My
colleagues Scott Burnside and Pierre LeBrun had control of the power
rankings for the first two months. Now it's my turn to let the masses
disagree with my choices -- and that means there's plenty of movement
this week.
During
their five-game road trip (during which Montreal has gone 2-2-0), the
Canadiens posted a 5-4 shootout victory over the Kings on Sunday.
Forward
Andrew Shaw has three goals in his past five games. Captain
Max Pacioretty had two goals and one assist for three points, while goalie
Carey Price recorded his league-leading 14th win.
Rick Nash
has two goals and one assist in the past three games. He's going into
the dirty areas and has been an offensive force of late while also
helping to mentor rookie linemate
Jimmy Vesey.
Goalie
Corey Crawford
had an appendectomy Saturday and will miss two or three weeks. He is
12-6-2, has a 2.27 goals-against average and a .927 save percentage. The
Blackhawks now need to play better overall defense in front of backup
Scott Darling during Crawford's absence.
Captain
Sidney Crosby
has two goals and five assists for seven points in the past four games.
Overall, he has 26 points (16 goals, tied for the league lead, and 10
assists) in 19 games.
With goalie
Craig Anderson on personal leave to be with his wife who is battling cancer, fellow netminder
Mike Condon
made his second consecutive start. Condon is 3-1-1 and had 24 saves to
help the Senators to a 2-0 win over the Panthers. It was his second
shutout in five games since the Senators acquired him via trade from the
Penguins on Nov. 2.
The
Blue Jackets set a franchise record with a 60-shot performance during
Saturday's 3-2 shootout win over the Coyotes. It was Columbus' third
straight victory, and the Blue Jackets improved to 8-1-2 in their past
11 games. Columbus' five regulation losses are the fewest in the league.
The
Capitals have lost three consecutive games (0-2-1) -- falling to the
Maple Leafs, Islanders and Lightning. Washington will attempt to snap
its skid against the rejuvenated Sabres on Monday night.
The
Sharks had an emotional 4-1 win over the Kings on Wednesday. San Jose
has dealt with a busy schedule of late, including a stretch of 10 games
in 18 days, and is 6-3-1 during that span.
Tampa Bay has gone 4-5-1 in its past 10 games. Forward
Brian Boyle scored the shootout winner to help the Lightning snap a four-game losing skid with a victory over the Capitals on Saturday.
The
Flyers had a pair of character wins over the Blackhawks and Predators,
and have won five straight to match the franchise's longest winning
streak since 2013-14.
11. (8) St. Louis Blues, 14-7-4
Alexander Steen scored his 200th goal in his 765th game during Saturday's 3-2 overtime loss to the Jets.
The entire hockey world held its breath when Oilers captain
Connor McDavid
left Sunday's game in the second period against the Wild because of the
league's concussion protocol. Fortunately, he returned in the third
period and showed no ill effects. It would be devastating to Edmonton's
hopes to lose its best player for any amount of time.
The Kings are 6-2-2 in their past 10 games but dropped a 5-4 shootout decision to the Canadiens on Sunday.
Eric Staal -- who has five goals and 10 assists for 15 points in 20 games -- has added so much to the Wild both on and off the ice. And
Charlie Coyle is starting to heat up.
Who knows where the Bruins would be this season without goalie
Tuukka Rask?
He made a season-high 35 saves en route to a 2-1 win over the Sabres on
Saturday and is 13-4-1 with a 1.60 goals-against average and a .941
save percentage.
After missing 23 games because of injury, forward
Bryan Little
has four points in four games while logging plenty of ice time. The
Jets had a huge 2-1 win over the Blackhawks on Sunday during which
Winnipeg goalie
Connor Hellebuyck made 25 saves.
After breaking his finger, forward
Johnny Gaudreau
was expected to miss six weeks. It took him only three weeks to get
back, and he wasted no time having an impact, scoring a goal and adding
an assist against the Ducks on Sunday in his first game back.
Filip Forsberg needs to produce more. He only has two goals after scoring 33 in 2015-16.
The Ducks dropped an embarrassing 8-3 loss to the Flames on Sunday.
Ryan Kesler scored two goals in that game and now has 21 points in 26 games.
Even goalie
Cory Schneider needs a day off. So backup
Keith Kinkaid
took advantage of his opportunity and led the Devils to a 5-4 overtime
win over the Predators on Saturday. He's 3-1-2 with a 2.59 goals-against
average and a .928 save percentage.
A
week after making a coaching change, the Panthers are 1-1-1 under new
coach Tom Rowe. Florida will face the Bruins and Flyers on back-to-back
nights on Monday and Tuesday, respectively.
Goalie
Kari Lehtonen made 23 saves to lead the Stars to a 3-0 win over the Avalanche on Saturday. It was his first shutout of the season.
Goalie
Cam Ward
was outstanding in his 30-save performance to lead the Hurricanes to a
1-0 win over the Lightning on Sunday. It was his 25th career shutout.
Rookie
Auston Matthews
has five goals and one assist for six points in his past five games.
Overall, he has 11 goals and eight assists for 19 points this season.
The return of
Jack Eichel
has paid instant dividends for the Sabres. He missed the first 21 games
with a high-ankle sprain and has three goals and one assist for four
points in three games. His presence adds an entirely different level of
speed and finesse.
Red Wings forward
Frans Nielsen
had an assist against his former team in a 4-3 win over the Islanders.
He spent 10 seasons with the Islanders before signing a six-year deal
with the Red Wings on July 1.
The Canucks finally showed some emotion in a 3-2 shootout win over the Maple Leafs on Saturday.
Despite a 3-2 shootout loss to the Blue Jackets, Coyotes goalie
Mike Smith recorded 58 saves to set a franchise record.
Defenseman
Erik Johnson will be sidelined 6-8 weeks after breaking his leg while blocking a shot during Saturday's 3-0 loss to the Stars.
Anders Lee recorded his 100th point, while
Josh Bailey extended his points streak to five game during Sunday's 4-3 overtime loss to the Red Wings.
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