I hope everyone had a good Super Bowl weekend, but not so good you forgot to catch the hockey in between. We’re about a month away from the trade deadline and the playoff picture is starting to look clearer and clearer, outside of the teams still battling to get in. Some teams have put themselves in a good position to make one final push, while others might have to consider giving up. Let’s take a look at how each team ranks this week.
32. Chicago Blackhawks (Previous rank: 31)
The Hawks find themselves in the basement once again because they simply cannot score. Without Connor Bedard this offense seems to be nonexistent, as Chicago is currently at the bottom of the league in terms of goals scored. They’ve been shutout four times in their last seven games as well.
31. San Jose Sharks (Previous rank: 32)
The Sharks have had an okay stretch recently, probably their best stretch of the year. However, the only thing they’re really playing for is to see who ends up in last place in the league standings. Right now they’re beating Chicago, but only by two points.
30. Columbus Blue Jackets (Previous rank: 29)
The Jackets have appeared to get worse as the season goes along. You can pinpoint many reasons as to why this season has been such a disaster, but the fact that there are so many reasons is the issue. This team has too many holes to plug up and stop the ship from sinking. Clearly, going the Yankees approach and throwing any money you had at big name players was not the solution and now Columbus has dug themselves into a deeper hole with no real way to get out.
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29. Anaheim Ducks (Previous rank: 30)
The Ducks have recently figured out how to be semi competitive. While they’re far away from the hopes of making the playoffs, they’re still showing that there is hope to be had with the roster that they’re building. A couple of moves and a bit more prospect development and we could see a better Ducks team by next season.
28. Ottawa Senators (Previous rank: Unchanged)
The Sens have won three in a row and appear to have found some of the mojo that they’ve been missing all year. The team’s morale appears to have been lifted due to their recent play as well, which is always a good sign. It may be too little too late for playoffs, but they can carry this momentum and these lessons into the next season.
27. Minnesota Wild (Previous rank: 25)
It appeared Minnesota was headed in the right direction when they changed coaches earlier in the season. Then they lost their wings and started a nose dive down the rankings. It doesn’t help at all that they take the most penalties out of any team in the league while also having the 30th ranked penalty kill at just over 73%.
26. Montreal Canadiens (Previous rank: Unchanged)
The Habs wanted a better year. At the start of the season it looked like they were going to get that before they hit their ceiling and went spiraling back towards the tail end of the league. They’ve still shown flashes of something great, but it hasn’t been sustainable. The shadow of Carey Price looms large over this team as well, as they’ve yet to find a new true number one goaltender.
25. Buffalo Sabres (Previous rank: 27)
Buffalo seemingly can’t catch much of a break. While Erik Johnson and Zemgus Girgensons returning from injury is a fantastic sign for this team, they ended up losing Mattias Samuelsson and Jack Quinn right after. Samuelsson will not be returning this season either, as he suffered a fairly brutal upper body injury.
24. New York Islanders (Previous rank: Unchanged)
Thus far, adding in Patrick Roy as the new head coach has not yielded the results that the Islanders were hoping for. They’re still in the playoff race, due to their earlier play as well as the fact that the Metro division is relatively weak this season, but they gotta start making their push soon or it will be far too late for them.
23. Seattle Kraken (Previous rank: 22)
The Kraken need a lifeline. Joey Daccord has given his absolute best effort in trying to provide one, but the matter remains that Seattle is still sinking. The Cinderella story is dangerously close to coming to an end if they can’t figure out a way to pull it together and soon. Where is the high powered offense we saw last season? It’s been missing all year.
22. Washington Capitals (Previous rank: 23)
Ovechkin is finally showing some life this season and it has seemingly given life to the rest of the team as well. They still have a lot of work to do before they can be playoff hopeful, especially with the unfortunate situation of Evgeny Kuznetsov reentering the NHL/NHLPA player assistance program.
21. Pittsburgh Penguins (Previous rank: 18)
The Metro division being as weak as it is has given Pittsburgh a chance to make the playoffs, even if they don’t really deserve it. It helps that Tristan Jarry has managed to stay healthy and is putting up a heck of a season, recording his league leading sixth shutout of the season this last week.
20. Arizona Coyotes (Previous rank: 17)
The Coyotes are in a tough spot. They’ve now lost five games in a row, with only one game wielding a point for them. This was a team that has bitten and clawed their way to maintain their position in the standings all season long and now they’re in danger of losing all that hard work. Could it be that they’ve simply just burnt out?
19. Nashville Predators (Previous rank: Unchanged)
Heading into the break, the Preds found themselves losing more often than not. They’ve won their first game coming back, but it was against a struggling Coyotes team and they needed OT to do it. Nashville has to show us that they still have more left in the tank otherwise they’ll find themselves looking right in the eyes of a rebuild.
21. Calgary Flames (Previous rank: Unchanged)
The Flames have been making waves. They understood changes needed to be made and changes have been made. Elias Lindholm and Sean Monahan have both been traded for draft picks and prospects. Calgary has also now won their last four games and have pulled themselves back into the playoff race.
17. New Jersey Devils (Previous rank: 15)
The Devils are in a rough spot. The good news is that Thomas Nosek is finally skating again, though it’s still up in the air when he will be cleared to play. This is not at all what was expected from this team after the stellar last season they had, but that’s hockey sometimes. It’s up to the Devils to turn it around.
