Photo: AP/Michael Dwyer
With the NHL All-Star Break coming to a close, the league will pick up action with teams fighting for their postseason lives on Monday night. NoVa Caps takes a look at where all 32 teams currently stand as regular-season action resumes. (⬆️Up, ⬇️Down, ➡️No Change represent spaces moved since our power rankings at the holiday break).
LOTTERY CONTENDERS
32. San Jose Sharks
San Jose won four of their last five before the break but has just 14 wins in 51 games and an NHL-worst -92 goal differential. No player on their team has hit the 35-point mark. ⬇️1
31. Chicago Blackhawks
With Connor Bedard out, Chicago was shut out in their final two games prior to the break and has lost 20 straight road games (0-19-1). Bedard is the only player on the team with more than 25 points. ⬆️1
30. Anaheim Ducks
Anaheim has points in three straight (2-0-1) and a comfortable lead over San Jose in the standings but is left behind in the dust. ➡️
29. Columbus Blue Jackets
Columbus went 4-7-2 in January but picked up three of a possible four points over the NHL-leading Vancouver Canucks. Johnny Gaudreau is the only Columbus player with at least 30 points. ➡️
28. Ottawa Senators
Ottawa has turned it around, going 6-2-2 over their last 10 games, but are they doing more harm to themselves than good? The team has five 30-point scorers, including three who have hit 40. ➡️
27. Minnesota Wild
Minnesota followed up a string of three straight wins with losses to Anaheim and the Nashville Predators. Kirill Kaprizov leads the team with 45 points while Joel Eriksson Ek and Mats Zuccarello are closing in to 40. ⬇️1
26. Montreal Canadiens
Montreal has dropped four of their last five and has an Eastern Conference-worst -39 goal-differential. Juraj Slafkovsky has been a disappointment since going first overall in 2022, earning just 11 goals and 30 points in 88 career NHL games. ⬇️1
ON THE OUTSIDE LOOKING IN BUT NOT GOD AWFUL
25. Calgary Flames
Before trading center Elias Lindholm on Tuesday, Calgary ended a four-game slide with a 1-0 win over Chicago on Saturday. Jacob Markstrom has found his groove, going 5-3-0 with a .931 save percentage and 2.27 goals-against average in eight games since 2024 began. After seeing Lindholm and Nikita Zadorov go, Chris Tanev and Noah Hanifin could be on deck. ➡️
24. Buffalo Sabres
Buffalo won seven of 11 in January. J.J. Peterka leads the team with 18 goals in 49 games and already beat his point total from last season by two (34) in 28 fewer games. ⬆️3
23. Arizona Coyotes
Arizona lost their final three games before the break to fall five points out of a wild-card spot. Clayton Keller has at least 13 more points than anyone else on the roster. ⬇️5
22. New York Islanders
New York has lost an NHL-high 12 games past regulation and is 1-2-1 since replacing head coach Lane Lambert with Patrick Roy. Going back even further, they are 1-5-2 over their last eight to spiral out of the Eastern Conference wild-card race. Noah Dobson leads the team with 46 assists and 52 points. ⬇️11
21. Nashville Predators
Nashville is 1-3-1 over their last five, including a detrimental 4-2 loss to the Los Angeles Kings in the final night before the break. They are tied for the final wild-card spot in the West, but the St. Louis Blues have two games in hand. Filip Forsberg has 24 goals and 51 points in 51 games. ⬇️7
BUBBLE TEAMS
20. Seattle Kraken
Since a franchise-record nine-game winning streak ended, Seattle has gone 2-5-1 but is just two points behind St. Louis and Nashville. They got shut out by San Jose in their last game prior to the break. This team has not gotten the depth scoring they got a year ago as Jarred McCann (20) has at least seven more goals than any other Kraken and they only have four players with double-digit goal totals. ⬆️6
19. Washington Capitals
