The NHL had a little bit of a holidays break and now we’re back into the thick of things in the final week of the 2017 calendar. With that in mind, here is a look at the Top 5 teams in the NHL right now.
Pittsburgh Penguins
The Stanley Cup champions are leading the league in scoring as they have tallied 129 goals through 37 games. That’s one of the main reasons why they are the No. 1 team in the Eastern Conference with 53 points. Only one other team in the East has more than 50 points.
Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin and Phil Kessel are all ranking in the top six in terms of scoring. Remember when the Toronto Maple Leafs mocked Kessel? Turns out he’s the real deal and has been for a while now. The Pens 18th in goals allowed, but when you can simply outscore everyone, you can fix your defensive struggles along the way. Marc-Andre Fleury or Matt Murray (who is currently injured) have to get a handle on the #1 spot in goal. However, the Penguins are flourishing right now and if their goalie(s) can keep it together, they should be a big Stanley Cup betting favorite to go back-to-back.
Columbus Blue Jackets
The Blue Jackets have rolled to the top of the league on a 13-game winning streak. That’s quite shocking as the franchise that has struggled for relevance ever since it was created has now been the main headline in the NHL on a nightly basis. They’ve excelled on the defensive end as they have allowed just 68 goals so far. That’s in stark contrast to the Penguins, who have allowed 104. No other team in the East has allowed less than 73 – the Washington Capitals – and they’re the only team that’s allowed less than 80.
Overall, the Blue Jackets are second in the NHL in goals allowed and against, along with first on the power play. Can Cam Atkinson, Alexander Wennberg and the rest of the Blue Jackets sustain this ridiculous pace that they’re on? Probably not, but they’re good enough for now and this might net them enough points to make it to the playoffs later in the season and that should be their main goal for the 2016-17 season.
Chicago Blackhawks
The Blackhawks are always going to hang around these power rankings, and even a recent three-game skid in which they lost all three games by one goal shouldn’t scare you off them. They don’t do anything spectacularly, ranking 13th in goals scored, and seventh in goals and their special teams aren’t great, ranking 16th on the power play and 29th in penalty killing. However, the Blackhawks are a veteran team that will find their way and another run to the Western Conference finals shouldn’t be a surprise to anyone.
New York Rangers
The Rangers are third in goals scored and ninth in goals against, so they’re a balanced team. They’re getting scoring from all angles and in goal, Henrik Lundqvist has been fine, but Antti Raanta has been very good as his backup. If this team can stay healthy, they can definitely get back to the Eastern Conference finals after a first-round exit last season. A healthy Rick Nash would also help as he was playing well before a recent injury; he would be a major boost to the Rangers’ offensive attack.
Montreal Canadiens
Minnesota is ahead of the Canadiens in the standings by virtue of points, but the Canadiens have the trump card in Carey Price, who ranks fifth in goals against and fourth in save percentage. The Canadiens have also been surprisingly good on the offensive end, ranking fifth in goals scored and 12th on the power play. Max Pacioretty, Alexander Radulov and Alex Galchenyuk lead a balanced offense, and Shea Weber has fit right in on the blue line. But Price is the key: if he stays healthy, the Canadiens are a threat to win it all.
The main issue for the Habs is that they’ve hit a bit of a slump. They’ve lost three in a row and are 4-3-3 in their last 10 games. This is a team that was 13-1-1 to start the season but is now just 8-8-4 over their last 20 games.
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