NHL Power Rankings: B/R Experts' Week 19 Poll
Everyone understands the importance of Bleacher Report's NHL power rankings. They are appointment reading on Monday morning.
"Where does the gang have the finely tuned machine that is the Nashville Predators in this week's rankings? Do they have the Tampa Bay Lightning or Chicago Blackhawks in the top spot this week? Sure, I could check the actual NHL standings that determine playoff seedings, but I know Bleacher Report has its finger on the hockey pulse."
That's nice of you, fictional stranger, and that's why we are here.
Our team of informed experts—Jonathan Willis, Steve Macfarlane, Allan Mitchell, Lyle Richardson, Carol Schram and myself—is back and has voted to determine the ranking of the league's 30 teams. That ranking is based on an assessment of each team rather than a pure look at the standings.
There are some red-hot teams out there, including the St. Louis Blues, Minnesota Wild and Montreal Canadiens, so there's potential for change in this week's rankings. The only to way to see what the panel decided is to click through.
News and statistics are courtesy of NHL.com, Hockey-Reference.com, war-on-ice.com and BehindTheNet.ca and are current through the start of action on February 9.
Our experts participate in weekly voting for B/R's NHL power rankings. Once a vote is cast for a specific team, it's assigned a value—30 points for the No. 1 team in the rankings, 29 points for the second spot and so on. The totals are then added up to create the power rankings.
30-26: Buffalo Sabres-New Jersey Devils
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30. Buffalo Sabres (Last week: 30): One of my favorite songs is “Bank Job” by Barenaked Ladies. This irrelevant piece of information is only here because with the Sabres in the midst of a tank job, you can change the lyrics to “Tank Job,” and it’s fun. The Sabres are 2-4 in February and last in the real standings too.
29. Edmonton Oilers (Last week: 29): With Ben Scrivens injured, Viktor Fasth has started six of seven games. He has not been good. He is 2-4-0 with an .875 save percentage in February. He signed his current contract after his first nine NHL games in 2013 with the Anaheim Ducks.
28. Arizona Coyotes (Last week: 28): A pretty good sign the Coyotes are tanking is the fact that Mike Smith has started seven straight games, winning two of them.
Louis Domingue, 22, made 18 saves in his first NHL start Feb. 1 and didn’t play again. He was sent to the AHL and replaced with Mike McKenna, who also hasn’t played. The Coyotes had a back-to-back over the weekend and started Smith in both losses. This is the subtle tank.
27. Toronto Maple Leafs (Last week: 27): The Leafs are 2-15-2 in their past 19 games, and that was before they began selling off players for picks and prospects Sunday. Finishing 30th is out of the question, but there’s still time to improve their draft-lottery odds.
26. New Jersey Devils (Last week: 24): The Devils are 9-9-2 since firing Peter DeBoer and going with a coaching tandem of Adam Oates and Scott Stevens, but they’ve been getting drummed at 5-on-5. Their Corsi percentage in those 20 games is 42.6 percent, according to war-on-ice.com. How are they .500? Because Cory Schneider has a .940 save percentage since the coaching change.
25-21: Carolina Hurricanes-Colorado Avalanche
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25. Carolina Hurricanes (Last week: 23): The Hurricanes have lost five of seven after enjoying a nice stretch in January. They have yet to deal any of their UFAs, so there’s still time to get a tank going and improve their draft lottery odds.
24. Columbus Blue Jackets (Last week: 25): It’s a shame what injuries have done to this team. It’s impressive to be 24-27-3 after losing 339 games to injury, according to Man Games Lost. If the Jackets can catch a break and win the draft lottery, they could go from also-rans to East favorites in an instant.
23. Ottawa Senators (Last week: 26): Goaltender Robin Lehner has received a lengthy look in the absence of Craig Anderson. He is 3-4-1 with a 2.49/.919 split over that time. If this is an audition of sorts, he has done OK with it.
22. Philadelphia Flyers (Last week: 22): The Flyers earned at least a point in nine straight games, and that includes six victories. They’ll still need help down the stretch if they want to crack a wild-card spot, and that may be difficult if they choose to be trade-deadline sellers.
21. Colorado Avalanche (Last week: 21): The Avs are kidding themselves if they think they are still in the playoff race. They’re eight points out of eighth, which is really nine points because their 16 regulation/OT wins aren’t winning any tiebreakers. Those 16 wins are tied with Arizona for fourth-lowest in the league.
20-16: Florida Panthers-Boston Bruins
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20. Florida Panthers (Last week: 20): When the Panthers reached the playoffs in 2012, they did so with 18 post-regulation losses. After a shootout loss Sunday, they are tied for the league lead with 12. Every time they get close to a wild-card spot, something sets them back. No one has tougher choices at the deadline than the Panthers.
