29th ranked team on talent, they are a team that trusts each other and work 110% every game.
30. Philadelphia Flyers
Cam York (Jordan Hall, NBC Sports)
Last Week: 26
Points Percentage: .415
Week Ahead: vs DAL, @ NYI, vs LAK
The Flyers have suffered through two stretches of 10 consecutive losses this year. Oh, and they traded a first round pick for Rasmus Ristolainen in the offseason.
Yeah, that should explain the somewhat controversial decision to have the Flyers behind the Coyotes on my power rankings this week.
31. Seattle Kraken
Last Week: 29
Points Percentage: .350
Week Ahead: vs NSH, @ PIT, @ NYI, @ NYR
Who is to blame for the Kraken's underwhelming debut season? Well, I don't have enough fingers to point. GM Ron Francis, head coach Dave Hakstol, premier free agent signing Philipp Grubauer and almost all their forwards are not playing to their potential.
Their analytics are bad, the on-ice product is bad and the management is bad. At least they'll get a high draft pick.
32. Montreal Canadiens
Last Week: 32
Points Percentage: .287
Week Ahead: @ MIN, vs ANA, vs EDM, vs CBJ
This seems unfair to the Habs. They've really been playing well recently. Cayden Primeau and Samuel Montembault are doing an admirable job of holding down the fort when Montreal's two best goalies are out.
Despite that, they have the lowest points percentage in the league and unless they start winning some hockey games, they might be permanently stuck to the bottom of my power rankings.
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