Evgeni Malkin’s injury has given several Pittsburgh Penguins forwards a chance to step up and make a name for themselves at the most critical time of the season.
Luckily for the Pens, their bottom-six forwards — Tom Kuhnhackl, Conor Sheary, Matt Cullen, Bryan Rust, Oskar Sundqvist and Eric Fehr — have provided the necessary scoring depth that this team has sorely lacked in recent playoff runs. Of course, it also helps to have the best player in the world in Sidney Crosby, who leads the NHL in scoring since the All-Star break with 35 points. Pittsburgh is controlling puck possession at 5-on-5, too, evidenced by its 54.2 Corsi percentage since New Year’s Day, which is the second-highest mark over that span.
As a result of these factors and more, the Pens climbed from outside the playoff race to third place in the Metropolitan Division. Pittsburgh last won the Stanley Cup in 2009 after a head-coaching change during the season sparked a dramatic improvement, and we might be seeing that again.
After Zack Cox pinch-hit for me last week, my NHL power rankings are back. All records are current entering March 23.
1. Washington Capitals (52-15-5, Last week: 1): The Capitals clinched the Metropolitan Division and the top seed in the Eastern Conference on Tuesday night.
2. Los Angeles Kings (44-24-5, Last week: 2): The Kings are 6-3-1 in their last 10 games, which has given them a four-point cushion over the red-hot Ducks in the Pacific Division.
3. Dallas Stars (44-21-9, Last week: 6): The Stars beat the Blackhawks 6-2 on Tuesday night to clinch a playoff spot and finish the season series 4-1-0 against the defending champs. Dallas outscored Chicago 20-11 in those games.
4. St. Louis Blues (43-22-9, Last week: 4): The Blues are getting hot at the right time with an 8-2-0 mark in their last 10 games. This team will be even better when its injured stars return to the lineup.
5. Pittsburgh Penguins (40-24-8, Last week: 10): Pens head coach Mike Sullivan says the NHL “is a hard league,” but his team’s recent winning ways would suggest otherwise. Pittsburgh has a six-game winning streak, the longest active run in the NHL, and it smoked the first-place Capitals 6-2 on Sunday night.
6. Anaheim Ducks (40-23-9, Last week: 5): Rickard Rakell is proving to be one of many young Anaheim forwards with a very bright present and future. This move was one example of his elite skill.
7. Chicago Blackhawks (42-25-7, Last week: 3): Chicago has won just three of its last 10 games, and while the defending champs aren’t in danger of missing the playoffs, Nashville is just four points behind the Blackhawks for third place in the Central.
8. New York Rangers (41-24-8, Last week: 11): Vezina Trophy favorite Henrik Lundqvist continues to dominate in net for the Rangers, who still struggle to drive puck possession above 50 percent at 5-on-5.
9. Tampa Bay Lightning (42-26-5, Last week: 8): The Lightning are tied with the Panthers for first place in the Atlantic Division and their remaining schedule isn’t easy. Tampa Bay still has matchups with the Islanders (twice), Panthers and Rangers.
Luckily for the Lightning, starting goalie Ben Bishop is playing well down the stretch. He’s the reason why Tampa Bay has the third-highest 5-on-5 save percentage since Feb. 1.
10. Nashville Predators (37-23-13, Last week: 14): The Preds have taken points from eight of their last 10 games, including an impressive 5-2 victory over the Kings on Monday night. Nashville will be a very tough Round 1 opponent.
11. Boston Bruins (39-26-8, Last week: 7): The Bruins went 0-for-3 on their California road trip last week and face a pivtal rivalry matchup Wednesday night against the Rangers at Madison Square Garden. Boston has just a three-point lead over Detroit for third place in the Atlantic.
The B’s also need more scoring from their bottom six to solidify a playoff spot.
12. Florida Panthers (40-24-9, Last week: 13): Back-to-back losses to the Red Wings and Rangers have prevented the Panthers from earning a lead over the Lightning for first place in the Atlantic.
13. San Jose Sharks (41-26-6, Last week: 9): Joe Thornton is still an elite center, and he’s emerged as a legit Hart Trophy candidate with a team-leading 70 points and 53 assists through 73 games.
