NHL Power Rankings: B/R Experts' Week 23 Poll
We've seen some pretty significant change in the weeks since the NHL trade deadline, and some of the biggest shifts have come from traditional powers in the East.
The Boston Bruins had won five straight entering Sunday and have done much to solidify their hold on a playoff spot. The New York Rangers have matched the accomplishment and, as a result, have moved (on the basis of games played) into first overall in the NHL.
What will our panel make of these and other changes?
As always, Dave Lozo, Allan Mitchell, Lyle Richardson, Carol Schram, Steve Macfarlane and myself are here to vote and determine the rankings of the league's 30 teams, with the rankings based on an assessment of each of these teams rather than a pure look at the standings.
Read on to see where all 30 teams are ranked and which rise to the top this week.
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 March 16.
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-Columbus Blue Jackets
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30. Buffalo Sabres (Last week: 30): The Sabres have lost six straight games and this week became the first team in the NHL to fall below minus-100 in terms of goal differential. Only two other teams in the league are even half as bad in that department.
29. Arizona Coyotes (Last week: 29): The Coyotes have scored all of three goals in four consecutive losses on home ice, never tallying more than a single marker in any of those games. The club has scored one goal or less in eight of its last 10 games and has not recorded a non-shootout win since February 3.
28. Edmonton Oilers (Last week: 28): Losers of seven consecutive games, the Oilers are at perhaps their lowest ebb defensively all season. The team has surrendered 23 goals in its last four games, which is why (despite 14 goals over the same stretch) it can't seem to make any headway.
27. Toronto Maple Leafs (Last week: 27): Toronto has lost five of its last six games, with the only exception being a shootout win over Buffalo on Wednesday, which was a near-run thing. The team also surrendered four-plus goals in each of those losses, with the Sabres managing three in the Leafs' lone win.
26. Columbus Blue Jackets (Last week: 26): A loss to Carolina on Sunday ended a three-game winning streak for the Blue Jackets. The penalty kill has been a major problem in both wins and losses, surrendering a total of seven goals and at least one in all four games.
25-21: Carolina Hurricanes-Colorado Avalanche
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25. Carolina Hurricanes (Last week: 24): March hasn't been kind to the 'Canes, though they did manage to snap a three-game losing streak with a 3-2 win over Columbus on Sunday. The team is now 2-4-1 on the month after winning three straight to end February.
24. Philadelphia Flyers (Last week: 23): The Flyers still only have two wins in March, but a 7-2 victory over Detroit book-ended by a pair of shootout losses to close out this week have the team picking up points. Claude Giroux has gone nine games without a goal and has just two in his last 23 contests.
23. Dallas Stars (Last week: 22): The Stars had won three straight and five of six before Sunday's 3-0 loss to the playoff-bound St. Louis Blues. Kari Lehtonen allowed two goals on 20 shots (the Blues added an empty-netter) and continues to struggle with the .900-save-percentage barrier.
22. New Jersey Devils (Last week: 25): New Jersey went on a three-game Western road swing this week and came back with just one victory, a 4-1 win over the laughably inept Arizona Coyotes. Even so, it's been a good month for the Devils, who are 8-3-2 since mid-February
21. Colorado Avalanche (Last week: 21): March has been kind to the Avs, who followed up a perfect record last week by winning two of three in this one. The club is now 10-4-0 since Valentine's Day, with defenceman Tyson Barrie (five goals and 15 points) being especially good over the run.
20-16: San Jose Sharks-Winnipeg Jets
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20. San Jose Sharks (Last Week: 20): The Sharks had been on a nice little roll, winning four of five games, when general manager Doug Wilson reopened old wounds at a season-ticket-holders event on Thursday. The Sharks were lit up by a 6-2 score in their last game, on Saturday.
19. Florida Panthers (Last week: 19): A loss to New York on Sunday ended a pretty effective period for the Panthers, one that saw Florida win three consecutive games. The team is now 5-2-1 over its last eight games after losing a set of back-to-back contests against Chicago.
18. Ottawa Senators (Last week: 18): The Sens have plenty of life, but with Boston winning games, they're short on time. They've won three straight and six of seven, but a Tuesday loss in regulation to the Bruins was an incredibly unfortunate exception to this trend of recent success.
