NHL power rankings: Lightning surging, Capitals still on top
Contenders
Only six years left on Sergei Bobrovsky’s contract! Man, if only there was somebody who could have warned the Panthers that signing an old goalie to a long-term deal was a bad idea.
It’s nice to see the Minnesota Wild fighting so hard, but I don’t think being mediocre, but not horrible, is a good thing for the Wild right now.
The Canucks lost 9-2 to the Tampa Bay Lightning on Tuesday. Ouch.
If the Blue Jackets make the playoffs, they could be a very tough out in the first round. But they’ve still got a long road ahead of them if they want to do that.
Connor Hellebuyck keeps making this team look better than they actually are.
Three straight wins for the Calgary Flames is huge. Elias Lindholm had a huge game on Tuesday and helped them beat the Chicago Blackhawks.
The Philadelphia Flyers need better goaltending. This is basically an evergreen comment at this point. But seriously, the Flyers have the 10th worst team save percentage in the NHL.
The Edmonton Oilers are a very flawed team. Luckily, they have Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl to help make up for those flaws.
Getting Justin Williams back should give the Carolina Hurricanes a much-needed boost.
I can’t help but think we haven’t seen the best from the Vegas Golden Knights yet. Chandler Stephenson’s been a huge surprise for them.
The Arizona Coyotes are doing a darn good job of racking up points even with their franchise goalie Darcy Kuemper on the injured list.
The Dallas Stars are starting to peak at just the right time. However, I’m still not sold on their offense being able to score enough to win in the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
The New York Islanders scoring woes are starting to catch up with them. On top of that, Adam Pelech’s injury leaves them a bit shorthanded on defense. This is a rough spot for the Islanders, but they should bounce back.
Head coach Sheldon Keefe should be getting Jack Adam Trophy votes. He’s turned the Toronto Maple Leafs season around.
The Boston Bruins remain a flawed, but great, team. Their best players are good enough for them to overcome a lot of their flaws. But obviously, their best players have to remain their best players for this to work long-term.
The Colorado Avalanche are slumping, but they’re still one of the best teams in the Western Conference.
Eight wins later, the Tampa Bay Lightning look like the juggernaut everyone expected them to be. However, fans should still be a bit concerned about Andrei Vasilevskiy.
Much like the Islanders, the Blues are in a bit of a rut. But they’re still a great team.
The Pittsburgh Penguins keep losing players. But all they’ve been doing is finding new ways to win games.
The Capitals are starting to get more production from their third line. That’s a really good sign for their Stanley Cup chances.