19. Dallas Stars (Last week: 19): Tyler Seguin's knee injury will keep him out 3-6 weeks, and that may as well signal the end for the Stars. They had been surging but lost 4-1 Sunday without Seguin and failed to score a 5-on-5 goal in the loss. With their next four games against the Blues, San Jose Sharks, Detroit Red Wings and Wild, this may turn the Stars into deadline sellers.
18. Calgary Flames (Last week: 17): After getting utterly demolished in Los Angeles on Thursday, the Flames earned a much-needed win at home against Vancouver on Saturday. Their next 10 games start with home contests against Boston, Minnesota and Anaheim followed by seven straight road games.
17. Vancouver Canucks (Last Week: 15): With a 4-4 mark in their past eight games, the Canucks are doing everything they can to tread water and get to the playoffs. They go from world-beaters to AHL team at a moment’s notice, but with the Stars looking like a long shot, maybe .500 the rest of the way will be enough to get to the postseason.
16. Boston Bruins (Last week: 11): After four regulation losses in five games, the Bruins suddenly look like question marks for the playoffs. They have only one power-play goal in a paltry 11 chances over those five games.
15-11: Winnipeg Jets-New York Rangers
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15. Winnipeg Jets (Last week: 18): Three wins in four games were almost a necessity with the bottom of the West pushing toward playoff spots. Two of their next three games are against Edmonton and Toronto, so the Jets have a chance to create some space.
14. San Jose Sharks (Last Week: 14): The Sharks are tailspinning in February. They are 2-4-2 this month and have allowed at least four goals in five of those games. Some of that has to do with defenseman Marc-Edouard Vlasic missing time, but if the Sharks aren't careful, they could fall out of a playoff spot altogether.
13. Washington Capitals (Last Week: 10): The Capitals won two of three last week, yet they still fell three spots in the voting. Alex Ovechkin has been scalding-hot since the All-Star break with nine goals and 14 points in 10 games.
12. Los Angeles Kings (Last week: 16): Like a slumbering bear being poked with a stick, the Kings are awake and angry. (Note: Do not poke slumbering bears with sticks). They have won four straight—all in regulation—and will get a tired Tampa Bay squad at home Monday.
11. New York Rangers (Last week: 12): No Henrik Lundqvist, no problem. Cam Talbot and the Rangers are 4-1-1 since the team lost its starting goaltender to a vascular injury that wasn’t detected at first. Three of those wins are against non-playoff teams, but it’s still good to see Talbot playing well enough to win.
10. Minnesota Wild
5 of 14
Record: 28-20-7 (63 points)
Last Week: 13
Recent Trend: The Wild are surging up the standings thanks to eight wins in nine games. The one loss occurred in overtime, giving Minnesota 17 of 18 points over that time.
Big Picture: Sure, the Wild are top-10 in the power rankings, but they are still not top-eight in the West. They are two points out of a wild-card spot but are sure to grab a playoff berth as long as their goaltending continues to shine.
By the Numbers: The Wild are 10-1-2 since acquiring goaltender Devan Dubnyk for a third-round pick. He has a .938 save percentage in his 13 starts. It’s amazing what goaltending can do to make a coach look better.
9. Montreal Canadiens
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Record: 36-15-4 (76 points)
Last Week: 9
Recent Trend: The Canadiens are 4-0-1 in their past five games. Their penalty killing is 9-of-9 over that time, which is equally impressive as only being shorthanded nine times in five games.
Big Picture: Despite mediocre possession numbers, the Canadiens continue to amass points and fight for the top of the East. As long as goaltender Carey Price continues having an MVP season, there's no reason to think the Habs can't keep this up.
By the Numbers: Speaking of Price, he has one regulation loss in his past 11 games. Of course, because hockey makes no sense and we are wasting our time trying to understand it, that one loss came at home to the Buffalo Sabres, who had lost 14 in a row entering that game.
8. Pittsburgh Penguins
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Record: 32-15-9 (71 points)
Last Week: 7
Recent Trend: The Pittsburgh Penguins aren't struggling, but they're not playing well, either. They are 4-1-1 in their past six games but only 9-6-3 in the 2015 calendar year.
Big Picture: Despite the uneven play, the Penguins are still in the mix for tops in the Metro and the conference. They could just as easily slip to a wild-card spot as they could win the East.
By the Numbers: It's usually that time of the year when you may hear "Kris Letang" and "Norris Trophy" in the same breath, but it's important to ignore that.
Yes, he's tied for the league lead in scoring among defenseman (44 points) and has great possession numbers, but a) he makes Erik Karlsson look like Shea Weber in his own zone, and b) when it comes to 5-on-5 points, he ranks 17th with 17 points, which is one more than Nick Leddy and Justin Braun. Letang is a great power-play defenseman but nothing special otherwise.
