It was only a matter of time before the Washington Capitals found their way. We have reached the halfway mark of the season, and the Caps have won seven straight games, a season-high, and they are in position to have the most points in the NHL. They are currently third in the NHL Power Rankings.
The Tampa Bay Lightning have taken the most significant tumble in the Power Rankings, and they are also dangerously close to hitting the cellar of the Atlantic Division.
1. Columbus Blue Jackets (60 points)
Previously 1 (58 points)
The Jackets were throttled in Washington on Thursday to end their historic 16-game winning streak, and it began a skid of three losses in four games and five goals allowed in each loss. It gets no easier as the always difficult Florida trip is coming up this weekend. Cam Atkinson continues to stay hot, however. He scored twice this week and now has goals in three of his last five games and a league-high nine power play goals (tied with Brayden Schenn and Sidney Crosby). Columbus also waived backup goalie Curtis McElhinney after the Jackets blew a three-goal lead to the Rangers on Saturday.
2. Pittsburgh Penguins (57 points)
Previously 2 (55 points)
The Penguins came out of their bye week in style, shredding the falling Lightning with six different scorers. Losing to Washington, however, dipped them into a tie for third in the Metropolitan Division. Phil Kessel is currently on a six-game point streak after a goal on Saturday and two assists on Wednesday.
3. Washington Capitals (59 points)
Previously 7 (51 points)
Yet another long winning streak is in full motion. The Capitals have now won seven straight, and home wins against Chicago and Philadelphia could push them back where they spent almost all of last season: at #1. Alex Ovechkin went off in the last two games of the week, and the first of his two goals on Wednesday gave him 1,000 points for his NHL career. Thanks to defending Vezina Trophy winner Braden Holtby, Washington is now first in GAA.
4. Chicago Blackhawks (59 points)
Previously 6 (51 points)
The 2016-2017 Blackhawks could go down as one of the most inconsistent conference winners of all time. The apparent lack of depth in the offense has seemed obvious at times, especially when they lost five of six during the holiday season. Yet that depth has stepped up during the team’s four-game winning streak. Ryan Hartman had four goals this week, including his first career hat trick against Nashville on Sunday, and Tanner Kero scored his first goal of the season, and second of his short career, in Tuesday’s thrilling overtime victory on Tuesday.
5. New York Rangers (57 points)
Previously 5 (55 points)
New York must be enjoying their bye week. They entered the long break with two massive road wins against divisional rivals. After blowing out Philadelphia last Wednesday, they completed the comeback from three goals down against Columbus. It was the Michael Grabner show in those two games, with five goals and a hat trick in Columbus. He wrapped up his second hatty of the season, and the game-winner, with a breakaway goal with just 16 seconds remaining in regulation.
6. Minnesota Wild (55 points)
Previously 4 (50 points)
Minnesota became the next challenger of the California road trip this week, and they actually did very well. They got points in all three games, with their only blemish coming from another Tanner Pearson goal in overtime. Of course, it would have helped if the Blackhawks had not caught fire. Mikko Koivu had three goals this week, and that included the tying and winning goals in San Jose on Thursday. Until Thursday, the captain had fallen under the radar in scoring, but he is just one goal away from tying the team lead. Charlie Coyle and Erik Staal both have 13 goals while Koivu has 12.
7. Montreal Canadiens (58 points)
Previously 5 (54 points)
Montreal is no stranger to scoring goals in bunches, but Wednesday’s win in Winnipeg was unusual. Despite scoring seven times, scoring leader Max Pacioretty did not score once, though he did have an assist. Instead, Phillip Danault and Artturi Lehkonen each scored twice to lead the onslaught. Lehkonen, who made his NHL debut on Opening Night, now has eight goals since December 2 and is already the eighth rookie to reach 10 goals on the season. Ryan Hartman reached double figures the night before.
8. San Jose Sharks (52 points)
Previously 8 (48 points)
Talk about a statement win! The Sharks and Oilers have suddenly become heavyweights in the Pacific Division at the same time, so San Jose’s first ever visit to Rogers Place had plenty at stake. The result? Mikkel Boedker recorded his first hat trick with San Jose, and fourth of his career, to give the Sharks a large enough lead to hang on late. He also scored on a Brent Burns tip-in during the rout of Detroit on Sunday, and his four goals this week tripled his season goal total. Sunday was the first time San Jose scored at least five goals in a game this season, becoming the final team to reach that marker.
9. Anaheim Ducks (52 points)
Previously 9 (48 points)
Anaheim is knotted up with San Jose for the Pacific Division lead, and keeping pace with them will be vital for defending their division title. Winning four of five in their home stand to begin 2017 is a good start. John Gibson continues to roll, for he had two shutouts during the home stand and allowed just two goals in two other wins.
