The Metropolitan Division is home to the NHL’s best team and perhaps the most intense playoff race as the regular season winds down.
The Washington Capitals, the best team in the league, lead the division by 17 points entering Wednesday. After the Caps, it’s anybody’s guess for where teams from second to seventh will finish (let’s be real, Columbus isn’t rising above eighth place).
via ESPN.com
Henrik Lundqvist’s stellar performances in net are keeping the Rangers in second place. The Islanders are playing better of late and have assets to move at the trade deadline for roster upgrades. Pittsburgh is heating up thanks to an incredible scoring streak from Sidney Crosby. New Jersey is overcoming inconsistent scoring with Vezina Trophy-caliber goaltending from Cory Schneider.
Carolina must be taken seriously because of its excellent neutral zone defense and puck possession, and even Philadelphia could mount a late run if its scoring depth strengthens.
It’s going to be fascinating to watch how the Metro unfolds for the next two months. Here are this week’s NHL power rankings. All records current as of Feb. 10.
1. Washington Capitals (39-9-4, Last week: 1): Just when the Blackhawks were closing the gap for the league’s best record, the Capitals went on a four-game win streak to increase their lead in the Presidents’ Trophy race.
2. Chicago Blackhawks (36-17-4, Last week: 2): Patrick Kane continues to lead the Hart Trophy race with a league-best 32 goals and 76 points.
3. Los Angeles Kings (32-17-3, Last week: 3): The Kings are legit Stanley Cup contenders again, and they dominated the Bruins 9-2 at TD Garden on Tuesday night. Nine different players scored a goal.
4. Dallas Stars (34-15-5, Last week: 4): Dallas has played average hockey with a 5-4-1 record over the last two weeks, which has allowed St. Louis to pull within four points for second place in the Central Division.
5. Florida Panthers (32-16-6, Last week: 5): A 6-3-1 mark in the last 10 games has given the Panthers an eight-point lead in the Atlantic Division despite Tampa Bay’s recent resurgence.
6. St. Louis Blues (30-17-9, Last week: 6): The Blues rank 24th in goals scored per game and are a prime candidate to add a top-six forward before the trade deadline. This team has dealt with scoring depth issues in recent playoff runs and cannot afford to face high-scoring Dallas in Round 1 with its current roster.
7. Tampa Bay Lightning (29-20-4, Last week: 8): The Lightning have won seven of their last 10 games to continue their remarkable turnaround since New Year’s Day. They’ve gone from outside the playoff picture to second place in the Atlantic in one month’s time.
8. New York Islanders (28-18-6, Last week: 9): The Islanders are 6-3-1 in their last 10 games and have won back-to-back contests.
9. Pittsburgh Penguins (27-18-7, Last week: 12): Sidney Crosby has 22 points in his last 11 games.
10. Anaheim Ducks (26-19-7, Last week: 13): The Ducks are 8-2-0 in their last 10 games and are scoring goals at a high rate. The scary thing for the rest of the league is Anaheim still has plenty of room for improvement because its 5.9 shooting percentage at even strength remains the lowest of all 30 teams.
11. Detroit Red Wings (27-18-8, Last week: 7): Back-to-back wins against the first-place Panthers and a quality Islanders team is quite encouraging for Red Wings fans.
12. New York Rangers (30-18-5, Last week: 11): A 7-3-0 record in the last 10 games and a three-game win streak has cooled some of the concerns that were mounting at Madison Square Garden.
13. Boston Bruins (28-19-6, Last week: 10): California teams played well at the Garden this season.
- Sharks won 5-4 on Nov. 17
- Ducks won 6-2 on Jan. 26
- Kings won 9-2 on Tuesday
14. New Jersey Devils (26-20-5, Last week: 18): The Devils retired Martin Brodeur’s No. 30 during a wonderful ceremony Tuesday night.
15. San Jose Sharks (26-19-4), Last week: 15): The Sharks are playing more consistent hockey and it’s helped them hang on to second place in the Pacific Division. Captain and No. 1 center Joe Thornton has led the charge by tallying a point in 21 of his last 23 games.
16. Nashville Predators (25-21-8, Last week: 16): Nashville has lost three of its last four games, and its schedule is about to get much tougher.
via ESPN.com
17. Carolina Hurricanes (24-21-9, Last week: 19): The Hurricanes have stayed in the playoff race with a 5-3-2 mark in their last 10 games. They still are driving puck possession with the fifth-best Corsi percentage in the league.
18. Colorado Avalanche (27-25-4, Last week: 17): A four-game skid isn’t surprising for Colorado. You can only get hammered in puck possession for so long before the losing adds up. The Avs still rank 30th with a 43.5 Corsi percentage, meaning their opponents account for more than 56 percent of all even-strength shot attempts.
19. Minnesota Wild (23-20-10, Last week: 14): A 9-12-6 road record is one weakness holding the Wild down.
20. Montreal Canadiens (27-24-4, Last week: 22): A three-game win streak might have been enough to save head coach Michel Therrien’s job. An impressive win over the Lightning on Tuesday night at the Bell Centre was much-needed as well.
The key for Montreal has been a good first period. The Habs are 19-2-0 when leading after 20 minutes.
21. Ottawa Senators (25-23-6, Last week: 23): The Senators badly needed a top-four defenseman, so they acquired Leafs captain Dion Phaneuf. It was further proof Ottawa doesn’t know how to make good trades.
22. Philadelphia Flyers (23-20-9, Last week: 20): A three-game losing streak has pushed the Flyers further away from a playoff spot and maybe into “seller” mode as the trade deadline nears.
23. Vancouver Canucks (21-20-12, Last week: 24): A victory over the Coyotes on Wednesday night would pull the Canucks within two points of a wild-card spot despite having the seventh-worst record in the league. This is life in the Pacific Division.
24. Winnipeg Jets (24-26-3, Last week: 25): Re-signing defenseman Dustin Byfuglien was a smart move and the Jets have now won back-to-back games. This could be when Winnipeg makes a late playoff charge after playing below expectations the entire campaign.
25. Arizona Coyotes (24-22-6, Last week: 21): The Coyotes are 2-6-2 in their last 10 games and have lost four in a row. It was bound to happen, but at least Arizona showed its fans it has a great foundation built for future success. Rookie forward Max Domi still is among the top Calder Trophy candidates.
26. Calgary Flames (24-25-3, Last week: 27): Calgary would be a playoff team if it played the Leafs all the time. Although, you could probably say that about most teams.
27. Buffalo Sabres (21-27-6, Last week: 29): Sabres forward Evander Kane had a busy night against the Panthers on Tuesday.
28. Columbus Blue Jackets (21-28-6, Last week: 30): The Blue Jackets have gone 5-3-2 in their last 10 games to climb out of last place in the overall standings. They might as well go back to the bottom and improve their draft lottery chances.
29. Edmonton Oilers (21-29-5, Last week: 26): Connor McDavid is pretty important, isn’t he?
30. Toronto Maple Leafs (19-24-9, Last week: 28): Toronto has 19 regulation wins in the last 103 games. It’s not all bad, though. Tuesday’s Dion Phaneuf trade was a great move the franchise.
Thumbnail photo via Kelvin Kuo/USA TODAY Sports Images