Washington went 0-3-1 on a four-game Central Division road trip, where they were outscored 19-9, before going on break and is 5-9-2 (tied for third-worst in the NHL) since winning three straight over division rivals before the holidays to fall five points out of a postseason spot. Their young players have cooled off since hot starts but Anthony Mantha has upped his trade value this season with 15 goals in 43 games. ⬇️9
18. Pittsburgh Penguins
Pittsburgh halted a three-game skid (0-2-1) with a 3-2 overtime victory over Montreal on Saturday. Sidney Crosby has five goals and nine points over a seven-game point-streak but the team is still five points out of a postseason spot. What will they do with pending unrestricted free agent Jake Guentzel leading up to March 8’s trade deadline? ⬆️1
17. New Jersey Devils
New Jersey dropped seven of their final 10 games (3-6-1) last month, including a devastating 6-3 loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning on Saturday. This team is jockeying with New York, Pittsburgh, and Washington in the Metropolitan Division race. Will New Jersey get a goaltender before the trade deadline? ⬇️2
16. Philadelphia Flyers
Philadelphia went into their bye week with a five-game regulation losing streak and the rest 0f the Metropolitan on their heels. They will also be missing starter Carter Hart out for the forseeable future. ⬇️4
15. Los Angeles Kings
Los Angeles lost 14 of their previous 16 (2-8-6) before a big win over Nashville prior to the break. Cam Talbot has cooled off since a hot start to the season and the team will have Jim Hiller taking over for head coach Todd McLellan when they return. Los Angeles has six players to hit 30 points already. ⬇️13
14. St. Louis Blues
St. Louis has taken advantage of Arizona, Seattle, Nashville, and Los Angeles sputtering out of the wild-card race, winning five in a row before a 1-0 loss to Columbus on Tuesday. Brayden Schenn and Robert Thomas, who has at least 13 more points than any other Blue, both had five-game point-streaks snapped. ⬆️10
13. Tampa Bay Lightning
Tampa Bay won eight of their final nine games before the break to vault comfortably into postseason position. Nikita Kucherov leads the league with 53 assists and 85 points in 49 games. ⬆️3
LOOKING GOOD
12. Detroit Red Wings
Detroit has won six of their last eight to secure a wild-card spot at the break and Dylan Larkin has nine goals and 15 points over an 11-game point-streak. They earned huge wins over Tampa Bay and Philadelphia last week where Detroit outscored them by a combined total of 5-1. ⬆️8
11. Toronto Maple Leafs
Toronto won four of their last five, including the final three, before their break and Auston Matthews leads the league with 40 goals in 46 games. ⬇️3
10. New York Rangers
New York dropped consecutive games and nine of their previous 13 (4-7-2) before defeating Ottawa, 7-2, on Saturday. Jonathan Quick has come back down to earth after a hot start but Artemi Panarin already has 30 goals. ⬇️9
9. Vegas Golden Knights
Vegas’ six-game point-streak (5-0-1) ended with a 5-2 loss to Detroit before the break. Ivan Barbashev has gotten hot with four goals and 11 points over a six-game point-streak and Adin Hill leads the NHL with a .936 save percentage and 1.94 goals-against average in 17 games. The team will jump right in after their bye week with a crucial game against the Edmonton Oilers on Tuesday. ⬇️4
8. Carolina Hurricanes
Carolina has figured things out, going 11-2-1 over their last 14 and winning their last three to push New York for the division lead. Sebastian Aho’s 1.52 points-per-game (32 in 21) since December 11 ranks fifth league-wide. ⬆️9
CONTENDERS
7. Edmonton Oilers
Edmonton will be pushing Pittsburgh’s NHL record of 17 straight wins in 1992-93 as they are currently at 16. Connor McDavid has had points in 18 straight home contests and the team has not allowed more than two in a game in any of their last 14. ⬆️14
6. Dallas Stars
