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NHL Power Rankings: A New Number One, San Jose Falls Like A Rock.

By Matt Duscharme

Mar 19, 2017; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Pittsburgh Penguins center Sidney Crosby (87) celebrates his goal with the Pens bench against the Florida Panthers during the second period at the PPG PAINTS Arena. The Penguins won 4-0. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 19, 2017; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Pittsburgh Penguins center Sidney Crosby (87) celebrates his goal with the Pens bench against the Florida Panthers during the second period at the PPG PAINTS Arena. The Penguins won 4-0. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports /
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Feb 18, 2017; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Los Angeles Kings defenseman Drew Doughty (8) and Florida Panthers center Nick Bjugstad (27) battle for the puck in the first period of the game at Staples Center. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports /

Previous Ranking: 29 (-)

Team Record: (31-30-11)

Goals For:

183

Goals Against:

208

Special Teams

PP: (16.4 percent) (25th)
PK: (85.9 percent) (1st)

Injury List

Denis Malgin – Concussion – Day-to-Day
Aaron Ekblad – Concussion – Day-to-Day
Roberto Luongo – Lower-Body – Day-to-Day

Statistical Leaders in 2016-17

Top Forward: Vincent Trocheck (72gp 22g 28a 50pts)
Top Defenseman: Keith Yandle (72gp 5g 31a 36pts)
Top Rookie: Michael Matheson (71gp 5g 10a 15pts)
Top Goaltender: Roberto Luongo (17 wins 2.68GAA .915 save percentage)

Player of the Week: RW Jaromir Jagr (4gp 0g 4a 4pts)

The Panthers have been declawed in the past couple of weeks after it looked like they would be able to take a run at the Division Title they earned last season. That feels like forever ago now, as the Cats dropped three of their four games this week to almost effectively taking themselves out of the playoff race. The Panthers were defeated by the Columbus Blue Jackets, Pittsburgh Penguins and Carolina Hurricanes, while their only win came in a 4-3 shootout over the New York Rangers.

The ageless wonder Jaromir Jagr continues to add points to his hall of fame career. Jagr scored four assists on the week and now has 41 points on the season. He may not be the superstar he once was, but Jagr’s production well into his 40’s is unheard of. Free agent acquisition Jason Demers had a strong three assists week, while Aleksander Barkov, Jussi Jokinen, Jonathan Huberdeau, Alex Petrovic, and trade deadline acquisition Thomas Vanek had two point weeks.

The Panthers currently find themselves nine points out of the final playoff spot and have been passed by the Flyers, Hurricanes, and Lightning in the Standings. It’s time to throw in the proverbial towel. The Panthers will need to rattle off four straight wins in their games against the Arizona Coyotes, Chicago Blackhawks, Buffalo Sabres and Toronto Maple Leafs to even be in the race. Don’t place your bet on them.

Weekly Prospect Profile: LW Dryden Hunt, Springfield (AHL)

2016-17 stats: 58gp 10g 16a 26pts

After increasing his offensive production throughout his WHL career, undrafted Dryden Hunt made every NHL general manager take notice with an 116-point season as a 20-year-old. The Florida Panthers won his services, and Hunt is playing very well in his first pro season. Hunt will need to keep expanding his offensive game to make the NHL, but if his AHL career is anything like his junior career, that shouldn’t be an issue. Hunt is known for his shot, which is a cannon upon release.

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