17. Calgary Flames (Last week: 15): The Flames are 5-1-1 since the start of March and won two of three this week. Goaltender Karri Ramo has been a big part of the team's success; since taking over the lion's share of the starts in mid-February, he is 5-3-0 with a .922 save percentage.
16. Winnipeg Jets (Last week: 17): A win on Saturday over Tampa Bay kept Week 23 from being a total write-off, but losses to St. Louis and Florida earlier in the week did nothing to help Winnipeg's playoff ambitions. The team now holds the final postseason berth in the West, one point up on the Los Angeles Kings, who have the advantage of a game in hand. Better goaltending would help, as Michael Hutchinson has a brutal .879 save percentage over his last 15 contests.
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15-11: Washington Capitals-Detroit Red Wings
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15. Washington Capitals (Last Week: 12): The Capitals picked up a pivotal victory on Sunday to stay in front of the Bruins in the standings and leave Boston in the most vulnerable playoff spot in the East. It was the Caps' first win over a team in playoff position since February 21. The club had lost three of four prior to beating the Bruins.
14. Vancouver Canucks (Last Week: 16): The Canucks have won three of their last four games, though they only managed to split contests against key opponents for a playoff spot in the West, beating San Jose but falling to Los Angeles. Eddie Lack has largely been quite good filling in for injured No. 1 Ryan Miller, going 5-2-1 with a .932 save percentage since Vancouver's starter went down.
13. Los Angeles Kings (Last Week: 14): The Kings won two of three for the second week in a row, improving their chances of claiming one of the final playoff spots in the West. L.A. pulled itself back into the mix with an eight-game winning streak in February before dropping three straight but is now making steady progress.
12. Boston Bruins (Last week: 13): A loss to Washington on Sunday kept the Bruins from leapfrogging the Capitals, but it doesn't change how good the team has been lately. Prior to the loss, Boston had won five straight and seven of eight, with players such as Ryan Spooner and David Pastrnak contributing much of the team's offence.
11. Detroit Red Wings (Last Week: 11): After an embarrassing loss to Philly on Saturday, Detroit was in better shape Sunday morning, inflicting a 5-1 beatdown on Pittsburgh. The Wings won half of their games this week, which, on balance, was enough to keep them where they were.
10. Minnesota Wild
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Record: 38-24-7, 82 points
Last Week: 10
Recent Trend: The Wild remain relatively hot, with two wins in three games this week and a 5-2-0 record in March after a brilliant February.
Big Picture: Minnesota is in a tough position to climb into a top-three spot in the Central, but since bringing in Devan Dubnyk, the team has been one of the very best in the league. The Wild aren't entirely out of the woods yet (Los Angeles is only four points back), but they have a real chance of making some noise in the postseason.
By the Numbers: Dubnyk's 20-5-1 record and .939 save percentage in Minnesota have been well-documented. Incredibly, he has now played 27 consecutive games for the Wild, including back-to-backs, and there is no sign yet of fatigue being a factor.
9. Pittsburgh Penguins
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Record: 39-20-10, 88 points
Last Week: 5
Recent Trend: Pittsburgh has lost three of four games, with the lone win being a 6-4 decision over Edmonton that saw the Penguins blow a 4-0 lead before salvaging a win in the third.
Big Picture: There isn't any question, really, that the Penguins will make the playoffs. The team has the talent to be a contender; now it needs to claw out some series wins.
By the Numbers: This one comes via Josh Yohe of the Tribune-Review. Pittsburgh's coaches talked to Steve Downie before Sunday's game about taking too many penalties (he had four minors in a span of three games entering the contest). On Sunday, Downie took 22 minutes in penalties, earning two 10-minute misconducts and a minor for cross-checking.
8. Montreal Canadiens
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Record: 43-19-7, 93 points
Last Week: 7
Recent Trend: A win on Saturday was Montreal's only victory on the week; the club has just two wins in seven games through March.
Big Picture: The Habs have built up enough of a lead on their competitors in the Atlantic that with a strong finish to the year they can win the division.
By the Numbers: Jeff Petry has seen pretty heavy usage since coming over at the trade deadline, averaging just a touch under 23 minutes per game, which includes significant time on both special teams units.
