NHL power rankings: Capitals, Penguins are the cream of the crop

Contenders

The Buffalo Sabres are showing some signs of life. But I fear it will prove to be too little, too late. It’s a darn shame the Sabres are wasting such a brilliant season from Jack Eichel, who has cemented himself as one of the NHL’s elite players.

Something’s just not right with the Winnipeg Jets. Since New Year’s Day of 2019, they have the worst 5v5 expected goals for percentage in the NHL. The Jets are way too good to be that bad. I think Gerard Gallant could be the answer to their problems.

The Carolina Hurricanes need someone to replace Dougie Hamilton, who was having a Norris Trophy-caliber season before suffering a broken leg. Jake Bean could be that guy, but I still think the Canes need to add a defenseman to help balance things out. Their fall has more to do with how competitive the East is than the Hurricanes.

The Arizona Coyotes were in first in the Pacific Division not too long ago. However, they’re starting to slump at a really bad time. I wonder if they’ll consider trading Taylor Hall at the trade deadline if things don’t get better by then.

This is the best the Florida Panthers have looked all season, as they’ve won four straight games and have looked great while doing so. Sergei Bobrovsky is still a question mark, but if he can do what he did down the stretch for the Columbus Blue Jackets last season, the Panthers will be in very good shape.

Bad goaltending gets coaches fired. Gerard Gallant basically got fired because Malcolm Subban and Marc-Andre Fleury couldn’t stop shots. Hopefully, Peter DeBoer gets a better fate. If he can turn things around, the Golden Knights are a darkhorse Stanley Cup contender.

The Philadelphia Flyers remain an enigma. I can’t figure them out. They’re so darn inconsistent. On their best nights, the Flyers can hang with anyone. But they can be so gosh darn bad. The “good” Flyers show up often enough for me to believe they’re a playoff team. But the “bad” team shows up enough for me to not take them too seriously as a Stanley Cup contender.

The Calgary Flames were looking great after they topped the Edmonton Oilers. But since then, they’ve lost two straight, including one to the lowly Ottawa Senators.

After winning seven of their last 10 games, the Vancouver Canucks are looking great. They’re a flawed team, but I think they’ve got enough skill and top-notch talent to overcome those flaws. Quinn Hughes has been especially brilliant.

Elvis has entered the building. Elvis Merzlikins has the fifth-highest save percentage in the NHL among goalies with at least 20 appearances. He’s been bailing the Blue Jackets out a lot lately.

I’m curious how the Edmonton Oilers handle Zack Kassian’s pending free agency. We’ll see if general manager Ken Holland has learned from the mistake of overvaluing his own players, which defined his later years with the Detroit Red Wings.

Their shutout loss to the Wild on Saturday was about as embarrassing as it gets. Hopefully, it serves as a wake-up call for them.

Saturday’s loss to the Washington Capitals was soul-crushing. They were up 4-1 heading into the third period and let the Capitals score five unanswered goals. You can’t blow those leads. The Islanders are in a rough patch and I think general manager Lou Lamoriello needs to do something to improve the roster. That’ll be hard to do because he doesn’t really have that much to play with as far as tradeable assets.

The Toronto Maple Leafs have lost four of their last five games. However, I still think they’re a top 10 team. Their recent losses have been more about Frederik Andersen having a very cold spell than it has about the team as a whole.

Something’s missing from the Colorado Avalanche. They are on the verge of greatness, but they need that final piece. Few coaches get more out of their guys than Jared Bednar. It’s up to general manager Joe Sakic to add something to the mix.

The Boston Bruins really need someone to jumpstart their middle-six forwards. Their top line can dominate anyone on any given night, but depth (along with great players) is what wins you Stanley Cups.

Every team should be frightened to death of the Tampa Bay Lightning right now. They’re effortlessly dominating opponents and their depth is second to none. I’m still not sold on Andrei Vasilevskiy, but for what it’s worth, he’s been looking better as of late.

They’re going to be a very fascinating team to watch at the trade deadline. What the Blues do will have a lot to do with how Vladimir Tarasenko’s recovery is going. Chris Kreider would make a ton of sense for them, but would the Blues pay that likely hefty price knowing one of the NHL’s most consistent scorers is returning?

Sidney Crosby is back with a vengeance. Matt Murray’s struggles are alarming, but Tristan Jarry has done an incredible job of stepping up when needed. They haven’t played the Capitals yet, but mark Feb. 2 on your calendar because that’s the first time the two heavyweights will go at it this season.

Alex Ovechkin is pissed off and now every team is paying for it. He has eight goals in his last three games. Now Ovechkin gets 10 days without a game to rest his body for what should be a long playoff run. This team is resilient as heck and you can’t take your foot off the gas for one second with them or they’ll make you pay, as the New Jersey Devils and New York Islanders found out this week.