NHL Power Rankings: Capitals still on top, but Blackhawks and Flames are heating up
Capitals still top the league's contenders, but things are getting tighter as the playoff picture shapes up
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1 min read
Things are really starting to shape up as the NHL playoffs approach, especially among the league’s top contenders.
While the Washington Capitals cannot be unseated as the top-to-bottom class of the league, the Chicago Blackhawks just might be the hottest streaking team on ice -- talk about a good time for that -- and the Calgary Flames are sneakily surging their way into the Pacific Division spotlight.
The Minnesota Wild dropped to No. 3 in this week’s power rankings, to little fault of their own, and a couple other movers either drew closer -- or fell farther from -- playoff contention heading into March:
Biggest Movers
5
Flames
6
Blues
Rk | Teams | Chg | Rcrd | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  | Can Kevin Shattenkirk help Washington get over the hump in the playoffs? Either way, you just can't unseat the Capitals as the No. 1 contender thanks to a tremendous goal differential above 75. | -- | 18-11-4 |
| 2 |  | Streak! Johnny Oduya is back in town, Patrick Kane is still aflame on ice and the Blackhawks are probably the NHL's hottest team as March gets underway. Look out, Caps. | 1 | 13-14-6 |
| 3 |  | The Wild dropping to No. 3 is more a testament to the top-of-the-league competition than Minnesota's recent doings. This is still maybe the most consistent team in hockey. | 1 | 20-9-5 |
| 4 |  | Defensive reinforcements now in tow, they have a shot to finish really strong with their schedule. | -- | 14-9-9 |
| 5 |  | Neck and neck with the Penguins, Columbus suffered a recent stinger vs. Ottawa but has been tighter defensively overall. | 1 | 14-13-6 |
| 6 |  | Still dominant on the road, the Rangers will need to up their offensive game. The Brendan Smith addition was a solid one for them, too. | 1 | 16-15-4 |
| 7 |  | Holding steady at No. 7, they've at least added points during their recent slew of OT losses. | -- | 17-14-3 |
| 8 |  | A five-game 'W' streak all of a sudden has this team, complete with a P.K. Subban reunion, on the upswing. | 3 | 17-12-4 |
| 9 |  | The Connor McDavid show just might drive Edmonton through its homestand. | 1 | 16-12-6 |
| 10 |  | How about Alexandre Burrows making a name for himself as a Senator right off the bat? | -- | 15-13-4 |
| 11 |  | Things have cooled off a little bit in Anaheim. The Patrick Eaves addition seems like a perfect one for the Ducks offense, though. | 2 | 20-12-2 |
| 12 |  | Dare we suggest Bruce Cassidy is, yes, the real deal? The Bruins keep rolling. | 3 | 20-14-0 |
| 13 |  | Hey, look who's hot. Early movers with the trade to add defensive help, Calgary has been on fire (no pun intended) to gain steam. | 5 | 13-17-4 |
| 14 |  | They dropped a few in a row, but Filip Forsberg and Co. are still a force to be reckoned with. | 1 | 13-16-4 |
| 15 |  | They're right there in the wild-card picture. The question is how they'll close the year on the road. | 1 | 19-12-3 |
| 16 |  | Perhaps we got a little ahead of ourselves after Florida's big streak away from home. | 2 | 18-13-2 |
| 17 |  | They're barely scoring as many goals as they're giving up. And they need to find a way to come up big in the clutch on a regular basis. | -- | 15-12-5 |
| 18 |  | Farewell, Mr. Shattenkirk. It's time to move on for St. Louis, and that was evidenced by a five-game slide. | 6 | 13-15-7 |
| 19 |  | A 6-2-2 stretch over 10 games recently has Tampa on a decent run after the Ben Bishop departure. | 3 | 18-12-3 |
| 20 |  | Pushing Washington to overtime was enough to earn them some stripes. Maybe there's a little life in there. | -- | 17-9-6 |
| 21 |  | Where's the consistency? L.A. has pulled off some big upsets in the spotlight but it remains under .500 over its last 10. Its loss to Vancouver prior to a break was a big blow. | 2 | 14-10-9 |
| 22 |  | They're just about as close to middle-of-the-road mediocrity as you can get. | 1 | 14-14-4 |
| 23 |  | Defense has got to be a priority for the Jets moving forward. They still rank among the NHL's worst in giving up goals. | 1 | 15-16-2 |
| 24 |  | New week, same old struggles, even with a tight one against Boston this past week. | 1 | 19-14-1 |
| 25 |  | Upsetting the Kings was a nice touch for a team that opted not to add goalie help at the start of the month. | -- | 13-17-3 |
| 26 |  | Not a pretty start to March for the Canes, who lost all but one of their last 10, including one to the lowly Coyotes. | -- | 22-9-2 |
| 27 |  | At least the end of their years-long playoff streak can coincide with great memories of Joe Louis Arena. | -- | 19-13-3 |
| 28 |  | They deserve credit for coming up big against Florida. | -- | 22-7-5 |
| 29 |  | Their 9-20-4 record at home is just about as shameful as Colorado's struggles. | -- | |
| 30 |  | The biggest Avalanche news of the week: Matt Duchene is still in town. | -- | 24-2-7 |
