NHL Power Rankings (Heading into Week 14) – Washington Capitals, Chicago Blackhawks, and Florida Panthers are this week’s biggest risers. Columbus Blue Jackets, Philadelphia Flyers, and Tampa Bay Lightning among the furthest to fall.
Welcome back to our weekly NHL power rankings here at Puck Prose. This a duel collaboration between Matt Duscharme and Ryan Ritchie brought to you every Thursday in which we update fans on the latest happenings around the league. In addition to our top 30 rankings, we provide in-depth analysis and feature a weekly prospect profile to help fans get better acquainted with young talent in the system.
It was an interesting week around the NHL. All-Star Game rosters were announced with a few surprises. Jets rookie Patrik Laine took a big hit from Sabres defenseman Jake McCabe and is now sidelined with a concussion. We even saw a bit of movement on the waiver wire and a minor trade.
Looking at the 30 teams around the league, we’ve seen a lot of movement heading into week 14. The Columbus Blue Jackets finally gave up top spot after a tough week. Chicago made a big jump after going 4-0-0. Philadelphia continued to slide after another disappointing week. Tampa Bay took the biggest hit of all dropping seven spots to their lowest ranking of the year.
*all stats in our week 14 NHL power rankings are heading into Thursday (Jan.12) night’s action.
Statistical Leaders Around the League
Top 5 Forwards
1. Connor McDavid, EDM (43gp 14g 34a 48pts)
2. Sidney Crosby, PIT (34gp 26g 19a 45pts)
2. Patrick Kane, CHI (44gp 12g 33a 45pts)
4. Evgeni Malkin, PIT (40gp 17g 27a 44pts)
5. Vladimir Tarasenko, STL (41gp 20g 23a 43pts)
Top 5 Defensemen
1. Brent Burns, SJ (42gp 17g 27a 44pts)
2. Victor Hedman, TB (42gp 7g 30a 37pts)
3. Erik Karlsson, OTT (39gp 7g 25a 32pts)
4. Duncan Keith, CHI (44gp 2g 29a 31pts)
5. Rasmus Ristolainen, BUF (40gp 3g 24a 27pts)
Top 5 Rookies
1. Patrik Laine, WPG (42gp 21g 16a 37pts)
2. Auston Matthews, TOR (39gp 21g 14a 35pts)
3. Mitch Marner, TOR (39gp 10g 22a 32pts)
4. Matthew Tkachuk, CGY (40gp 8g 19a 27pts)
5. William Nylander, TOR (38gp 8g 18a 26pts)