The Bruins’ 1-5-2 skid at the end of December has knocked them out of the Herald’s Power Rankings, but don’t fret, B’s fans.
That’s nothing a little five-game win streak won’t rectify, not in this season of parity in the National Hockey League. That’s how crazy this season is. Despite their slump, the B’s are just two points out of a wild card spot as they head into Saturday’s matinee against the road warrior Rangers (15-8-2 away from Madison Square Garden).
The B’s were not the only ones to to tumble out. The Devils, Ducks, Senators, Kings and even the two-time Stanley Cup champion Florida Panthers are on the outside looking in.
The only thing for certain about this season is the team at the top of the rankings. And we don’t see that changing between here and the finish line in April. Here is the latest installment (rankings do not reflect Friday’s results):
1. Colorado Avalanche – The down hill the Avs have been on since the start of the season will straighten out again when the playoffs start and it will be interesting to see if they handle it better than the 2023 Bruins did. But what they’ve done so far is stunning. We’re past the halfway mark and they still have not lost in regulation at home. They lead the league in goals for and are the stingiest in goals against.
2. Minnesota Wild – Bill Guerin’s boys have as much belief in themselves as they ever have, it seems. The acquisition of Quinn Hughes has added a dynamic element on the back end to go along with the flash of Kirill Kaprizov up. Millis native Matt Boldy might be the league’s most under-the-radar star.
3. Dallas Stars – They hit a pothole recently when they lost six in a row, but they seemed to have righted the ship with a dominant win in Washington on Wednesday. Still, there are reasons to be concerned about the Stars, who appeared to be just hair behind the juggernaut Avs earlier in the season. Contenders usually don’t drop a half dozen straight. Looks like the Stars and Wild are on course for a first-round playoff matchup, which does not seem quite fair.
4. Tampa Bay Lightning – It is preposterous that Jon Cooper has never won a Jack Adams Award but that just may be the secret to his success, considering how often the coach of the year quickly gets shown the door after getting the award. The Bolts were slow out of the gate but they’ve now ripped off eight straight wins in their bid to regain supremacy in the Atlantic Division.
5. Carolina Hurricanes – The Canes always find a way to be in the mix. But after so many years nipping at the heels of the elite, you do wonder if they’ll ever get accepted to the club.
6. Montreal Canadiens – When the Habs were down, so many people would say, “You know, the league is so much better when the Canadiens are good.” That time has come. The Habs have skill, a little bit of edge and now a goalie in former Boston College Eagle Jacob Fowler. He’s a little bit ahead of schedule but the Habs have had a little bit of luck with young goalies in their illustrious history.
7. Detroit Red Wings – Once the gold standard, the Wings have gone eight straight years without a playoff berth. It looks like that’s going to change this year as the vaunted “Yzer-plan” finally kicks in. They’re still giving up too many goals (3.11 per games, 16th) to be considered a true contender, but at this juncture they’ve earned this placement.
8. Edmonton Oilers – They’re not as good as they were last season and the issues in net still remain. But they’ve got Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl and that’s enough on most nights. As currently constructed, however, it’s hard to see them getting past any of the top three in the Central Division to make their third straight trip to the Stanley Cup final.
9. Vegas Golden Knights – If the Knights could win in overtime or the shootout, maybe we’d be more bullish on them. They’ve taken loser points out of a dozen games so far. But the goaltending, already suspect, took a hit on Thursday with the Carter Hart injury. Mitch Marner has been a point-a-game guy but his arrival has not translated into quite as much team success as expected. Fortunately for the Knights, the mediocrity of the Pacific Division is providing the Knights time to figure things out.
10. New York Islanders – I’ll admit to being curious about how Matthew Schaefer’s draft projections improved while he was hurt for most of last season. Now it’s clear why he was the No. 1 pick. Despite some key injuries, Schaefer has put the Islanders back on the map with his abundant and breathtaking skill while his personality has made them actually likable.
11. Philadelphia Flyers – It’s a good bet that a lot of teams steered clear of Trevor Zegras when he was dangled by Anaheim, judging from the relative light return (Ryan Poehling and two picks) for such a highly skilled player. The Flyers took the bait and appeared to have caught the big one. Zegras has 41 points in 42 games and the Flyers are back among the living under Rick Tocchet. Former Bruin farmhand Dan Vladar is proving to be a pretty good NHL goalie, too.
12. Pittsburgh Penguins – A 100-point season is not out of the question for the 38-year-old Sidney Crosby. He doesn’t deserve to be on an also-ran or be the subject of trade deadline rumors as he plays out his final days. Looks like he’s taken it upon himself to make sure that doesn’t happen this year.
13. Buffalo Sabres – Buffalo. Yes, Buffalo. After 14 years out of the playoffs, the Sabres have a real shot at finally getting back in. They ripped off 10 wins in a row in a December, the real test was how they’d respond once that bubble was burst. After finally losing one, they got right back to it with wins over Vancouver and the Rangers.
14. Seattle Kraken – With the way the Pacific has been going, the Kraken just might take the division. And this from a team that had lost 10 of 11 games in November and December.
15. San Jose Sharks – There’s a movement afoot for Macklin Celebrini to get the Hart Trophy if the Sharks make the playoffs. Can’t see him dislodging Nathan MacKinnon and or Connor McDavid but what the former Boston University star is doing is nothing short of spectacular. He’s got 24-43-67 totals in 43 games. And he doesn’t turn 20 until June.
16. Washington Capitals – The Caps are just outside the playoff bracket in the East and they did not have a good showing against Dallas. But they should be fine once Tom Wilson gets back into the lineup.
