1. Washington Capitals: 35-8-4
With seven wins in January alone, the Capitals are heading straight for a Presidents Cup if they keep winning at this pace. Evgeny Kuznetsov has been the breakout player of the season so far, leading the team with 49 points and giving Backstrom competition for top line center.
2. Chicago Blackhawks: 33-16-4
Another week, another reason why Patrick Kane has been the best player in the NHL this season. The guy that doesn't get the headlines he deserves is Duncan Keith. He has been dynamite on the blue line with 30 points and 11 +/- in only 43 games. How is he not in the All Star Game?
3. Dallas Stars: 31-14-5
They are one of only four teams with 30 wins so far this season. A big reason for the improved play this season has been the acquisition of Patrick Sharp. He is fourth on the team with 16 goals and 40 points, showing he can still contribute top line caliber play on an elite team.
4. St. Louis Blues: 28-16-8
All Star Vladimir Tarasenko has established himself in recent years as one of the best snipers in the NHL. Last year, he managed 37 goals and his 25 goals are good enough to put him in a tie for fourth in the league.
5. Florida Panthers: 29-15-5
Florida’s three game winning streak has allowed them to pull farther away from the rest of the Atlantic Division. They play Detroit two times in the beginning of February, which will have a massive impact on the Atlantic Division race.
6. New York Rangers: 27-17-5
They are currently third in the Eastern Conference, even if they have been off their A game for some time now. Still, winning three out of your last four games will always do good things for you in the standings.
7. Detroit Red Wings: 25-16-8
Petr Mrazek has really taken a stranglehold on the starting goaltender job in Detroit during the month of January. In his last five games, he has let in seven goals and has a .945 SV%.
8. Tampa Bay Lightning: 27-18-4
The Lightning are an incredible 9-2 in the month of January. Their offense is no longer a liability, as they are ranked 13th and steadily climbing.
9. Los Angeles Kings: 30-16-3
The Kings continue to be the Kings of the pathetic Pacific Division. However, they have lost three of their last four games and their defense has given up three or more goals in all of those losses.
10. Colorado Avalanche: 27-22-3
The Avalanche have won five out of their last six games, including a 4-3 victory over the Kings. Their offense has been getting the job done this season as they are currently ranked 7th in the NHL.
11. Boston Bruins: 26-18-5
The Bruins maintain their spot as a playoff contender by winning three out of their last four games.
12. New York Islanders: 25-16-6
The Islanders are now looking over their shoulders and have to face the grim reality that Pittsburgh is within striking distance. Their next three opponents are Minnesota, Washington and Detroit, which are all tough teams to beat.
13. Nashville Predators: 24-18-8
The Predators four game winning streak shows they can take advantage of an easy schedule. Now, they face tougher opponents at home and we will see if this team can still compete for the Central Division crown.
14. Pittsburgh Penguins: 24-17-7
The Penguins have won four out of their last five games, and are right now the second wild card team in the playoffs. With only four points between them and the second place New York Rangers, the Penguins have the chance to really shake up the Metropolitan Division. Evgeni Malkin has been spearheading the effort, with four goals and six points in their last five games.
15. San Jose Sharks: 26-18-4
The Sharks have really turned their season around in January, winning eight of 12. Their offense has come alive, and they are right now ranked fourth in the NHL in that regard.
16. Minnesota Wild: 23-17-9
The Minnesota Wild are clearly a playoff caliber team, however the Central Division has six of those.
17. New Jersey Devils: 25-20-5
They gave away their advantage over Pittsburgh by losing 2-0. That could be an important turning point in the Metropolitan race.
18. Carolina Hurricanes: 23-20-8
Carolina always gave us glimpses that they were a much better team than their record showed, and now they are proving in January. Their 5-0 destruction of the Blackhawks showed they can compete with the elite in the NHL.
19. Montreal Canadiens: 24-22-4
The Canadiens continue to look worse and worse in the absence of their star goalie Carey Price. Their two losses against the lowly Blue Jackets really reiterated that point.
20. Anaheim Ducks: 22-18-7
With a three game winning streak, the Ducks are beginning to look more and more like the team everyone thought would win the Pacific Division.
21. Philadelphia Flyers: 21-18-8
The Flyers appeared to be heading in the right direction, but that three game losing streak took a lot of the wind out of their sails.
22. Ottawa Senators: 23-21-6
The Senators had an impressive 3-0 victory over the Rangers, but haven’t been consistent enough in January to move up in these rankings.
23. Arizona Coyotes: 24-20-5
In an easy Pacific Division, the Coyotes have managed to put themselves in the playoff discussion despite playing mediocre hockey.
24. Vancouver Canucks: 20-19-11
The Canucks continue to fall behind in the wide open Pacific Division race.
25. Calgary Flames: 21-24-3
The seemingly red hot Flames offense has been extinguished in recent weeks. During their current three game losing streak, they haven’t managed more than two goals in a game.
26. Winnipeg Jets: 22-24-3
A three game losing streak only puts them further and further behind in the Central Division race.
27. Buffalo Sabres: 20-26-4
Surprisingly for Buffalo, it has been the offense that has been letting them down recently. In their last five games, they only have seven goals.
28. Edmonton Oilers: 19-26-5
They get to avoid the last spot this week, but their match up against the Blue Jackets may be a contest of who is getting the top pick.
29. Columbus Blue Jackets: 19-27-5
Columbus’s defense is still giving up over three GPG, even though we are past the halfway point of the season.
30. Toronto Maple Leafs: 17-22-9
Their one victory in their last 10 games has been really a lone bright spot in a terrible January.