In the Clutches: NHL Power Rankings Week 16
Biggest Jump: Toronto Maple Leafs, Ottawa Senators, 3
Biggest Drop: Vancouver Canucks, 4
Central Division Rankings
1. Carolina Hurricanes (36–10–7) (UP 1) — Carolina’s kids are helping solidify the Canes as the team to beat in the Central. Alex Nedeljkovic’s .932 save percentage and crafty hands have helped the Canes from time to time. Dougie Hamilton extended Carolina’s win streak to three Saturday, while the Hurricanes are up to five after a pair of wins against Chicago; Sebastian Aho recorded a hat trick in the first of the two games. Andrei Svechnikov continues to be a grade A pest, as the second overall pick in the 2018 draft has 42 points. One more in Chicago, tomorrow.
2. Tampa Bay Lightning (35–13–3) (UP 1) — Tampa’s tenacity has returned as the Bolts have won five of six, with the loss coming in a shootout against the Red Wings. Andrei Vasilevskiy, while only playing in three of the six games, had a .917 save percent in the three games, all wins. Vasy got a shutout against Dallas, with Blake Coleman scoring a shorthanded penalty shot. During a sweep of the Blue Jackets, Victor Hedman recorded an OT winner 10 seconds into the frame. Four games left for the defending champs, starting tonight with Dallas.
3. Florida Panthers (35–14–5) (DOWN 2) — Crawling into the sunlight, the Cats have won two of their last three in OT, and four overall. Aleksander Barkov has recorded seven points in his last four matches, including an OT winner against Dallas. Barkov even recorded an OTGWG against top talent Carolina, as Florida is a top dog (cat?). Depth scoring from trade deadline acquisition Sam Bennett and offseason signee Anthony Duclair have been great. Florida finishes their season against in-state rival, and potential playoff opponent, Tampa Bay.
4. Nashville Predators (29–22–2) (UP 1) — Smashville has the magic — after getting five points in their last four games of April, the Predators are being rewarded with their May flowers; two overtime wins. Filip Forsberg and Roman Josi, the offensive and defensive leaders of Nashville, might just have the Preds in the playoffs. Depth center, Mikael Granlund, who many thought would be gone at the trade deadline, has 25 points for the Preds. After Columbus tonight, Nashville finishes out against division leader Carolina.
5. Dallas Stars (21–17–14) (DOWN 1) — The return of Tyler Seguin (hip surgery) was a welcome sight for the Stars, as the center recorded a goal against Florida Monday. Jason Robertson’s rookie campaign will end in at least a Calder nomination, as the forward has 41 points in 47 games. Captain Jamie Benn recorded back-to-back OT winners against Detroit and Carolina, helping the Stars playoff push. Dallas recently loss two games in a row, both in OT, one to Nashville and another to Florida. Dallas ends their season with Tampa and Chicago, two games apiece.
6. Detroit Red Wings (18–27–9) (UP 1) — Claiming half of the available points in their last six games, Detroit seems to be going out on a high. Jakub Vrána seems to be fitting in just fine with the Wings, as he registered a four-goal game against Dallas on April 22nd and has seven points in nine games. Eat your heart out Washington. The Red Wings recently split a set with the Bolts, as Vrána scored in an eight-round shootout win. Detroit closes out the season with two against Columbus.
7. Chicago Blackhawks (22–25–6) (DOWN 1) — Winless since April 21st, since Brandon Hagel’s shot against Nashville, Chicago sits helplessly outside the top four of the Central. The Hawks have fallen off so hard that they now place sixth in the Central, around where many experts predicted they would finish. The losing streak of six includes losses to Nashville, Tampa, two to Florida, and another pair against Carolina. Kevin Lankinen’s save percent regressed to the mean, as he plays with a .908. Carolina tomorrow, Dallas Sunday, and Monday.
