NHL Power Rankings: Where Every Team Stands After the All-Star Break
And now, the fun begins.
Having dispensed with its annual All-Star weekend festivities in sunny Florida, the NHL is getting back to regular-season business across the 32-team map as the frenzied push toward the March 3 trade deadline begins in earnest.
Deals of all shapes and sizes are expected as the big day draws nearer and teams decide to fish or cut bait regarding impending free agents and other personnel.
The standings at the league restart remain similar to what they've been for a while, and that solidification holds true in this week's B/R Power Rankings, where the Boston Bruins sit atop the pack for a remarkable 13th consecutive week.
The Bruins swept the panel's first-place votes to nudge ahead of the Carolina Hurricanes, with whom they were tied in the final pre-All-Star poll. Carolina got every second-place vote, and the New Jersey Devils, Toronto Maple Leafs and Dallas Stars rounded out the top five.
The Stars' arrival edged out the Tampa Bay Lightning, who'd shared top-five space with their four contemporaries for three straight weeks.
The panel awarded 32 points for first place and one point for 32nd to come up with the weekly list. Teams' last rankings and how they moved are shown alongside each updated placement. Scroll through to see where your favorites landed, and drop a thought or two of your own in the comments.
Nos. 32-26: Blue Jackets, Blackhawks, Ducks, Coyotes, Sharks, Canadiens, Canucks
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32. Columbus Blue Jackets (Last Week: 32/Move: 0)
It's been miserable for the Blue Jackets, but they are the only team with two players among the top-10 rookies in goals—Kirill Marchenko (13) and Kent Johnson (10)—and they lead in rookie points with 61.
31. Chicago Blackhawks (Last Week: 31/Move: 0)
The team has lost two straight, but the real news out of Chicago is Patrick Kane's declaration that predeadline trade opportunities are "intriguing and could be exciting. We'll see."
30. Anaheim Ducks (Last Week: 30/Move: 0)
Both Frank Vatrano and the Ducks stayed scalding hot in their second game after the break, with the former scoring for the fifth time in five games and the team improving to 4-0-1 in that stretch.
29. Arizona Coyotes (Last Week: 29/Move: 0)
The Coyotes will begin a three-game road trip on Friday in Chicago, and they prepared well with a 3-2 defeat of visiting Minnesota on Monday that improved them to 11-8-2 at Mullet Arena.
28. San Jose Sharks (Last Week: 28/Move: 0)
Imminent free agent Timo Meier began what could be an audition for trade deadline buyers, scoring twice and assisting on another in the Sharks' 4-3 OT win at Tampa Bay on Tuesday night.
27. Montréal Canadiens (Last Week: 27/Move: 0)
All-Star forward Nick Suzuki begins the second half with 40 points in 51 games, making him the 12th player in franchise history to have 40 points in each of his first four seasons with the team.
26. Vancouver Canucks (Last Week: 26/Move: 0)
The Canucks dealt away offense in the trade that sent Bo Horvat to the New York Islanders, and they're struggling on the other end, too, having given up 197 goals—tied for second-most in the league entering Wednesday.
Nos. 25-21: Flyers, Blues, Red Wings, Senators, Panthers
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25. Philadelphia Flyers (Last Week: 24/Move: -1)
Dealing with adversity will be mandatory to end a 1-2-2 skid. "Teams are going to ramp (their checking) up," coach John Tortorella said after his team lost in its first game after the break. "It's going to be really interesting to see how guys react."
24. St. Louis Blues (Last Week: 25/Move: +1)
The Blues entered Wednesday nine points off the Western playoff pace and with some deadline decisions to make about imminent free agents Vladimir Tarasenko and Ryan O'Reilly, among others.
23. Detroit Red Wings (Last Week: 22/Move: -1)
A loss to visiting Edmonton in their first post-break game was the fifth in a row for the Red Wings without a victory in regulation. They've won twice in OT and lost three times since January 19.
22. Ottawa Senators (Last Week: 23/Move: +1)
Goaltending and offense fueled a four-game win streak prior to the break for the Senators, who scored 18 times and got three straight wins from Anton Forsberg—including his third career shutout.
21. Florida Panthers (Last Week: 21/Move: 0)
All-Star MVP Matthew Tkachuk returned with a five-point night in a rout of Tampa Bay on Monday and has five goals and 10 assists in his last seven games, in which the Panthers are 4-2-1.
Nos. 20-16: Predators, Sabres, Capitals, Islanders, Flames
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20. Nashville Predators (Last Week: 19/Move: -1)
A prebreak win streak didn't carry over into February for the Predators, who'd won three straight to end January before managing just 17 shots in a 5-1 return against visiting Vegas on Tuesday.
19. Buffalo Sabres (Last Week 16/Move: -3)
Another nod toward the future came Tuesday when the Sabres locked forward Dylan Cozens down with a seven-year, $49.7 million deal. He's the third 25-or-younger player signed long term since August.
