Tuesday, February 10, 2015

Current NHL Power Rankings: Atlantic push

By Scott Burnside (posted Feb. 9, 2015)
Week:

We're headed back to the Music City for our top team in the Power Rankings for the second straight week, as some of the other contenders took a step or two sideways. In other news, the battle royale continues to rage at the top of the Atlantic Division standings, while the Western Conference wild-card race continues to be a topsy-turvy affair. Read on to find out how it all turns out.
2014-2015 Power Rankings: Week 18
RANKTEAM / RECORD TRENDINGCOMMENTS
1
Nashville
35-12-6
--

Last Week: 1		Pekka Rinne returned and, after showing a bit of rust, he seems back in form. The Predators won weekend games over the New York Rangers and Florida Panthers -- both one-goal contests -- to remain the top team in the league.
2
Detroit
31-12-9
1
Last Week: 3		The Wings are on fire with three straight wins and have won nine of 10 to keep the heat on Tampa Bay for top spot in the Atlantic and in the entire Eastern Conference.
3
Tampa Bay
34-16-5
1
Last Week: 4		The Lightning bounced back to beat Anaheim on Sunday after being beaten by the Ducks' neighbors from Los Angeles the day before. The Bolts are 4-1-1 in their past six to hold on to a small two-point lead over Detroit.
4
Anaheim
34-13-7
1
Last Week: 5		The Ducks are on cruise control with a 12-point lead in the Pacific Division, but they are fighting Nashville for what could be home-ice advantage throughout the playoffs.
5
St. Louis
34-15-4
3
Last Week: 2		A bit of a wobble from the Blues, who were clobbered by Columbus on Friday night and then nipped by Chicago in Sunday's nationally televised game. Brian Elliott needs his mojo back, and the long-term loss of Kevin Shattenkirk is being felt.
6
Montreal
34-15-3
--

Last Week: 6		The Habs are right in the mix for the top spot in the Atlantic with a big win over Boston on Sunday.
7
Chicago
33-18-2
2
Last Week: 9		The Blackhawks are getting over a little midseason slumber with two straight wins. Patrick Kane is making some Art Ross/Hart Trophy noise as he is now tied for the league lead in points with Tyler Seguin and Jakub Voracek.
8
New York
34-18-1
--

Last Week: 8		The Isles won in Buffalo on Sunday and now have four in a row at home against soft touches Edmonton, Toronto and Columbus before hosting the hated Rangers.
9
Boston
28-18-7
2
Last Week: 7		The Bruins are back in beast mode, except of course when they play the Canadiens.
10
Pittsburgh
30-15-8
2
Last Week: 12		The Penguins and Islanders are doing a back-and-forth dance atop the Metropolitan Division. Pittsburgh is getting healthier but faces tough competition in Detroit, Chicago and Washington in three of their next four.
11
New York
30-16-5
1
Last Week: 10		The Rangers are winless in two (0-1-1) as they begin to contemplate life without Henrik Lundqvist for the next month or so. Scary times for a team that had Cup contender written all over it a week ago.
12
Washington
28-16-10
1
Last Week: 13		The Capitals had won three in a row to keep the Isles and Pens in sight before being stopped by Philadelphia on Sunday. Alex Ovechkin is on a tear. Not that there's anything new in that.
13
San Jose
28-19-7
2
Last Week: 11		The Sharks have come up short in three of four against Edmonton, Calgary and Carolina. That's no way to secure a playoff spot.
14
Calgary
29-19-3
1
Last Week: 15		The Flames have a monster week coming up with games against Western Conference playoff foes San Jose, Los Angeles and Vancouver. Not quite a make-or-break stretch, but close.
15
Vancouver
29-19-3
4
Last Week: 19		The Canucks are in win-lose-win mode and that won't cut it. They have a big week ahead with Minnesota, Chicago, Boston and Calgary. Tough road.
16
Minnesota
25-20-6
4
Last Week: 20		The Wild still have some road to travel but have won five in a row and are 7-1-1 in their past nine. The Wild still reside outside the playoff bubble though, and that means the pressure isn't going away for Mike Yeo and his crew.
17
Winnipeg
27-18-10
3
Last Week: 14		The Jets got their first win in seven with a 5-3 win over Colorado Sunday. They needed that with all the furor over Evander Kane. That story isn't going away, but the Jets hope they aren't either.
18
Los Angeles
22-18-12
2
Last Week: 16		The Kings got a huge win in Tampa on Saturday but are nowhere near where they need to be vis a vis getting back into the playoffs. They need to finish their five-game road trip strong in Columbus Monday.
19
Dallas
24-21-8
1
Last Week: 18		The Stars got a nice win against the Rangers in overtime Sunday but need to stop stutter stepping around if they're serious about a second straight playoff berth.
20
Colorado
22-21-11
3
Last Week: 17		The Avs did not get the win they needed against Winnipeg and, like Dallas, are doing too much back and forth to get where they need to go.
21
Philadelphia
23-22-8
--

Last Week: 21		Big win for the Flyers against Washington Sunday as they have a mighty hill to climb in order to get back into the playoff discussion in the Eastern Conference. Losing Steve Mason to injury won't help, that's for sure.
22
Florida
23-17-11
--

Last Week: 22		Like the Flyers, only a sustained run of wins will get the Panthers back into the hunt and at this stage, which seems unlikely for this talented young team.
23
New Jersey
21-23-9
--

Last Week: 23		Too little too late, but the Devils are playing some decent hockey of late, going 5-1-1 in their past seven. How many members of the Devils' aging forward corps get moved at the trade deadline?
24
Carolina
19-26-7
1
Last Week: 25		I like how the Canes are playing now. They are starting to get some offense. The big question is: what does GM Ron Francis do ate the trade deadline?
25
Columbus
23-25-3
1
Last Week: 26		The Blue Jackets have won two in a row. Well, that's something, right?
26
Ottawa
20-22-9
2
Last Week: 24		The Senators look like they've mailed it in on the season already.
27
Arizona
19-27-7
--

Last Week: 27		Fire sale about to begin in the desert.
28
Edmonton
14-30-9
--

Last Week: 28		The Oilers have actually collected four wins in their past eight games but are still managing to keep Buffalo in sight at the bottom of the standings.
29
Toronto
23-27-4
--

Last Week: 29		The Leafs stopped an 11-game winless streak by beating the Oilers. Still a train wreck.
30
Buffalo
16-25-3
--

Last Week: 30		The Sabres have gone slightly out of character by winning two of their past four. Not expecting that to happen again for a while.
  • Biggest Jump:

  • 4
  • Biggest Drop:

  • 3




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