8. Columbus Blue Jackets (16–25–12) (NO MOVEMENT) — Columbus is likely seeing the end of an era; the John Tortorella era. His strategy wears out after four to six years of yelling and keeping offensively gifted players back (see Patrik Laine for the latest example). With only one win in their last five, a shootout victory against Detroit, the Blue Jackets are likely to finish last in the Central. Players don’t fantasize about Columbus, a mid-major American city and having an antagonist coach in-house isn’t the way to go.
North Division Rankings
1. Toronto Maple Leafs (33–13–6) (UP 3) — Auston Matthews will hit the 40-goal plateau. Mitch Marner might break 70 points. Jason Spezza, a 37-year-old forward is averaging over half a point a game. And everything feels the same about Toronto. With all the talent there will need to be a breakthrough. This year might that year. It might not be. When the Caps got past the second round in 2018, a weight was lifted off their shoulders; let’s see what happens when Toronto advances. Montreal and Toronto give us two more before the two could face off in the postseason.
2. Edmonton Oilers (32–17–2) (DOWN 1) — Well, we all know what is about to happen and how special it is; Connor McDavid is at 93 points in 51 games. He has been an absolute cheat code all season and hasn’t slowed down. He’s averaging a point per period in his last three games. Nine points in nine periods of hockey. He has singly handedly (with a little help from Mike Smith) carried the Oilers to the promise land as they push for the playoffs. McDavid will be named league MVP and if he’s not it’s a sham.
3. Montreal Canadiens (24–18–9) (UP 2) — EVERYONE LOVES COLE CAUFIELD AND THERE IS NO PROBLEM WITH THAT!!! Caufield’s first goal in the league came as an overtime winner beating the Sens, while he scored his second against the Leafs in OT on Monday. Nick Suzuki has been red hot in his last six games, recording 10 points, with at least one in each. Jake Allen’s starting .910 save percentage will do just fine with the Habs d-core. Montreal gets Toronto twice after Ottawa tonight.
4. Ottawa Senators (20–27–5) (UP 3) — Young, dumb, and wild; when you play with no pressure and the weight of the world is lifted off your shoulders, you play fun and well. Five of the top six scorers for Ottawa; Brady Tkachuk, Drake Batherson, Josh Norris, Thomas Chabot, and Tim Stützle are all under 25. And the sixth player, Connor Brown, is only 27. As Filip Gustavsson has returned, the tender has provided a .941 save percent in his two starts. Ottawa closes out with Montreal, Winnipeg, Calgary, and Toronto.
5. Winnipeg Jets (27–21–3) (DOWN 3) — Nikolaj Ehlers is proving just how important he is to Winnipeg, with the Jets losing seven in a row, four without the Danish forward, as Ehlers is sitting out for the rest of the regular season with an injury (although he should be back for the playoffs). Mark Scheifele has shown signs of poor leadership, as Scheifele has thin skin. Connor Hellebuyck’s .912 save percentage is better than it seems. Winnipeg is tied with Montreal for third in the division.
6. Calgary Flames (22–25–3) (NO MOVEMENT) — Smoldering, the Flames are just about done. Matthew Tkachuk keeps on being Matthew Tkachuk; a pest with a good sense of leadership while also showing out on the scoresheet, third on the team in points with 34. Calgary may have won two of three against Montreal and split a two-game set with their Albertan rivals, but the Flames sit ten points behind the Habs. Dillon Dube, Andrew Magiapane, and Tkachuk will lead the Flames against the Jets tonight and Sens Sunday.
7. Vancouver Canucks (19–25–3) (DOWN 4) — Yeesh. Vancouver is in the dumps with only one win in their last nine contests, as the team looks to close out the season with nine more games. In a four-game set with the Sens, Vancouver only managed to win one game. The Canucks are a sad sad team to watch and should just not being playing. Covid-19 hit a majority of the roster and we’re likely seeing the effects of that. Thatcher Demko has shined in the darkness of the season, as he has a .911 save percentage.
