The New York Rangers are the problem. They’ve been moving forward for a while, and now they’re moving to the top of the NHL Power Rankings.
Since Jan. 1, the Rangers have been leading 12-2-2, the best record in the NHL. During this run, the Rangers have averaged 3.75 goals per game and are in possession of a goal difference of plus 21. Both of those numbers are in the top ten.
On top of that success, the Rangers set themselves up for deep play in the postseason. General manager Chris Drury made a deal with the St. Louis Blue to acquire Vladimir Tarasenko, who would fit in perfectly with his new team. With Tarasenko in the top six, the Rangers look like a worthy opponent.
As the Rangers gain momentum, here’s an updated NHL strength ranking.
Biggest driving forces
6
golden knights
8
Sabers
|
Rk
|
Teams
|
Change
|
Rcrd
|
|
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
1 |
Hurricanes |
Carolina returned from last week and was torn to pieces by the Rangers, more precisely, by Artemy Panarin. The Rangers have already made a splash in the Tarasenko trade market. A hurricane response may only be a matter of time. |
— |
35-10-8 |
|
2 |
Rangers |
It’s good to be Rangers these days. Tarasenko scored on his debut on Friday night. He already seems to have chemistry with Panarin, who scored four goals against the Hurricanes. With each passing day, New York looks more and more like the big threat in the Eastern Conference. |
4 |
31-14-8 |
|
3 |
Bruins |
Are the Bruins finally starting to cool off? Boston has been more vulnerable lately, losing four games in its last five games, and to make matters worse, the starting numbers have gone in the wrong direction. Since January 14, the Bruins have controlled just 49.32% of expected five-on-five goals, according to the Natural Stat Trick. |
1 |
40-8-5 |
|
4 |
Lightning |
Brandon Hagel is thriving. He has already set new career highs in assists (24) and points (46). He could score a new career high any day and Hagel is close to finishing the season with 35 goals. Hagel has become another brilliant addition to the Tampa front office. |
1 |
35-16-2 |
|
5 |
Devils |
Since Jack Hughes has been out of the roster for a while, the other players must step up so the Devils can create an attack. That’s why it’s a good sign that Thomas Tatar broke out of an eight-game drought and scored twice against the Wild on Saturday. They’ll need more while Hughes is on the shelf. |
2 |
35-13-5 |
|
6 |
Maple leaves |
After the Leafs split the streak against the Blue Jackets over the weekend, Auston Matthews could be back as early as Wednesday. Even if Matthews needs a few more days off, the team’s next three games will be against the Blackhawks and Canadiens. |
2 |
32-14-8 |
|
7 |
Avalanche |
The Colorado Avalanche made up for it in the Western Conference playoff race, and a lot of it has to do with goaltending. According to the Natural Stat Trick, Alexander Georgiev and Pavel Frankuz have both been strong, having combined 9.42 goals above average since January 14th. |
1 |
28-19-5 |
|
8 |
oilers |
There are rumors that the Oilers are trying to trade Erik Karlsson early. Can they make money work? I have no idea. Will this be a good long-term financial solution for Edmonton? Probably no. Is it worth just watching Karlsson hit Connor McDavid with passes over and over again? Absolutely. |
1 |
30-19-5 |
|
9 |
kings |
Don’t approach Adrian Kempe without fireproof overalls. In his last three games, Kempe has made 14 shots and scored in seven of them. In the Kings’ 6-0 rout of the Penguins on Saturday night, he scored four goals in a row, a feat accomplished just six times in the past 30 years. |
4 |
30-18-7 |
|
10 |
Stars |
“Stars” have not been lit on the scoreboard lately. Dallas has scored 13 goals in their last six games, with some of the top scorers getting into mini-drifts. The Stars have managed to score points thanks to goaltender Jake Ettinger, but they probably need to score more before the deadline. |
1 |
30-14-11 |
|
eleven |
golden knights |
Vegas entered the final week as one of the coldest teams in the NHL. In three games since the last week and the All-Star break, the Golden Knights have scored 17 goals. Regression can be a good thing too guys. When Vegas plays like this, they look like a very dangerous team in the Pacific division. |
6 |
32-18-4 |
|
12 |
Jets |
After recovering from injury on 6 January, Nikolai Ehlers got off to a good start, scoring three goals in his first five games. Since then, Ehlers has only had one goal in 10 games. However, everything is not as bad as it seems at first glance. Ehlers’ hit percentage was terribly low (3.13%) throughout his drought. Everything must change for him sooner rather than later. |
— |
34-19-1 |
|
13 |
kraken |
Kraken really stumbled during the All-Star break. They lost their first three games on the main roster before returning to the winning column against the Flyers on Sunday. The Seattle attack was supposed to return to Earth, and it did. Let’s see if the team can get back on track as Vegas and Los Angeles heat up. |
4 |
30-18-6 |
|
14 |
Panthers |
It wasn’t always pretty, but the Panthers were back in contention for the playoffs. One player who deserves a lot of credit for this is Sergei Bobrovsky. Over the past month, Bobrovsky has been second in the NHL in above-average batting with 6.90 per Natural Stat Trick. |
4 |
27-24-6 |
|
15 |
Flame |
If Calgary stopped shooting themselves in the foot, they might have a chance to make the playoffs. Last week Flame… |
Source: www.cbssports.com
