The NHL schedule comes to a screeching halt this weekend, much to the disdain of Philadelphia scrooge/owner Ed Snider.
It appears that the Eastern Conference has finally caught up with the west after a relatively inglorious start.
Incredible parity still exists in the league with only a ten-point gap between the eighth team in overall standings and the 25th. For those of you proficient in math and other complicated hockey metrics that’s only a five game difference in the pints department.
The playoff race is already on, which will make post-Olympic NHL hockey pretty gosh darn intense.
Since this will be the last power ranking for the next three weeks, savor the flavor of eDraft’s Power Rankings 17.0, and this awesome pic of Zdeno Chara leading the Slovakian Olympic team at the opening ceremonies.
30. Buffalo Sabres-The Sabres are separating themselves from the rest of the bad teams on their current four-game slide. Do you think Ryan Miller is excited to play in Sochi, with a decent team in front of him?
29. Edmonton Oilers-Those tricky Oilers continue to win just enough to give fans hope. Their latest and greatest, a 2-1 decision AT Madison Square Garden over the Rangers. Ben Scrivens didn’t need to make 59 saves, but still looked sharp.
28. Florida Panthers-The Panthers stroll down mediocre lane continues as the losses mount. Fortunately for them, no one in Miami cares.
27. New York Islanders-After playing themselves out of playoff contention the Isles look to be sellers before the trade deadline. They have to make sure they don’t hang too hefty a price on Thomas Vanek or they’ll end up letting him walk to his next team for free.
26. Calgary Flames-The Flames have taken points in seven of their last ten and are a surprisingly fun team to watch. They hustle for all 60 minutes and play like banshees for Bob Hartley.
25. Nashville Predators-The Predators have played themselves back into the playoff picture with points in eight of their last ten games. It’s hard to believe in them with their injury issues, but coach Barry Trotz always gets the most from his teams.
24. Carolina Hurricanes-This week finds the Canes at the bottom of the pile of slightly above average teams. With five points separating Carolina from the last wildcard spot, the playoffs are certainly attainable.
23. Winnipeg Jets-Since winning seven of ten games Winnipeg has put itself right back into the mix, trailing Vancouver by only two points in the wild card. The problem for the Jets is that there are teams that have more talent with games in hand in front of them.
22. Vancouver Canucks-While I don’t believe the Canucks are as bad as the six-game losing streak they’re riding, they have made the playoff race more interesting. Shaky goaltending and a scoring slump have Vancouver back with the masses.
21. Washington Capitals-The Capitals have looked lethargic and indifferent at times, but still have one of the most gifted snipers in the game with Alexander Ovechkin. If they can get some consistent goaltending they can make a real run at the playoffs.
20. New Jersey Devils-Jaromir Jagr continues to defy father time, but everyone else needs to step up and lend a hand. Cory Schneider has asserted himself firmly as the number one in goal, but the Devils need goals to make the playoffs.
19. Phoenix Coyotes-Thanks to the sliding Canucks, Phoenix has played themselves back into the playoff picture. The Coyotes are right there but need to put a good winning streak together when league play resumes.
18. Dallas Stars-The short, easy answer for the Stars is to look at the Coyotes. Same story, different zip code. The Stars are getting some better goaltending from Kari Lehtonen and have taken points in eight of ten games.
17. Columbus Blue Jackets-After their epic eight-game run, Columbus has cooled off. The Blue Jackets are still dangerous and snapping at the heels of their old divisional foe Detroit.
16. Ottawa Senators-Only Edmonton and the Islanders have given up more goals than the Senators. If Craig Anderson can recover from his early season struggles, the Sens will be a handful.
15. Detroit Red Wings-With Pavel Datsyuk returning to the lineup (for now) the Red Wings could get some serious momentum. They are still a dangerous team when they have all of their stars in the lineup. No team will benefit more from a three-week break than the Red Wings.
14. Toronto Maple Leafs-The Leafs have closed the gap on almost everyone but Boston in the Atlantic. They have put some distance between themselves and the wild card contenders, but need to keep winning in order to keep pace with the much-improved Eastern Conference.
13. Philadelphia Flyers-The resurrection of the Flyers’ season is now complete, but they’ll need to keep winning to hold off Columbus and Washington for the final Metropolitan Division playoff spot.
12. Los Angeles Kings-The annual goal scoring drought has hit Los Angeles again as the Kings have now lost nine of their last eleven games. They aren’t surrendering many goals, but they still need to get their offense going if they want to compete in an impossibly tough division.
11. New York Rangers-I was ready to put the Rangers in my top ten until their brutal home loss to Edmonton. No team has more losses on the road than the lowly Oilers (24) and New York squandered a great chance to gain points against a terrible opponent. Additionally I can’t quite remember a situation where a team that was trying to make the playoffs and trade their captain. Hmmmm. A road win at Pittsburgh restores some of my faith in the blue shirts.
10. Montreal Canadiens-Montreal has cooled off lately, winning only four of ten. Before Max Pacioretty’s hat trick on Thursday night the Habs had been struggling to find the net. Carey Price has been great all year but he can’t do everything for the Habs.
9. Minnesota Wild-A nice resurgence without Josh Harding has the Wild sitting in the driver’s seat for the wild card. Their 69 points has them pulling away from the rest of the Western Conference playoff hopefuls.
8. Tampa Bay Lightning-Having Steven Stamkos miss the Olympics is bad news for Canada, but great news for Tampa. Let’s be honest here and admit that two and a half months of rehab was never going to be enough for the Lightning’s franchise player. He’ll now get an extra three weeks of recovery time before he can attempt what is already going to be an amazing comeback.
7. Colorado Avalanche-The Avs are now closer to the teams in front of them than they are to the teams behind them in the division. The turnaround in Denver has been nothing short of remarkable. Colorado is probably one of the few clubs in the NHL that wishes they could keep playing through the Olympic break. Patrick Roy probably hates having the momentum interrupted by the Sochi games.
6. Boston Bruins-The Bruins finally look like the team that could return to the Stanley Cup Final. Taking points in nine of ten games, Boston has re-established themselves as the alphas in the Atlantic Division.
5 San Jose Sharks-The Sharks are slowly creeping back up the standings, looking very much the force that dominated during the first month of the season. Stars Logan Couture, Joe Thornton and Dan Boyle will rest up over the Olympic break and recharge for a strong push for the Pacific crown.
4. Anaheim Ducks-The wheels haven’t quite fallen off the Duck-wagon just yet, but three consecutive losses could derail what has been an otherwise flawless season for Anaheim. The fact that the three losses have come on home ice is a particularly curious thing.
3. St. Louis Blues-Eventually the Blues will play as many games as Chicago and could overtake the Blackhawks. Until then St. Louis will just lay in wait and win each game that gets put in front of them. They might be the best team in the NHL right now, but need just need to make up some games to show it.
2. Pittsburgh Penguins-With shocking news of Kris Letang’s health taking a scary turn the Penguins should still keep rolling. They have shown that they have depth in the AHL on the blue line and continue to cruise through the Eastern Conference. A hiccup against the Rangers still earned Pittsburgh a point. A post-Olympic date in Chicago looms ahead and the Pens will certainly be tested in a possible Stanley Cup Final preview.
1. Chicago Blackhawks-The Hawks return to the top of the rankings with a strong west coast road trip. After an embarrassing loss to Calgary the Hawks responded by taking points in their next four games. Impressive wins over Los Angeles and Anaheim were a clear statement that Chicago will be tough to beat.