The top 5 seems to have finally stabilized, with the Stars, Canadiens, Capitals, Rangers and Detroit all keeping there spot for a week. The Canadiens, Rangers and Detroit were all expected to be eastern powerhouses, and have done well to make those predictions correct so far. The Stars and Capitals were supposed to be good teams, but so far this season they have surpassed their expectations and have taken their spot in the elite of the NHL.
1. Dallas Stars: 20-5-2
The Stars regained the top spot after becoming the first team to 20 wins. Jamie Benn, Tyler Seguin and John Klingberg are all producing a ppg rate, and the offense continues to lead the league. As long as the defense can remain average, they are looking like a Stanley Cup Contender.
2. Montreal Canadiens: 19-6-3
Last week was pretty disappointing for the Canadiens. After barely beating the bottom feeding Blue Jackets, they lost to both Washington and Carolina. Their offense has been slowing down a little bit, however they are still the second best offense in the NHL. Montreal could easily find themselves on the top of the list again if their offensive can get hot.
3. Washington Capitals: 18-5-2
Although the winning streak is over, the Capitals have spring boarded themselves into a firm spot inside the top 5. Their six game winning streak included wins over the defending Eastern Conference Champion Tampa Bay Lightning and Montreal Canadiens. The 23-year-old Russian sensation Evgeny Kuznetsov is leading the team with 26 points and has surprised plenty in his sophomore campaign.
4. New York Rangers: 18-7-3
The Rangers have been battling with the Capitals for about a month now for the lead of the Metropolitan Division. They have an impressive 2.0 GAA, and are going to be difficult to beat come playoff time.
5. Detroit Red Wings: 15-8-4
The Red Wings are back with a vengeance, winning their last three games and continuing their rise in these rankings. Dylan Larkin has to be a contender for rookie of the year, as he leads the team with 11 goals and leads the NHL with 19+/-. He has three points and a 5+/- over the three game winning streak.
6. Chicago Blackhawks: 14-9-4
The Blackhawks seem close to breaking into the top 5, but always have a step back along the way. Their three game losing streak took them out of the top 5, but this team knows how to win and will be around come playoff time.
7. Minnesota Wild: 14-7-4
The Wild have managed to string together a three game winning streak in the brutal Central Division. In their last two games, they managed shut outs and have been relying on defense as of late.
8. St. Louis Blues: 15-8-4
The Blues are stumbling down the top 10 after a three game winning streak. They need their defense to get out of their funk if they plan on staying in the top 10.
9. New York Islanders: 15-8-5
The Islanders beat fellow top-10 teams in shootouts last week, and are on the rise after an impressive four game winning streak put them closer to the top of the Metropolitan division.
10. Los Angeles Kings: 17-8-1
The Kings four game winning streak is still ongoing, and they are starting to really put a gap between them and the rest of the Pacific Division. Jonathan Quick has returned to his elite goaltender self, letting in only seven goals during this four game winning streak.
11. Nashville Predators: 13-8-5
They have been having a rough time these last few weeks. They only have three wins in their last ten games, and their offense has been shut out three time times in that span.
12. Boston Bruins: 14-8-3
The Bruins have at least gotten a point in their last eight games. They have done it without their normally dominant defense, as their 2.8 GAA is only 22nd in the league.
13. Pittsburgh Penguins: 14-10-2
The time bomb that is the Pittsburgh Penguins has not gone off yet. They have one win in their last five games, and are at risk of falling out of the top 15.
14. Ottawa Senators: 14-8-5
The Ottawa defense has given up 13 goals in their last four games, but has managed to win two of those games. Bobby Ryan has been a big reason for the offenses recent success, scoring six goals in his last five games.
15. New Jersey Devils: 14-10-3
The New Jersey stars continue to keep them in the playoff discussion. Mike Cammalleri, Adam Henrique and Cory Schneider are all having fantastic starts to the season, and could make it into the All Star Game.
16. Florida Panthers: 13-10-4
Their five game winning streak may be over, but the young Panthers team continues to move up these rankings. Aaron Ekblad has been on point on the blue line, with a 3+/- during the five game winning streak.
17. Tampa Bay Lightning: 13-12-3
The Lightning have been inconsistent during the last few weeks, with a couple winning streaks in between a few losing streaks. The Tyler Johnson line has still not gotten hot, and there has to be a little concern coming from the Tampa Bay faithful if the offense will be as good as it was last year.
18. Anaheim Ducks: 11-12-5
The Ducks are finally getting their act together, winning three of their last four games. John Gibson seems to have taken over the starting goaltender job, with shut outs in two of those three wins.
19. San Jose Sharks: 14-12-0
A disastrous week for the Sharks leads to them tumbling down the rankings. Their three game losing streak has seen them surrender 10 goals.
20. Winnipeg Jets: 13-13-2
The Jets have won three of their last five, but have a mountain between them and the leaders of the Central Division. They have chances against Chicago and St. Louis to make up ground or lose more.
21. Philadelphia Flyers: 11-11-5
Their four game winning streak may be over, but it has served its purpose. The Flyers are back at .500, and have found a couple lines that have some good chemistry.
22. Arizona Coyotes: 13-13-1
Arizona is another confusing team. They had a three game winning streak before looking terrible last week with a four game losing streak. The team is young, though, so it is to be expected that they will be inconsistent.
23. Vancouver Canucks: 9-11-8
What in the world happened to this team? About a month ago, they looked like a favorite to win an easy Pacific Division and it has all gone downhill from there. An abysmal five game losing streak has been made even more excruciating by the teams inability to score. Radim Vrbata only has six goals this year, and Brandon Sutter has a grand total of eight points. The team has ten more losses than wins, and it might be time for Vancouver fans to start panicking.
24. Colorado Avalanche: 11-15-1
Another week, another disappointing Avalanche ranking to talk about. The team has the seventh best offense in the league, but they still haven’t found a way to keep the puck out of their own net.
25. Calgary Flames: 10-14-2
Giving up 3.6 GAA isn’t going to help you in your quest to get back into the playoffs. They play in an easy Pacific Division, but they will eventually need to start playing good hockey if they hope to crawl back into the playoff picture.
26. Buffalo Sabres: 11-13-3
The Sabres have won three of their last five games and are looking good heading into a tough stretch of the season. The rookie Jack Eichel is tied for the team lead with nine goals and will be counted on to produce offensively against talented defenses.
27. Columbus Blue Jackets: 11-16-1
Scott Hartnell returned after being benched to throttle his former team in the Flyers and end the Blue Jackets skid. The Blue Jackets can continue to move up the rankings if they continue to perform the way they did against the Flyers.
28. Carolina Hurricanes: 10-13-4
The Hurricanes again had a great win against an elite opponent in Montreal. The team has talent, but does not always show it.
29. Edmonton Oilers: 11-15-2
The Oilers managed to get out of the bottom of the rankings with an impressive winning streak. I’m still not buying them, and they have a while to go before they get out of the bottom 10.
30. Toronto Maple Leafs: 9-13-5
The amazing thing about the Maple Leafs is they have twice as many losses, 18, as wins, 9. There could be AHL teams that can at least do better than that.