(Photo Courtesy of NHL.Com)
31) Arizona Coyotes โ With only two wins in their last 10 games, and the most goals given up in the entire NHL, things arenโt exactly looking up in Arizona.
30) Buffalo Sabres โ New week, same spot for the Sabres. The real question now: who do they move at the trade deadline for picks/prospects?
29) Florida Panthers โ A team with Aleksander Barkov shouldnโt be this bad.
28) Colorado Avalanche โ At least the Avalanche are honest with themselves, having already dealt their biggest trade chip for future assets.
27) Detroit Red Wings โ The Red Wings only have one win in their last ten games. Enough said.
26) Ottawa Senators โ With Erik Karlsson now hinting he might leave town, what is there to be optimistic about in Ottawa?
25) Vancouver Canucks โ As expected, the Canucks are starting to show their true colors, having won three games in their last 10.
24) Philadelphia Flyers โ A team with this much top-end talent shouldnโt be this mediocre, should it?
23)ย Anaheim Ducks —ย ย The Ducks are hanging in there, yet just as Ryan Getzlaf makes his return to the lineup, Corey Perry suffers a week-to-week knee injury. Tough times for Anaheim.
22) Carolina Hurricanes โ Scott Darling hasnโt been as expected, and the โCanes just canโt make good on their even strength. Itโs getting frustrating to watch.
21) Washington Capitals โ The Capitals have betrayed us so many times, itโs hard to get invested in them again. Consider this a bitter ranking decision.
20) Edmonton Oilers โ Edmonton has been better as of late, but itโs going to be a fight for them to get into the playoffs.
19) Minnesota Wild โ The Wild are in a playoff spot, and theyโve won seven of their last 10. Cleary, things are heating up.ย ย Even so, they remain in a six-team dogfight for a wild-card spot.
18) Montreal Canadiens โ Consider this ranking for the Habs a vote of confidence in Carey Price. The power play looks decent, sort of.
17) Calgary Flames โ Travis Hamonic has disappointed, but the Flames are still in the thick of the playoff hunt.
16) Dallas Stars โ Donโt be fooled by the fact that the Stars hold the top wild-card spot in the Western Conference, theyโre just as much involved in the aforementioned dogfight for a playoff spot. That being said, itโs hard to bet against their talent.
15) Chicago Blackhawks โ Chicago is a legitimately good even strength team again, and their top-six looks fearsome. Thatโs not good news for anyone else in the West.
14) New York Rangers โ It feels like the Rangers could be even better than what theyโve shown so far, especially if they eventually decide to pair Kevin Shattenkirk and Ryan McDonagh together.
13) Boston Bruins โ People seem to have forgotten that Boston is actually very good. Charlie McCavoy has looked great, and the usual suspects have been excellent. Goaltending could be this teamโs eventual Achillesโ heel, however.
12) New Jersey Devils โ Give the Devils credit, theyโve managed to stick around this long. Even so, it feels like the roof will cave in at some point.
11) Vegas Golden Knights — Like the Devils, it feels like thereโs a chance the roof caves in here. Time is running out for that to happen though, and the Golden Knights just keep on winning. What a story.
10) San Jose Sharks โ The Sharks do many things well, scoring goals just isnโt one of them. Give them credit: in a season where many predicted their downfall, theyโve popped right back into playoff contention.
9) Los Angeles Kings โ Los Angeles is another one of the great stories of this NHL season thanks to their transformed play-style. Jonathan Quick has been Vezina-worthy, but it remains to be seen if this can last. Either way, they canโt be ignored.
8) Pittsburgh Penguins โ Pittsburgh currently isnโt in a playoff spot, but does anyone actually believe thatโs real? Two consecutive Stanley Cups buys you a whole lot of rope with me these days.
7) New York Islanders โ The NHL is a better place when the Islanders are good, and โgoodโ might be selling them short.
6) Nashville Predators โ This team looks great, and theyโre going to look even better once Ryan Ellis returns. The reigning Western Conference champions donโt look like theyโre going an anywhere anytime soon.
5) Toronto Maple Leafs โ The Leafs get the slight nod over the Preds because of their weaker division, but even so, this a team that figures to be in the thick of things until the very end thanks to their outstanding speed and skill.
4) Winnipeg Jets โ Here come the Jets, right? Despite some lackluster underlying numbers, Iโm done betting against the Jets for the time being. This team is just packed with elite-level talent.
3. Columbus Blue Jackets โ Columbus continues to do just about everything well (except the power play), and theyโve remained a powerhouse in the Eastern Conference.
2. St. Louis Blues โ St. Louis has been written off many times due to their playoff failures, but โfailureโ just doesnโt seem like itโs a part of their vocabulary this season.
1. Tampa Bay Lightning โ At this point in time, there isnโt a better hockey team in the NHL than the Lightning. End of story.
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