Dallas won three in a row and had points in five straight (4-0-1) entering the break. Thomas Harley has enjoyed a breakout season with 12 goals and 29 points in 46 games. ⬆️1
THE CREAM OF THE CROP
5. Florida Panthers
Florida has won four straight and is 13-2-2 over their last 17. Sam Reinhart’s 37 goals in 49 games rank second in the NHL while Matthew Tkachuk has heated up with 20 assists and 31 points over his last 20. ⬆️8
4. Colorado Avalanche
Colorado won their last three and four of their final five before the break. Nathan MacKinnon, who co-leads the NHL with 53 assists, has at least a point in every one of the team’s 25 home games and 13 straight overall (12 goals, 28 points). Alexandar Georgiev also leads the league with 27 wins. ⬆️5
3. Winnipeg Jets
Winnipeg dropped four of their final six (2-2-2) before the break since a franchise-record eight-game winning-streak ended. Connor Hellebuyck is in the NHL’s top three in wins (23: tied for third), save percentage (.924, tied for second), and goals-against average (2.20, second) in 35 games. ⬆️3
2. Boston Bruins
Boston has won seven of their last eight and is the only team that has yet to lose 10 regulation games with a record of 31-9-9 (.724 points percentage, tied for the NHL’s best). David Pastrnak’s 33 goals and 72 points in 49 games both rank third while Jeremy Swayman’s .924 save percentage is second and 2.30 goals-against average ranks third. ⬆️2
1. Vancouver Canucks
Vancouver is 9-0-2 during an 11-game point-streak, co-leads the NHL with a .724 points percentage, and lead the league with 33 wins and a +59 goal differential. They rank second with an average of 3.80 goals-per-game and 2.55 goals-against per game. Four Canucks (J.T. Miller: 67, Elias Pettersson: 64, Quinn Hughes: 62, Brock Boeser: 52) are among the NHL’s top-18 in scoring and Thatcher Demko ranks second with 26 wins. They just added Lindholm as well. ⬆️2
Previous 2023-24 NHL Power Rankings
By Harrison Brown
Caps within striking distance BUT
Nothing they do inspires any confidence THAT
They will improve modestly, let alone drastically MEANWHILE
POHO MacLellan seems sound asleep at the wheel UNLESS
He’s hiding some major moves unknown to fans HOWEVER
That seems unlikely RATS!
Captain Carbery seems to have run out of innovations PLUS
He’s getting rotten advice from his assistants NOT TO MENTION
His silent, sonorous bosses hanging him out to dry DOUBLE DRAT!
Only the Hockey Gods can save the Caps season INEVITABLY,
Wait til next year MERDE
Look – what do you want the GM to be doing?….making moves with what?…fashioning a contender out of what? One minute you’re sounding like a thoughtful hockey fan, the next like a callow adolescent. We have no elite talent on this team right now – not to play with, not to trade. Stop railing at the hockey gods and, yes, wait until next year (or 2).
Circling back to outrageously corrupt NHL Kommissar Gory Batmann: We hear this from enemy territory (Pittsburgh Hockey Now): ” NHLPA head Marty Walsh took dead aim at the Arizona Coyotes and their arena situation with words like “unacceptable.” He’s very much in favor of immediate relocation if Arizona ownership cannot submit an arena plan ASAP.”
More from PHN: ” … Mullett Arena is not fit for the NHL. It’s smaller than Wheeling’s Wesbanco Arena. The scoreboard video screen is not much bigger than the TV in some of your living rooms. There’s no Coyotes branding at all …” Give Thanks for the Leonsis Caps!
Arizona should never have landed an NHL franchise in the first place. It was a quintessential Gory Batmann my-buddies-come-first deal. [I have detractors on this subject here. Fair game, fire away.] But now we have the 120°F Scorpion Franchise playing in a teeny-tiny college rink … while Batmann friends in $eattle and Vega$ pony up ONE BILLION DOLLARS in cash to bribe the NHL for their fancy new teams — and stadiums.
