A blog for ice hockey nuts and particularly fans of the NHL where standings,game scores and other statistics on hockey will be shared.
Tuesday, April 4, 2017
Power Rankings: Connor McDavid and Edmonton Oilers gushing points as they ascend to No. 3
A week from today we'll be sifting through the ashes of another
regular season and salivating at first-round playoff matchups that could
include a renewed Battle of Alberta, a reignited Battle of Ontario and
another installment of the Battle of California. Until then, here are
the penultimate Power Rankings of the 2016-17 regular season.
The Capitals have pretty much sewn up the top spot in the Eastern Conference after their win Sunday over the Columbus Blue Jackets
and are on the verge of a second consecutive Presidents' Trophy. The
real drama is in trying to figure out which unlucky foe will end up
drawing Washington, the NHL's most complete team, in the first round.
Meanwhile,
the Blackhawks have created significant separation when it comes to
penciling in a possible Western Conference champion. It's not a stretch
to suggest that Chicago is No. 1 -- and then all seven other playoff
teams in the West are on a pretty even playing field.
The Oilers are on fire as they head toward their first playoff berth since 2006 and might yet win the Pacific Division. Connor McDavid
continues to put distance between himself and everyone else in the race
for what will be his first NHL scoring title. Is a Hart Trophy far
behind for Edmonton's young captain?
Sidney Crosby
probably won't get to 50 goals this season, but he's going to win the
Rocket Richard Trophy as the top goal scorer in the league. Can the Pens
get healthy enough to mount a serious title defense? That's the $64
question.
The Blue Jackets might have seen their offense go south of late, but goalie Sergei Bobrovsky
has all but locked up the Vezina Trophy and will get some MVP love too.
The biggest issue left to solve during the final week is whether
Columbus or the Penguins will get home ice in what is a most likely
first-round matchup. The two will square off in Pittsburgh on Tuesday.
The
Habs have kind of become the forgotten team in the Eastern Conference,
but they have ramped-up their play again down the stretch, with four
consecutive wins, to regain a comfortable lead atop the Atlantic
Division. Montreal must feel pretty good about how it matches up against
its likely first-round opponent, the New York Rangers.
What
a battle atop the Pacific Division, as the Ducks have not lost in
regulation for 11 consecutive games (8-0-3) after knocking off the Calgary Flames on Sunday. Anaheim is going to be a handful when the playoffs start. Goalie John Gibson has returned from a long stint on the DL, but is this Jonathan Bernier's team now?
Speaking
of handfuls, the Blues still have an outside shot at earning home-ice
advantage in the first round -- although their more immediate concern is
staying ahead of the Nashville Predators and drawing the slumping Minnesota Wild in the first round. The Blues are 12-1-2 in their past 15 games, including a big win over the Preds on Sunday.
Try
to wrap your head around the fact that the young Leafs might end up
with home-ice advantage in the first round of the playoffs. Auston Matthews
is now the odds-on favorite to win rookie of the year and Mike Babcock
has to be considered a front-runner for coach of the year.
10. (13) New York Rangers, 47-26-6
The
Rangers are treading water as they wait for the end of the regular
season. It's not a good look for them, as they meander their way toward a
first-round clash with Montreal. Even a win over the Philadelphia Flyers on Sunday night didn't instill enormous confidence. New York will need more from everyone, including goalie Henrik Lundqvist.
The
Flames' biggest challenge this week is to stay ahead of Nashville and
thus avoid playing Chicago in the first round of the playoffs. Calgary
closes out its schedule with three on the road, visiting Anaheim, Los
Angeles and San Jose.
Never mind the false goaltending debate regarding Tuukka Rask versus Anton Khudobin;
the Bruins will go as far as Rask takes them, although Khudobin has
been impressive in spelling him of late. The B's have won five in a row
and still have designs on home-ice advantage in the first round.
The
Predators took a step back in their fight to avoid a first-round
matchup with Chicago with a 4-1 loss to St. Louis on Sunday. Viktor Arvidsson has been Nashville's unsung hero this season, with 29 goals.
The
Sharks are in free-fall after looking like they might take a run at top
spot in the conference a few weeks ago. San Jose's offense has gone
dry, and there are questions about whether Aaron Dell should usurp Martin Jones in goal. But, like the Boston situation, such talk is much ado about nothing.
The
Lightning continue to hold on to faint playoff hopes and have a huge
tilt against Boston that might ultimately decide their fate. Still,
Tampa Bay pretty much needs to win out to sneak in. If the Bolts do
somehow make the postseason, Nikita Kucherov will get some Hart Trophy love.
The
Sens built themselves enough of a cushion that they should still be
playing beyond next week. But they can't afford to slide into a second
wild-card spot, which would spell almost certain first-round doom
against Washington. The schedule does favor Ottawa, which has the Detroit Red Wings twice and the New York Islanders among its last five games.
18. (17) New York Islanders, 37-29-12
The
Isles are still alive -- but barely, even in spite of Sunday's win over
Buffalo. Good on coach Doug Weight's crew for gutting out with a nice
win after learning that captain John Tavares is likely gone for the rest of the regular season at least after injuring a hamstring.
Kudos
to Dave Hakstol, Philadelphia's second-year coach, whose squad could
have tossed in the towel a month ago but kept fighting and were only
officially eliminated from playoff contention by Sunday's loss to the
Rangers.
The Canes suffered a killer loss to the lowly Dallas Stars
on Saturday, followed by a loss the next day to Pittsburgh to crush any
realistic hopes of a last-gasp run to the postseason. But Bill Peters'
plucky young squad certainly made things interesting the past few
months. The future looks bright in Raleigh.
The
Jets have won four in a row -- which was far too little, far too late.
It's kind of the mantra for this hard-luck franchise, which is still
looking for its first-ever playoff win.
Significant
changes coming in Los Angeles, as the Kings headed toward a second
playoff miss in the past three years. (And they got bounced in the first
round last year.)
In
the same vein, I have to believe we're witnessing the final days of the
Lindy Ruff era as head coach in Dallas, where the Stars have gone from
winning the Central Division a year ago to a playoff afterthought this
season.
The Coyotes have actually showed spirit down the stretch and you wonder if the play of young goalie Louis Domingue is giving management pause over whether to expose him in the expansion draft. My guess is he will be protected.
It's
the end of the playoff streak. The end of the Joe Louis Arena era. And
the end of a shockingly difficult season for a Red Wings team that has
much, much work to do to get back into the top eight.
This
ugly season can't end soon enough for a team that is 3-11-2 in its past
16 games. Hats off to the classy -- and in some ways underappreciated
-- Patrik Elias, who announced his retirement last week.
It's
hard to believe that this team won the Atlantic Division a year ago.
What a pitiful fall from grace -- and one that has undone so much hard
work in this marketplace.
What
a mess. The Avs' minus-110 goal differential, the worst in the league
by a whopping 49 goals, pretty much sums it up. Is there anyone who
deserves to keep their job in this organization?
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