7. Anaheim Ducks
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Record: 44-20-7, 95 points
Last Week: 2
Recent Trend: The Ducks have back-to-back wins over Minnesota and Nashville, respectively the NHL's hottest team and one of its very best. That brought an end to a streak of three straight losses.
Big Picture: On one level, Anaheim sits tied for first in the NHL with 95 points. On another, they rank 13th with a modest plus-13 goal differential. The playoffs should be very, very interesting.
By the Numbers: John Gibson isn't exactly rolling out the welcome mat for Frederik Andersen to take his job back. Gibson has a 9-4-0 record and .917 save percentage since his return to the Ducks.
6. New York Islanders
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Record: 43-24-4, 90 points
Last Week: 3
Recent Trend: The Islanders blew a three-game homestand this week, scoring a grand total of three goals in a trio of regulation losses.
Big Picture: As it stands, the Isles seem to be looking at a first-round series against the Penguins, with the possessor of home ice to be determined (New York has a two-point lead; Pittsburgh has two games in hand).
By the Numbers: Tyler Kennedy's Islanders career is off to a solid start. The speedy winger picked up a goal and an assist in his debut and has three points over four games despite fairly limited ice time.
5. Nashville Predators
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Record: 43-21-7, 93 points
Last Week: 9
Recent Trend: The Preds are in a bit of a slump. Their two wins in four games this week are their first wins of March; the club is 2-8-0 in its last 10 games.
Big Picture: Nashville could lose its next 11 and probably still make the playoffs, but the Predators are in significant danger of losing the Central Division to St. Louis. The Blues are tied with 93 points but have games in hand, and falling to second in the division means a first-round series against the Blackhawks.
By the Numbers: Nashville's offence has vanished. Both Pekka Rinne and Carter Hutton have been solid in net, but only three skaters have more than a single goal over the last 10 contests.
4. Tampa Bay Lightning
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Record: 42-21-7, 91 points
Last Week: 1
Recent Trend: Consecutive losses have brought a strong stretch of play to an end. The Lightning had previously won four straight games and seven of nine.
Big Picture: The Lightning are two points back of the Canadiens for control of the Atlantic, despite having three more non-shootout wins than their rivals from Montreal. At this point, Tampa Bay is likely the favourite to emerge from that side of the East.
By the Numbers: Braydon Coburn has two assists, nine penalty minutes and a plus-three rating in four contests since being acquired from Philadelphia. He has, however, also played less than 17 minutes in three of those four games.
3. Chicago Blackhawks
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Record: 41-21-6, 88 points
Last Week: 6
Recent Trend: For the third time in an eight-game stretch, Chicago has won consecutive games and is now 6-1-1 over that span.
Big Picture: That the Blackhawks are an elite team is not really in question. Once again, however, a mediocre regular season will make their playoff path more difficult than it needed to be.
By the Numbers: Trade deadline acquisition Kimmo Timonen has been used sparingly over five games so far, playing less than 20 minutes in all of them and less than 15 in his last four.
2. St. Louis Blues
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Record: 44-20-5, 93 points
Last Week: 4
Recent Trend: St. Louis has won four of its last five games and is 6-2-1 over its last nine.
Big Picture: The Blues are just two points back of the Rangers in the race for the Presidents' Trophy and, more significantly, are tied with Nashville but have two games in hand in the Central. The possibility of facing a weaker opponent than Chicago in the first round has increased significantly.
By the Numbers: Vladimir Tarasenko is now the highest-scoring player in the Western Conference with 67 points in 69 games. He ranks seventh in overall NHL scoring but is just five points back of John Tavares for first overall.
1. New York Rangers
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Record: 44-17-7, 95 points
Last Week: 8
Recent Trend: New York has now won five consecutive contests and hasn't allowed more than one goal against in regulation in any game in the month of March.
Big Picture: It's been an up-and-down season for the Rangers, but the defending Eastern Conference champs are now in contention for the Presidents' Trophy at the end of the year. They are a very real threat to repeat last year's deep playoff run.
By the Numbers: Cam Talbot has been excellent in place of injured starter Henrik Lundqvist, but on Saturday, third-stringer (and rookie pro) Mackenzie Skapski got a chance to show what he could do and managed a 20-save shutout against Buffalo. Skapski has now allowed just one goal on 45 shots over two games with the Rangers.
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