I utterly loathe the “limitless expansion” Batmann policy. Gimme a billion dollars and you’ve got a franchise — along with skimming high-end talent off everybody else’s rosters (except SEA and VGK!!). Marty Walsh is all over it … dude may be imperfect, but on THIS topic, Spot On. Fold the Phony Phoenix and relocate to Salt Lake City. I can dream: the Salt Lake Latterday Saints … the Utah Regal Romneys …. the I-15 Machine … the Brigham Young Blades … Joe Smith’s Skaters
Population wise — Arizona should have a team. But there’s been so much mismanagement in their history that things are not working out there at all. Are they better off in either Houston or Salt Lake City?
Thanks for answering up Diane!
The Athletic website actually allowed me to read this whole article without panhandling me for ca$h: https://theathletic.com/5248028/2024/02/02/nhlpa-boss-marty-walsh-blasts-coyotes-management-expresses-serious-concerns-about-future-in-arizona/
My point for harping on the Arizona Franchise debacle is to suggest, for the thousandth time, that Gory Batmann is a catastrophe for the NHL, its players and it fans. It sure as Hades $ukks for Washington Capitals fans. Thanks to Gory Batmann we have anti-success factors for the Caps now and in the future:
– Hard Salary Cap, totally handcuffs and handicaps teams to improve themselves in any meaningful way
– Limits teams to Strategic TANKING as the only means to compete
– Defeats Free Enterprise and gives Americans yet another hideous, big Socialist organization
– Stifles initiative! Why bust your ar$e as a player or coach if you’re guaranteed not to win?
– Endless, limitless expansion! How can any Caps fan (or any NHL fan in any city) expect a Stanley Cup in his or her lifetime with 40 or 50 or 60 franchises? Yet that’s exactly what Gulag Kommissar Battmann wants
The Gory Battmann Socialist NHL encourages and even DEMANDS graft and corruption — like that which exists with the AZ franchise. Thanks to Kommissar Gory Battman, AZ franchise has carte blanche to drag on for YEARS this mega-B$ of NHL games in a 4600-seat college dorm. Could you imagine this nonsense in New York? Tampa Bay? Detroit? DC? or any other NHL city with a history of success …
At least Ted Leonsis tried to pay his way to improvement by forking over for Jaromir Jagr. I’d much rather be outspent by other franchises than be stuck in this Blind Luck scenario where, every bloody year, the best teams are the ones with the fewest injuries!
CHI Blackhawks did backflips and somersaults to “land” Bedard by furious tanking and dumping. Where has that gotten them? They will stink for years
For the fan experience, the AHL game is superior to the NHL game. Why? “Reviewable” nonsense is a Gory Battmann NHL pile of dogpoo, while the AHL has no such idiocy. If it goes in, it’s a goal. No “borderline” Goalie Interference excrement. No reviewable-offsides to negate beautiful goals by the dozens every season. No “oops” we missed that four-minute high-sticking penalty. No ten-minute zebra delay over a two-minute Delay of Game penalty! AHL ref will disallow a kicked-in goal or an obvious Stick-above-the-Crossbar shot. But the REFEREE makes that decision — not “Toronto”!
What a pleasure to watch Hershey Bears cream the BPT Islanders — with not a single Zebra interruption for Gory Battmann nonsense!
One more time: What do NHL fans have to do to get RID of this TurdBird? 31 years he’s been wrecking the NHL game
so getting the right call isn’t important to you…duly noted.
Yes I prefer Referee-adjudicated Judgment Calls instead of Video Game garbage and all the associated delays and – ERRORS. And by the way: idź wskoczyć do jeziora
http://www.type-that-in-english.com/you‘re-a-curmudgeon/bad-opinions/get-over-yourself
Next time just write it down and burn the paper.
Kuznetsov not practicing, due to “personal reasons”. Sgarbossa called up. Hmmmm….
https://www.tsn.ca/nhl/ice-chips-washington-capitals-evgeny-kuznetsov-personal-reasons-not-practising-1.2071848
Yes, the Soap Opera that is the Caps is in full bloom
Jebiesz jeze