18. Washington Capitals (Last Week: 18/Move: 0)
The Capitals finally return from the break on Saturday in Boston, and they'll be trying to maintain playoff position after a 6-7-1 January. They entered Wednesday just a point above the East cutline.
17. New York Islanders (Last Week: 20/Move: +3)
Timely offense and sound defense are the recipe for success on Long Island, and both arrived Tuesday, with newcomer Bo Horvat scoring his first post-trade goal and Ilya Sorokin registering his fifth shutout.
16. Calgary Flames (Last Week: 17/Move: +1)
The Flames are 3-1-1 in their last five and on the cusp of a Western playoff spot, leaving GM Brad Treliving noncommittal on deadline plans. "You've got to be careful how far you chase it," he said on Monday.
.png?w=256 "Playoff Winners and Losers")
Nos. 15-11: Wild, Penguins, Kings, Avalanche, Oilers
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15. Minnesota Wild (Last Week: 10/Move: -5)
The Wild dropped a game at Arizona in their post-break return and remain in playoff purgatory, having entered Wednesday tied both for third in the Central and for the second Western wild-card spot.
14. Pittsburgh Penguins (Last Week: 15/Move: +1)
A dramatic rally for a 2-1 OT win against the defending Cup champions Tuesday night was an ideal return to work for the Penguins, who'd lost two straight and three of four before the break.
13. Los Angeles Kings (Last Week: 14/Move: +1)
The Kings ended the first half with two losses—one in OT—and they'll return amid a logjam that had them a point out of first in the Pacific and five above the playoff cutline entering Wednesday.
12. Colorado Avalanche (Last Week: 13/Move: +1)
A six-game win streak has given way to two losses in three games for the Avalanche, who led Pittsburgh by a goal with four minutes left on Tuesday before giving up a tying goal and losing in OT.
11. Edmonton Oilers (Last Week: 11/Move: 0)
A 5-2 win at Detroit was a nice enough return for the typically top-heavy Oilers, who are 8-0-1 in their last nine, but it was better considering Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl combined for one assist.
Nos. 10-6: Golden Knights, Jets, Kraken, Lightning, Rangers
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10. Vegas Golden Knights (Last Week: 12/Move: +2)
The Golden Knights seized sole possession of first place in the tightly packed Pacific after defeating Nashville 5-1. They're a point ahead of Seattle and Los Angeles and two up on Edmonton.
9. Winnipeg Jets (Last Week: 9/Move: 0)
The Jets hit the break with one win in four games, and they'll return with two at home before a four-game swing to New York, New Jersey, and Columbus. Their 14-11-1 road record is 12th in the league.
8. Seattle Kraken (Last Week: 6/Move: -2)
Losing 4-0 at the Islanders wasn't great to start a five-game trip for the Kraken. But the more concerning news may be about André Burakovsky, who left the game on his first shift with a lower-body injury.
7. Tampa Bay Lightning (Last Week: 5/Move: -2)
The Lightning's return hasn't been so productive thus far, with a 7-1 loss at Florida on Monday preceding a 4-3 OT loss to visiting San Jose that ended the team's 12-game home win streak.
6. New York Rangers (Last Week: 8/Move: +2)
A 9-2-2 run over 13 games before and after the break featured 10 goals from Filip Chytil and moved the Rangers into third place in the Metropolitan, four points clear of Washington and five up on Pittsburgh.
Nos. 5-1: Stars, Maple Leafs, Devils, Hurricanes, Bruins
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5. Dallas Stars (Last Week: 7/Move: +2)
A shootout win against Anaheim on Monday ended a slide in which the Stars dropped three straight games at home, all in OT. Still, Jason Robertson has stayed hot with seven points in seven games.
4. Toronto Maple Leafs (Last Week: 4/Move: 0)
The Maple Leafs were just 5-4-1 in their final 10 pre-break games but 11 points above the playoff cutline in the East. "We're a good team, and we're in a really good spot," coach Sheldon Keefe said before the break.
3. New Jersey Devils (Last Week: 3/Move: 0)
A Monday rally to beat Vancouver improved the Devils to 9-1-1 in their last 11 and was a career-best 10th straight win for goalie Vitek Vanecek, who's also established a personal high for overall wins (22).
2. Carolina Hurricanes (Last Week: 1/Move: -1)
The season-ending injury to forward Max Pacioretty was hardly good news, but his placement onto long-term injured reserve does allow the Hurricanes to earmark his salary for deadline reinforcements.
1. Boston Bruins (Last Week: 1/Move: 0)
The back half will mean a championship chase for the front-running Bruins, but the long-term status of forward David Pastrnak, an imminent free agent, is a question. For others, that is. "In the middle of the season, you're focusing on the hockey and everything," he said last Friday before the 2023 NHL All-Star Skills. "You don't really think about the contract situation."
Statistics accurate through Tuesday, February 7.
.png?w=480 "Playoff Winners and Losers")
.jpg?w=600 "Burrow's IG Story Before Trade 🧐")
.jpg?w=600 "Coached Stunned by Lawrence Trade")
.jpg?w=600 "Lawrence 'Jacked' About Trade")