7. Anaheim Ducks
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Record: 35-15-7 (77 points)
Last Week: 6
Recent Trend: Frederik Andersen has played in one of the Ducks' past five games, and, not coincidentally, they have lost four of five.
Big Picture: With an 11-point lead in the fledgling Pacific, the Ducks will be hosting Game 1 of a first-round playoff series. This recent slump, however, makes it hard to see them earning the top seed in the West.
By the Numbers: The Ducks are 16th in the league in penalty killing at 81.5 percent. That number took a hit recently, as the Duck have allowed five power-play goals in their past 16 shorthanded situations.
6. Detroit Red Wings
9 of 14
Record: 31-13-10 (72 points)
Last Week: 3
Recent Trend: The Red Wings are 3-1-1 in their past five games and have just two regulation losses in their past 12 contests.
Big Picture: Between the Red Wings, Canadiens and Tampa Bay Lightning, it's possible one team will earn home-ice advantage throughout the Eastern playoffs, while another will be on the road in the first round. The Atlantic Division is that competitive.
By the Numbers: Petr Mrazek (.909) wasn't great in the absence of goaltender Jimmy Howard, but he was good enough to keep the Red Wings in contention for the top spot in the East. In Howard's first start in a month, however, he allowed four goals on 38 shots in a loss to the Penguins.
5. Tampa Bay Lightning
10 of 14
Record: 35-17-6 (76 points)
Last Week: 5
Recent Trend: The Lightning are 3-2-2 in their past seven games and ended a two-game slide with a convincing 5-2 win in San Jose on Sunday night.
Big Picture: With 58 games played, everyone in the East has games in hand on the Lightning. They are tied for most points in the East, although based on points percentage, they currently rank fifth in the conference.
By the Numbers: Ben Bishop stopped 33 of 35 shots Sunday but had been decidedly subpar for about two months. Before Sunday, he had a .908 save percentage in his previous 22 games, dating back to Dec. 6. If the Lightning are going anywhere in the second season, Bishop needs to be more consistent.
4. New York Islanders
11 of 14
Record: 37-18-1 (75 points)
Last Week: 8
Recent Trend: After a bit of a hiccup a couple of weeks ago (3-4-1), the New York Islanders have won four straight. Sure, the wins were against Buffalo, Toronto, Edmonton and Columbus, but they count as wins nonetheless.
Big Picture: It's a dogfight in the East, as five points separate the top six teams. The Islanders haven't beaten a playoff team since Jan. 27 (part of that is a soft schedule), so they'll need to beat quality teams to maintain their standing.
By the Numbers: The Islanders have 37 wins, their most in a season since 2006-07 when they had 40. They will need 17 wins in their final 26 games to tie the franchise record of 54 during the 1981-82 season.
3. Chicago Blackhawks
12 of 14
Record: 35-18-4 (74 points)
Last Week: 2
Recent Trend: They have points in six straight (4-0-2) and have held opponents to two goals or fewer in five of those games. Prior to this stretch, the Chicago Blackhawks were shut out twice in a row, which seems impossible.
Big Picture: Sitting eight points behind the Nashville Predators in the Central with one more game played, it's almost time for the Blackhawks to set their sights on getting ahead of St. Louis for second in the division.
By the Numbers: Patrick Kane has the most GIFable shootout moves in the league, but Jonathan Toews is among the best ever in shootouts. The pair scored in Sunday's 2-1 shootout win against the Penguins, pushing Kane's career shootout percentage to 41.2 percent; Toews is 48.7 percent.
2. St. Louis Blues
13 of 14
Record: 36-15-4 (76 points)
Last Week: 4
Recent Trend: The Blues have won three straight and 10 of 12. Since Martin Brodeur's career ended in early January, the Blues are 15-2-1.
Big Picture: With a game in hand and a six-point deficit, the Blues are still capable of catching the Predators for the top spot in the Central and the West.
By the Numbers: Since Kevin Shattenkirk went down with an abdominal injury, the Blues' power play is 2-of-13 in seven games. The power play was north of 24 percent prior to the injury.
1. Nashville Predators
14 of 14
Record: 38-12-6 (82 points)
Last Week: 1
Recent Trend: The Predators just keep on rolling. They have won five straight and seven of eight in February.
Big Picture: Winning the Central is huge because it means avoiding St. Louis or Chicago until the second round, but what happens if the Predators play the Los Angeles Kings in the first round? As far as potential 1-8 matchups go, that's not exactly a reward for winning a division or conference.
By the Numbers: One of the reasons cited by Predators general manager David Poile for acquiring Cody Franson and Mike Santorelli was the fact they had spent time with the organization. Franson hasn't played in Nashville since 2011 while Santorelli left in 2010. There's a new coach and many new players, so it's a weird "plus" for those guys.