West Division Rankings
1. Vegas Golden Knights (36–13–2) (NO MOVEMENT) — Vegas seemingly has taken control of the West division with a 10-game win streak, although the Knights have lost two of three. Vegas will still be the team to beat out of the West, as Vegas’s last win during their streak was against the Avalanche. Mark Stone’s defensive efficiency is being more and more noticed, and it has even led to offense for Vegas. Marc-André Fleury is a Vezina candidate with his .926 save percent. Minnesota tonight. Listen to Robin Lehner.
2. Minnesota Wild (33–14–4) (UP 1) — Punching their ticket to the playoffs, the Wild are having the time of their lives as Kirill Kaprivoz, Nico Sturm, and Kevin Fiala are flying around the ice. Minnesota’s latest adventure saw the Wild finish a crazy game by scoring two goals 26 seconds apart in the last two minutes. Cam Talbot’s performance wasn’t stellar; however, he has a .918 save percent. Minnesota has five games remaining in the season with Vegas tonight and Anaheim Friday and Saturday.
3. Colorado Avalanche (33–12–4) (DOWN 1) — Coming out of their set with St. Louis cold and looking for answers the Avalanche were swamped by Vegas. And then Colorado found the answer, the San Jose Sharks. The Avs handily beat San Jose in game one, while game two and three were much more thrilling and came down to the wire. With about 11 minutes to play Monday, the Avalanche rallied from two goals down and won in OT as André Burakovsky seized the day. Vegas Monday.
4. St. Louis Blues (24–19–7) (UP 1) — The Blues have hit their stride, and nothing is slowing them down… taking two out of three against Colorado, the same against Minnesota, and a win against Anaheim. Ryan O’Reilly and David Perron recently spearheaded a win against the Ducks, each recording a point; they have 49 and 50, respectively. O’Reilly came up huge against the Wild in OT, overall recording three points in the trilogy against Minnesota. Robert Thomas, a lowly grinder for the Blues has four points in his last five. Vegas Friday.
5. Anaheim Ducks (16–30–7) (UP 1) — Even with such a somber season, the Ducks have a great future ahead. Ryan Miller’s last home game for Anaheim, a win against Los Angeles, was an absolute blowout for the Ducks, with Trevor Zegras recording a two-point night. Maxime Comtois, Anaheim’s leader in points, also netted a two-point night against the Kings. Cam Folwer even got in on the action, undressing an L.A. forward. Anaheim will likely lose out the regular season as they take on the Blues and Wild on the way out.
6. Arizona Coyotes (22–25–6) (DOWN 2) — Well, with the road closed off there is nowhere left to run, as the Yotes have absolutely dropped the bag down the stretch. With two wins in their last seven contests, the Coyotes seemingly don’t want to be in the playoffs. This isn’t lack of effort from Phil Kessel and Jakob Chychrun, who each have 38 points for Arizona. Chychrun, who now has 17 goals, leads all defenseman in that category. There should be some Norris buzz for Chychrun. L.A. tonight, San Jose Friday, and Saturday. That’s a wrap.
7. Los Angeles Kings (20–24–6) (UP 1) — Certainly not the Hollywood finish the Kings wanted, Los Angeles has won only three of their last seven. Shaq, who played in Staples for quite a bit of time, even fumbled the team’s name as the California Kings; yikes! At least Jonathan Quick is still showing up on highlight reels for now; Quick has a .898 save percent and is injured. Quinton Byfield has been quiet in his first four NHL games, registering six shots. L.A. finishes the season with four of six games against Colorado.
8. San Jose Sharks (20–26–5) (DOWN 1) — Martin Jones is a train wreck; he’s so bad you cannot stop yourself from watching; the Sharks netminder has a .896 save percent. It’s bad when the only highlight of the Sharks on YouTube is Noah Gregor, who scored points in back-to-back games, totaling six on the season. It’s bad when you might have to terminate Evander Kane’s contract at the end of the year, especially considering he is your leading scorer. It’s bad when you blow a two-goal third period lead. It’s bad when you’re 10–11–3 at the Shark Tank. It’s bad.