10. Edmonton Oilers (49 points)
Previously 11 (45 points)
After two straight wins in Boston and New Jersey, the Oilers went on to lose 5-3 in consecutive games. Their Alberta rivals are hot on their heels in the Pacific Division standings, so their two meetings over the next 10 days will be crucial. Patrick Maroon took full advantage of skating on Connor McDavid‘s line this week. Not only did he pick up the hat trick in Boston on Thursday, but he also scored twice in Ottawa on Sunday. He was named the second star of the week, falling only behind Michael Grabner.
11. St. Louis Blues (47 points)
Previously 10 (45 points)
ESPN.com puts green W’s on schedules whenever a team wins and red L’s whenever there is a loss. Christmas lovers, therefore, will love the Blues schedule. Despite having eight wins since December 6, St. Louis has not won consecutive games during the 16-game span. That is awful considering the Wild and Blackhawks are almost in cruise control. Paul Stastny contributed to the first three St. Louis goals against Dallas on Saturday (two goals and one assist), and Patrik Berglund, who scored the game-winner in the Dallas game, now has three goals in his last fives games after just five goals before the new year.
12. Boston Bruins (49 points)
Previously 14 (44 points)
Shea Weber was victorious in his return to Nashville, and David Backes followed suit in St. Louis. He played his first game in St. Louis for an opposing team on Tuesday. As expected, he got a standing ovation. Then he got into a fight with Joel Edmundson. While Backes had the love from the Blues fans, Brad Marchand has stolen the spotlight. With five goals in his last three games, including both a power play goal and a shorthanded breakaway goal in Florida on Saturday, the Nova Scotia native now has a commanding lead in points for the Bruins with 38.
13. Ottawa Senators (46 points)
Previously 12 (44 points)
Losing four straight temporarily dropped Ottawa to third in the Atlantic Division. That will not remain the same all year, but the question is whether they will figure things out or wilt underneath Tampa Bay, Toronto, Florida, Buffalo, or Detroit. The Senators spread the wealth on Monday against Edmonton, with Mark Stone leading the team with a goal and an assist. Nine Senators had at least one point in the 5-3 victory.
14. Philadelphia Flyers (48 points)
Previously 13 (45 points)
How does losing nine of 11 sound after that 10-game winning streak? It is only a matter of time until Toronto, Carolina, or one of the Florida teams catch up with them at this rate. Andrew MacDonald got an assist one what looked like a clear-out that Tampa Bay misread on Saturday, but that was his only point in the last nine games.
15. Calgary Flames (48 points)
Previously 15 (44 points)
Give that man a beer! Chad Johnson made two huge stops on Wednesday to preserve the victory over the Sharks. He stopped Mikkel Boedker on a penalty shot with five minutes left in the third period. Then, he stopped Boedker again, this time on a shorthanded breakaway, with under 10 seconds left to finish off San Jose. Matthew Tkachuk lost his point streak in the shutout loss to Winnipeg, but his tip-in on Wednesday gave him points in 10 of his last 11 games.
16. Los Angeles Kings (44 points)
Previously 17 (42 points)
Tanner Pearson loves 2017. Why? He has two overtime goals since the calendar changed. If it were not for his heroics, the Kings could be winless in 2017 after two clunkers against Dallas and Detroit. Jeff Carter had a goal and an assist in the win over Minnesota on Saturday, and he now has at least 250 points in tenures with both the Kings and Flyers. He joins Marian Hossa, Jaromir Jagr (obviously), and Joe Thornton for active players who have tallied 250 points for two teams.
17. Toronto Maple Leafs (44 points)
Previously 18 (42 points)
After downing New Jersey with four goals in the first period on Friday, Toronto could not keep pace with the rival Canadiens and lost to them for the 13th straight time. But that game was still entertaining, with 76 penalty minutes and two simultaneous fights in the second period. That does not even include two other cases of matching roughing penalties in the same period. That is a game that is worth the inflated prices that come when Montreal goes to Toronto. James van Riemsdyk and Mitch Marner were electric in the loss, combining for a goal and five assists. Marner, in particular, had a couple of highlight-reel passes to boot.
18. Carolina Hurricanes (45 points)
Previously 21 (39 points)
After losing their point streak at home, the Hurricanes had another huge week. winning three of four and making the Blackhawks sweat at the United Center in their lone loss. Do not look now, but the Hurricanes are just three points behind Philadelphia for the second wild-card spot. Derek Ryan scored four times this this week, including the empty-netter to sink the Blues, the same team that put new Hurricane Ty Rattie on waivers last week.
19. Florida Panthers (46 points)
Previously 22 (40 points)
Florida’s defense stepped up this week. In their three wins, they only allowed two goals, including a shutout victory in New Jersey. In that game. Roberto Luongo passed Terry Sawchuk for fifth in all-time wins. It was his first shutout of the season, and Florida is now tied with Ottawa for the dubious third place in the Atlantic Division.
