With just two weeks to go, the NHL Presidents trophy race could go down to the wire with just three points separating the top four teams in the standings heading in to Saturday’s action. The Washington Capitals have maintained their position at the top of the standings. However, even after another outstanding regular season it is clear they still have their doubters. Here is a look at the NHL top five power rankings for this week.
1. Washington Capitals (49-17-8)
Last Week: 1
Stanley Cup Odds: +550
Washington bounced back from its first four-game slide by winning four of its next five to maintain its hold on top spot in the NHL standings. The Capitals have topped the 100-point mark in three straight seasons. This time, they need to take the next step and prove that they can contend for a Stanley Cup. Home court advantage will improve their chances but ultimately it will come down to stepping up come playoff time. The one knock on Alex Ovechkin is that he hasn’t had a memorable playoff run but he isn’t the only Washington skater that needs to step up. Nicklas Backstrom, Evgeni Kuznetsov, T.J. Oshie and Braden Holtby will all be in the spotlight. Meanwhile, trade deadline acquisition Kevin Shattenkirk is playing for a new contract. All of the pieces are in place for the Capitals to contend for the Stanley Cup. Now they must prove they are capable of finishing the job.
2. Chicago Blackhawks (48-21-6)
Last Week: 4
Stanley Cup Odds: +550
The Blackhawks clinched their ninth consecutive playoff appearance. Unlike Washington, nobody is doubting Chicago as a Stanley Cup contender. The Blackhawks have won six of their last seven games to extend their lead atop the Western Conference standings and suddenly they are right behind the Capitals in the Presidents trophy race. Everybody knows what Patrick Kane, Jonathan Toews and Marian Hossa can do in clutch situations. With Richard Panik, Nick Schmaltz and Ryan Hartman providing secondary scoring, the Blackhawks once again look like a legitimate Stanley Cup contender.
3. Pittsburgh Penguins (46-18-11)
Last Week: 2
Stanley Cup Odds: +600
An injury to Evgeni Malkin has opened the door for Sidney Crosby to add to his impressive resume with another outstanding stretch. Crosby has seven goals and eight points in his last five games. Crosby leads all scorers with 42 goals in just 68 games and suddenly he is right there behind Connor McDavid of the Edmonton Oilers in the NHL point race. Pittsburgh has earned at least a point in five straight games but they have dropped back-to-back shutout losses to fall back of Washington for top spot in the Eastern Conference. The Penguins are still in contention for first place and they could help their Stanley Cup chances by clinching home ice advantage for the playoffs.
4. Columbus Blue Jackets (49-19-8)
Last Week: 3
Stanley Cup Odds: +700
Columbus has earned 15 of a possible 19 points over its last 10 games. The Blue Jackets need to keep their foot on the gas in order to catch Washington and Pittsburgh. Sergei Bobrovsky continued his Vezina campaign over that stretch and is now 39-13-5, with a 2.02 goals against average and a .932 save percentage. Columbus has leaned heavily on Bobrovsky but they also rank fourth in NHL scoring with an average of 3.1 goals per game. The Blue Jackets have the talent and depth to contend for top spot in the Eastern Conference. It will be interesting to see if they can make one last run to challenge for top spot.
5. Minnesota Wild (44-24-6)
Last Week: 5
Stanley Cup Odds: +600
No team in the top five has struggled more of late than Minnesota. The Wild are just 3-9-0 over their last 12 games and they are now eight points back of Chicago for first place in the Western Conference standings. Devan Dubnyk’s struggles have been the most notable aspect of Minnesota’s slide but a compressed schedule likely hasn’t helped. The trade deadline acquisitions of Martin Hanzal and Ryan White haven’t had an overly positive impact either. The Wild are talented enough to contend come playoff time but they need to get back on track over the final two weeks. Minnesota needs to generate some positives heading in to the postseason. If they can’t stop their slide, they will likely end up outside of the top five power rankings next week.
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