But while it may be difficult for one team to maintain an edge over the rest of the league, one division is coming close to achieving some real dominance.
The Central Division has produced the last three Western Conference champions and two of the last three Stanley Cup winners in Chicago and Detroit. This year, the Central is deeper than ever.
Nashville is the only team remaining in the entire league that has yet to lose a game in regulation this year, but the Predators lead fifth-place Columbus by just three points. The Central is the only division to have all five of its members post a winning record so far, and the only division with all five teams already in double-digits for points.
Overall, Central clubs Nashville, Detroit, Chicago, St. Louis and Columbus are a combined 24-9-7. But six of those nine losses are against fellow Central Division teams, as the five teams are a combined 17-3-6 against the rest of the league.
That kind of dominance has put all five of the Central Division teams in the top half of this week’s NHL Power Rankings, with three of those clubs in the top five. But to find out exactly where they each rank — along with the Bruins and the rest of the league — you’ll have to read on.