16. St Louis Blues (Previous rank: 20)
The Blues had won five straight before dropping a 1-0 game to Columbus right before the break. Since the break they’ve won two more games, including a 7-2 thrashing of the Habs. They seem like a totally refreshed and new team and they’re playing like one too. They’ve made it known that their goal is playoffs as well.
15. Detroit Red Wings (Previous rank: Unchanged)
The Red Wings have only had one game since the All-Star Break and it was a very solid win over the Canucks. This is a team that has proven they can compete with the best of the best, though they still have some holes that need to be patched. Mainly their goaltending. Alex Lyon has been good since coming over, but James Reimer and Ville Husso have not.
14. Tampa Bay Lightning (Previous rank: 13)
The Bolts had the momentum they needed heading into the break, but they lost it coming out. They’ve only won one game since the break so far which is detrimental in a division so tightly competitive at this point in time. Hopefully it’s just some lead in their legs they need to shake out.
13. Philadelphia Flyers (Previous rank: 14)
The Flyers were in all sorts of trouble heading into the break. Coming out of the break they have answered appropriately. They’ve been a team on a mission, now winning three straight since coming out of the break. This is the response this team needed and they’re showing once again they have the heart to compete with the elites this season.
12. Los Angeles Kings (Previous rank: Unchanged)
There were a lot of questions that needed answering for LA leaving the break. With Todd McLellan gone and the team desperately needing momentum, all eyes were on their game with Edmonton last Saturday. And boy did the Kings deliver. Backboned by a stellar performance from David Rittich, the Kings put together a complete game, and shut out Edmonton. It was a huge victory and hopefully a spark.
11. Toronto Maple Leafs (Previous rank: Unchanged)
The Leafs could be lower on this list, but their talent is holding them afloat. That being said, this is a team that’s clearly very frustrated and it’s showing. With Morgan Reily now suspended for his actions against Ottawa, they need to find a way to calm their heads and get back to playing their game.
10. Carolina Hurricanes (Previous rank: Unchanged)
The Canes were a big question mark pretty much all season, as they continuously played below their skill level. They’ve turned that around recently and are now making a run at the Metro division title. It’s still yet to be seen if they will be able to make a deep playoff run, but for now they’ve staved off some pretty big questions.
9. New York Rangers (Previous rank: Unchanged)
The Rangers had the walls closing in on them before the break. Since the break, they’ve busted right out and reminded everyone that they’re still one of the best teams in the league. They currently still hold the Metro division, but their lead is significantly smaller. They’ll need to keep playing well if they want to claim that title.
8. Vegas Golden Knights (Previous rank: Unchanged)
One thing stood in the way of Edmonton and tying the league record of 17 straight wins. That one thing was Vegas. They shut Edmonton down and claimed victory over a team that had not lost since December. You know that one had to feel good as the reigning champs reminded Edmonton why they were the champs.
7. Winnipeg Jets (Previous rank: 5)
The Jets finally ended their losing streak with a 2-1 victory over the Penguins. They lost a lot of ground in their division due to this skid, but with Colorado struggling now they have a decent chance to make it back up if they can pull themselves together and go on a run.
6. Colorado Avalanche (Previous rank: 4)
It’s not been an easy go for the Avs since leaving the All-Star break. They’ve now lost four games in a row and watched as Dallas passed them by for the Central division lead. You know Colorado is far from out of it, but this is a skid that couldn’t have come at a worse time. This is an elite, experienced team however, so look for them to making massive waves in the next coming weeks.
5. Edmonton Oilers (Previous rank: 3)
The Oilers were one win away from glory. Vegas put a stop to everything and now they’ve lost two of their last three, with two of those teams being teams they’re currently battling with for playoff positioning. The loss to LA was a stinger, but Edmonton still has a chance to rebound, especially with LA still looking to answer its own questions.
4. Florida Panthers (Previous rank: 7)
The Panthers are the team that’s constantly giving Boston anxiety. After upsetting them in the playoffs last year, Florida has been nipping at their heels for that first place spot in the Atlantic pretty much all season, giving Boston very little room for error. They’re a team that just won’t go away, and one Boston fans may see in their nightmares.
3. Dallas Stars (Previous rank: 6)
The Stars took full advantage of Colorado and Winnipeg’s struggles and pole vaulted themselves into the first place spot. Now they have the burden of holding it however, and as shown multiple times this season that will be no easy task. One loss can send you straight back down into third place.
2. Boston Bruins (Previous rank: Unchanged)
Boston is eyeing that President’s trophy, trying to be the first team to win it consecutively since the Canucks in 2011 and 2012. They’ll have to find a way to not only surpass Vancouver however, but also stave off Florida, who just won’t leave them alone. It’s a tough road ahead for the Bruins, who want to prove last season was simply a fluke and they have what it takes to make a Cup run.
1. Vancouver Canucks (Previous rank: Unchanged)
I said multiple times earlier in the season that the Canucks would hit a wall. Now, we sit at over 50 games played and Vancouver is the number one ranked team in the league so it’s well past time to admit that they’re for real. This is a team that can compete for a Cup this year. Anyone paying attention knew that Vancouver had been strengthening the roster the last couple seasons, but I don’t think anyone expected them to announce themselves in such a way.
