The Washington Capitals and Minnesota Wild made the decision to go all-in for the opportunity to win the Stanley Cup so it should be no surprise that they remain 1-2 in the NHL power rankings once again this week after adding to their already loaded rosters. The Capitals and Wild control their own destiny in terms of finishing at the top of their respective conferences but they still have work to do heading in to the final stretch. Here is a look at the NHL power rankings for this week.
1. Washington Capitals (44-15-7)
Last Week: 1
Stanley Cup Odds: +350
Kevin Shattenkirk continues to get adjusted to life on a No. 1 powerplay that features Alex Ovechkin, Nicklas Backstrom, Marcus Johansson and his former Blues teammate T.J. Oshie and with so much talent it is only a matter of time before this group starts to click. Washington laid an egg in their 4-2 loss to the Dallas Stars on Monday so it will be interesting to see how they respond with three straight on the California coast as they visit San Jose, Los Angeles and Anaheim this week. The Capitals are on cruised control at the top of the NHL standings but they still haven’t clinched the Presidents trophy just yet. They have been in a little bit of a slump of late as they’ve lost two straight and are just 5-4-1 in their last 10 games. Even so, we’re looking at the full body of work here for this team and not just one mediocre week of action.
2. Minnesota Wild (42-17-6)
Last Week: 2
Stanley Cup Odds: +600
Minnesota has its eye on the Presidents trophy but even more important is the fact that they need to hold off the Chicago Blackhawks at the top of the Western Conference. The Wild are just one point up on Chicago with 18 games remaining including a date in Chicago on Sunday. Minnesota has dropped two of its last three despite playing some pretty good hockey so it will be interesting to see how they respond on a five-game trip that takes them through Tampa Bay, Florida, Chicago, Washington and Carolina. The Wild are just 5-5 in their last 10 games.
3. Columbus Blue Jackets (42-17-6)
Last Week: 4
Stanley Cup Odds: +1400
Sergei Bobrovsky has reignited his Vezina trophy campaign with back-to-back shutout wins over the New Jersey Devils and he has the chance to continue his run of dominance with a home-and-home series against the Buffalo Sabres this weekend. Bobrovsky is now 35-13-4 with a 2.05 goals against average and .931 save percentage this season and he has undoubtedly been the Blue Jackets most important player. While Bobrovsky has dominated, there is definitely at least some reason for concern in Columbus as they have sored just eight goals in their last five games overall.
4. Pittsburgh Penguins (41-16-8)
Last Week: 5
Stanley Cup Odds: +800
The Penguins followed up back-to-back losses to Dallas and Chicago with three straight wins over Tampa Bay, Buffalo and Winnipeg, outscoring the latter three 16-9 during their win streak. Evgeni Malkin recorded three points and a fight against Blake Wheeler and the Jets while Nick Bonino stepped up with a hat trick. The fact that Pittsburgh has been so dominant even though Sidney Crosby and the top line hasn’t produced at an elite level of late is impressive. The Penguins have four more games left on their current five-game trip and they will definitely try to put some pressure on Washington and Columbus at the top of the Metropolitan division.
5. Chicago Blackhawks (42-18-5)
Last Week: 3
Stanley Cup Odds: +800
Chicago’s bye week might have come at the worst possible time as they had won seven straight and 12 of their last 13 games before the break. The Blackhawks will be tested this coming week with back-to-back games against Minnesota and Montreal but after that the schedule becomes much lighter including five straight against teams currently outside of a playoff spot. Chicago will need to ramp up the urgency once again in order to keep the pressure on the Wild at the top of the standings and it will be very interesting to see if they can catch them down the stretch.
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