14. New York Islanders (38-24-9, Last week: 12): A four-game losing streak has dropped the Islanders from a playoff spot in the Metropolitan Division to the first wild-card spot.
15. Philadelphia Flyers (35-24-13, Last week: 15): A 6-2-2 record in their last 10 games has given the Flyers the second wild-card spot in the East over Detroit by virtue of a tiebreaker.
16. Detroit Red Wings (36-26-11, Last week: 16): Detroit’s inconsistency (4-6-0 in its last 10 games) is allowing other teams to pass them in the standings. The Red Wings have the fourth-best puck possession (using 5-on-5 Corsi percentage) since Feb. 1, but a mediocre 6.9 shooting percentage isn’t doing them any favors.
17. Minnesota Wild (35-28-11, Last week: 17): Minnesota has a one-point lead over Colorado for the second wild-card spot in the West. Both teams have won three in a row entering Wednesday.
18. Colorado Avalanche (38-31-4, Last week: 18): Colorado has a 44.1 Corsi percentage at 5-on-5 since Feb. 1, which shows its the worst puck possession team in the league. It’s hard to win games when the opponent consistently out shoots you, but the Avs are hoping to defy the odds again.
19. Carolina Hurricanes (31-28-14, Last week: 19): A five-game skid has dropped Carolina out of the playoff race, which was inevitable after it lost two top-six forwards in Eric Staal and Kris Versteeg at the trade deadline.
20. Ottawa Senators (34-32-8, Last week: 20): The Sens are a budget team, and that kind of situation makes the use of analytics very important. Therefore, these comments from owner Eugene Melnyk should be troubling for Ottawa fans.
21. New Jersey Devils (35-31-7, Last week: 21): The Devils have given up 25 goals in seven games since No. 1 goalie Cory Schneider left the lineup with an injury, proving how valuable he was to the team’s success. He still should be a Vezina Trophy finalist, though.
22. Montreal Canadiens (34-34-6, Last week: 22): Alex Galchenyuk’s move to center has been one of the few bright spots in Montreal of late. The Habs have lost four of their last six and end the season with a very difficult schedule with matchups against the Red Wings (twice), Lightning (twice), Panthers (twice) and the Rangers.
23. Buffalo Sabres (30-34-10, Last week: 23): The Sabres are a bad team, but there’s plenty of reason for optimism because of the positive development seen from their talented young players. First-year head coach Dan Bylsma deserves a lot of credit for that.
24. Arizona Coyotes (32-34-7, Last week: 27): Coyotes forward Max Domi’s 46 points (18 goals, 28 assists) rank third among all rookies. He and rookie winger Anthony Duclair have built a solid foundation for future success in Arizona.
25. Calgary Flames (31-36-6, Last week: 25): Calgary ranks 30th in goals against average, 28th on the power play and 29th in penalty killing. That’s, uh, not a recipe for success.
26. Columbus Blue Jackets (30-35-8, Last week: 26): Columbus will play spoiler over the final few weeks of the regular season as a physical, scrappy team that isn’t easy to play against.
27. Vancouver Canucks (27-33-12, Last week: 24): The Canucks have a 5.6 shooting percentage since Feb. 1, the lowest in the league. It helps explain Vancouver’s five-game skid.
28. Winnipeg Jets (30-37-6, Last week: 28): It would be hilarious if the Jets won the top pick in the 2016 draft and selected Arizona-raised prospect Auston Matthews after Phoenix took the Coyotes franchise from Winnipeg after the 1995-96 campaign.
29. Edmonton Oilers (29-40-7, Last week: 29): The Oilers are one of two teams, along with the Leafs, who’ve already been mathematically eliminated from the playoff race. Expect a busy summer in Edmonton as general manager Peter Chiarelli aims to fill the many holes up and down his roster.
30. Toronto Maple Leafs (26-35-11, Last week: 30): The Leafs are losing regularly, but the young kids, particularly 2014 first-round draft pick William Nylander, have played well over the last two weeks. Toronto also is the best puck possession team since Feb. 1 with a 56 Corsi percentage at 5-on-5, which shows head coach Mike Babcock has his team playing the right way.
Thumbnail photo via Gary A. Vasquez/USA TODAY Sports Images