20. Winnipeg Jets (43 points)
Previously 19 (41 points)
Blowing leads and allowing seven goals in a game can be painful, but not as painful as losing Patrik Laine for an indefinite period of time because of a concussion. Jake McCabe laid a solid hit on him, and the value that Laine has provided certainly warranted a heavy reaction and subsequent scrum. Mark Scheifele scored twice on Wednesday, and he is one point away from reaching 40.
21. Dallas Stars (42 points)
Previously 20 (40 points)
After taking just one of three on the road and getting shut out in Anaheim on Tuesday, Dallas is currently slated in sixth place in the Central Division. It gets no easier next week, as they must face Minnesota at home before going to the Empire State following their bye week. Patrick Sharp led Dallas with an empty-net goal and two assists in a thrilling win over Los Angeles on Monday. Devin Shore scored in that game as well, and six of his seven goals have come on the road.
22. Tampa Bay Lightning (42 points)
Previously 16 (42 points)
This team was supposed to build off of a second straight trip to the Eastern Conference Finals, but losing 6-2 to the same team that eliminated them last year shows how far they have fallen. Perhaps Steven Stamkos is that valuable to a team that is now .500 after losing four straight to begin 2017. Andrei Vasilevskiy has been especially poor, with a GAA of 5.20 during the losing streak.
23. Vancouver Canucks (44 points)
Previously 24 (41 points)
After an outstanding performance against the Flames on Thursday, they could not repeat it in the Saddledome. They had a chance to move into a wild card spot on Tuesday, but they allowed a shorthanded goal in overtime to heartbreakingly lose in Nashville. For now, they must settle for a tie. Markus Granlund scored twice on Thursday, and Ryan Miller made 44 saves on 46 shots, 23 of them in the third period, to cap off an excellent night.
24. Nashville Predators (41 points)
Previously 23 (39 points)
Jarnkoking has a new meaning. It is an action of not celebrating after scoring a shorthanded goal in overtime. Seriously, Calle Jarnkrok can show some happiness in a situation like that, especially since a win against Boston could move them up to the second wild card spot. Colton Sissons scored a hat trick in the win over Tampa Bay on Thursday, and Austin Watson has now scored in two straight games.
25. Detroit Red Wings (40 points)
Previously 25 (37 points)
They beat Los Angeles handily on Thursday, but they lost to San Jose and Chicago (in overtime) puts them in last place in the Atlantic Division. That playoff streak is hanging by a thread. Andreas Athanasiou scored in all three games this week, and he helped Detroit cruise in LA with a goal and two assists in the first period.
26. Buffalo Sabres (41 points)
Previously 28 (36 points)
Buffalo has points in all four of their January games. Perhaps this is the beginning of something big, especially since they are not far away from the wild card and a guaranteed playoff spot in the Atlantic Division. Sam Reinhart has been hot to begin 2017, with a goal and five assists in his last four games. He helped Buffalo cruise past Philadelphia on Thursday with three points, including a beautiful tic-tac-toe combination from Jack Eichel to Ryan O’Reilly to Rasmus Ristolainen to Reinhart. “That’s called puck movement.”
27. New Jersey Devils (40 points)
Previously 26 (39 points)
New Jersey failed to impress at home, grabbing just one point in three losses to Toronto, Edmonton, and Florida. Now they must recover with the increasingly grueling Western Canada trip (plus Minnesota). Jon Merrill scored his first goal of the season, and third point, on a ricochet off the back of Frederik Andersen on Thursday.
28. New York Islanders (38 points)
Previously 27 (36 points)
Nothing screams mediocrity like falling in extra time to both Arizona and Colorado. They are back to the bottom of the Eastern Conference. Thomas Greiss faced exactly 100 shots this week and saved 95 of them. That goes to show how bad the offense, which is at a solid 12th in scoring this season, has been of late.
29. Arizona Coyotes (30 points)
Previously 29 (27 points)
Losing nine straight has effectively ended their season come April, but they can feel good knowing that their skid ended on Tuesday in a shootout. Louis Domingue made 27 saves, six of them in overtime, on 28 shots to earn his first win since November 8.
30. Colorado Avalanche (27 points)
Previously 30 (25 points)
Colorado ended their second five-game losing streak in the past four weeks with an overtime victory over the Islanders. Here is a disastrous fact about Colorado’s season. Samuel Henley, who has only played once this season, is the only Av to have a positive +/-, and Francois Beauchemin has the highest +/- for players who have played at least six games (-1). That is to be expected for a team that has just 79 goals and 130 goals allowed.
Bold Predictions:
Last week:
Columbus breaks the winning streak record AND shuts out New York on Saturday. So now Columbus chooses to lose…
Kevin Labanc gets the hat trick on Saturday against Detroit. Despite an easy win for San Jose, Labanc did not tally a point.
Cam Ward allows just one goal against Columbus on Tuesday and wins. He won, but with more offense.
This week:
Detroit scores five goals for the first time since December 17 on Thursday against Dallas.
Connor McDavid collects at least four points against Calgary on Saturday.
Tuukka Rask shuts out the Isles on Monday.