East Division Rankings
1. Pittsburgh Penguins (35–16–3) (UP 1) — Aside from a poor performance against Philadelphia Monday (you have a bad game once in a while that’s hockey baby), Pittsburgh has been dominant, winning six of eight. Sid the kid has been electric against the Flyers, recording four points in two games. Jake Guentzel, Sid’s primary winger, scored an OT winner in D.C. in late April before potting his 23rd goal of the year against Philly last night. Watch out for Jason Zucker in his last two against Buffalo before the playoffs.
2. Boston Bruins (31–14–7) (UP 2) — Taylor Hall is exactly what the Bruins needed. Now with two dangerous lines, Hall and David Krejčí make an excellent complement to the dreaded perfection line. Boston’s five wins in eight games in the final notch of the season has propelled them up to third in the East, as they set up for a huge first round matchup. Brad Marchand’s significant point lead (17) on his linemate Patrice Bergeron shows just how good the rat is at hockey. Boston hosts the Rangers tomorrow.
3. Washington Capitals (33–14–5) (NO MOVEMENT) — Let’s talk about it Caps fans. Tom Wilson. As much as we love him, he’s a danger and needs to learn. Has he not learned from the Oskar Sundqvist 20-game suspension? Did he not learn from this year’s seven-game suspension? Is it coaching? Was Todd Reirden a Wilson whisperer? Does Peter Laviolette need to reprimand Wilson himself if the league doesn’t or is this “just hockey” (if so, it needs to change)? Don’t get it twisted, Willy is dirty.
4. New York Islanders (31–16–6) (DOWN 3) — What to make of the Islanders? Coached by legendary Barry Trotz, New York only has two wins in their last seven. Getting swept by divisional rival Washington in a set of three, the Isles rebounded against their crosstown rival Rangers. Mat Barzal continues to torch opponents, as the center has 41 points. Adam Pelech, a sturdy defenseman, who doesn’t get much praise because he lacks the numbers is sensational. New York looks to rebound against Jersey as they were just swept by Buffalo.
5. New York Rangers (26–21–6) (NO MOVEMENT) — Banged up (Brett Howden, Jacob Trouba, Artemi Panarin, Chris Kreider, Ryan Lindgren), the Rangers are slogging it to the finish line as they were just eliminated from the playoff race. Mika Zibanejad continues to demolish the Caps, as he scored twice against them Monday and potted a hatty against the Sabres in late April. However, the future of the Rangers is bright with young stars like Alexis Lafrenière and Kaapo Kakko. The Rangers look to settle the score tonight against Washington before closing out the season against Boston.
6. New Jersey Devils (18–28–7) (UP 2) — While there is no chance in Hell the Devils make the playoffs, the young team has a future as hot as Yegor Sharangovich, who has six points in his last five games. Jack Hughes continues to develop with young talent like Ty Smith, rookie defenseman. Hughes, a crafty forward typically carries the puck into the offensive zone which will eventually become more prominent than dump ins. New Jersey heads to Long Island Thursday and Saturday before a Monday finale in Philly.
7. Philadelphia Flyers (23–23–7) (NO MOVEMENT) — The city of… being outraged as whichever sports team doesn’t make the playoffs/shouldn’t go as far as they should… strikes again as the Flyers continue their hideous season. Whatever went wrong can likely be linked to the backend being a dumpster fire, starting with an already defensively inefficient Shayne Gostisbehere. Ghost and Nolan Patrick for Johnny Gaudreau, who says no (yes, I know this doesn’t address the blue line)? Philly will need to make a play on a veteran defenseman this offseason. Look at this Alex Lyon save in the meantime!
8. Buffalo Sabres (15–32–7) (DOWN 2) — Buffalo has gone back to their original form, but a little bit lighter. Jeff Skinner has a solid two points in four games, a big increase on what we saw earlier in the season from the forward. Only four players have broken Jack Eichel’s 18 points, as Sam Reinhart and Victor Olofsson lead the way, with 40 and 32, respectively. Riley Sheahan has been adequate for his role… that might even be a stretch. Don’t rush Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen please.
