NHL Power Rankings: Red-hot Blackhawks new No. 1 as slumping Wild drop again
Capitals are first team to earn a playoff berth, but the Blackhawks are the hottest of the NHL's contenders
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1 min read
The time has finally come.
The Washington Capitals became the first team to clinch a playoff berth after their win over the Tampa Bay Lightning over the weekend. But the Caps -- on the heels of earning their 100th point of the season, go figure -- can no longer be heralded as the most dominant of the league’s contenders as the playoffs inch closer.
Their prominence cannot be denied and they remain the class of a tightly contested Eastern Conference. But the gap between them and documented champions of the postseason (see: Chicago Blackhawks, Pittsburgh Penguins) has been all but erased.
Chicago, with eight wins in its last 10 games entering March 19 and a single-digit loss total on the year at home, is surging toward another run at the Stanley Cup. The Caps, Pens and 100-point Columbus Blue Jackets, meanwhile, help round out the NHL’s top five playoff-bound squads along with a balanced, albeit slumping, Minnesota Wild team:
Biggest Movers
2
Blues
3
Canucks
Rk | Teams | Chg | Rcrd | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  | Finally, a new king. They weren't the first team to earn a 2016-17 playoff berth, but they're the hottest of the NHL's top contenders and they have the resume to back up postseason aspirations. | 1 | 12-9-6 |
| 2 |  | Sorry, Caps fans. There's little reason to fret seeing as though Washington reeled in point No. 100 and is locked up for a third straight playoff run. But the team's March performance hasn't been nearly as convincing as that of Chicago. | 1 | 17-9-3 |
| 3 |  | You could argue they deserve an even higher spot, even if they were *supposed* to dominate the home stretch of their schedule. Sidney Crosby and the Pens offense is still on fire. | -- | 14-7-5 |
| 4 |  | In between all the hubris of a Caps playoff berth and the Blackhawks' winning streak, Columbus has pieced together an impressive 10-game stand with a goal differential comparable to Washington's. | 1 | 13-9-5 |
| 5 |  | Somebody better wake up in Minnesota. The Wild are still incredibly balanced but are in danger of losing every ounce of momentum they had earlier in the year. | 1 | 15-8-5 |
| 6 |  | If the defense keeps on trucking forward, San Jose should be able to right itself before the real tests get underway. | -- | 13-13-3 |
| 7 |  | Without Henrik Lundqvist, they've been OK so far. If only they could win regularly at home. | -- | 15-12-2 |
| 8 |  | Through Claude Julien's first 13 games back atop the Habs' staff: 9-4 record, 18 points for Montreal. | -- | 14-9-3 |
| 9 |  | Don't tell the Flames they weren't considered surefire contenders earlier this year. Calgary continues to roll as maybe the most consistent winner heading into the postseason. | 1 | 10-15-4 |
| 10 |  | Finishing the year with mostly road games should work to the advantage of Ottawa (20-12 in away contests). | 1 | 13-10-4 |
| 11 |  | A 2-1 edging of the Sharks was an important confidence builder for the Ducks. Catch them in Anaheim and they're tough to beat. | 1 | 17-10-1 |
| 12 |  | Just when you might have forgotten about the Oilers, they unleash a couple of seven-goal games. The offense clearly warrants attention here. | 1 | 12-11-5 |
| 13 |  | Victim to one of those seven-goal Oilers wins, Boston is still a dark-horse contender entering the playoff picture. Bruce Cassidy's bunch is probably the top of the middle-of-the-bunch playoff hopefuls. | -- | 16-13-0 |
| 14 |  | We're all still waiting to see if the Predators are for real. | -- | 10-13-4 |
| 15 |  | They've stepped up and couldn't have done so at a better time. With what should be an easy finish to the year, they're in great position to close with dominance. | 2 | 9-12-7 |
| 16 |  | After falling 2-1 to the Blackhawks, they need a big outing vs. Boston to rekindle their fire. | -- | 13-11-3 |
| 17 |  | Things aren't going as swell for Doug Weight anymore. Even with John Tavares racking up the points. | 2 | 15-10-3 |
| 18 |  | Can they get their team-wide health up to par in time for a last-minute run? | -- | 16-9-2 |
| 19 |  | Their roller coaster of a season has flashed elite potential and utter disappointment. There's probably been a little too much of the latter. | -- | 12-8-7 |
| 20 |  | The big road streak continues to fade into the background. | 1 | 12-12-2 |
| 21 |  | Routing the Pens was probably tons of fun, but letting the Devils -- yes, the Devils -- spoil that with a rout of their own was classic 2016-17 Flyers material. | 1 | 15-8-3 |
| 22 |  | Lasting 10 rounds in a shootout with the Ducks was just as impressive as beating Anaheim. | -- | 11-13-4 |
| 23 |  | They keep scoring goals but they also keep allowing too many. Hat tip to them for topping the Wild, though. | -- | 14-12-1 |
| 24 |  | A 5-2-3 stretch, with a win over Nashville, has the Canes finishing on a good note as they prepare for their off-season restocking. | 1 | 16-8-2 |
| 25 |  | Good for them, ending a historic no-playoff campaign with some solid victories. | 1 | 14-11-3 |
| 26 |  | Staying within two of the Flames was a surprise for a team that all but rolled over in blowout losses earlier in the week. | 1 | 19-5-5 |
| 27 |  | The goal differential nearing the negative-50s isn't scaring anyone. | 3 | 10-15-3 |
| 28 |  | Hey, so maybe they can score. Just not enough and not often enough. | -- | 16-11-1 |
| 29 |  | They may very well lower the bar for away-game records as they embark on a five-game trip. | -- | |
| 30 |  | They entered Sunday's clash with Chicago still in search of their 10th road win of the year. | -- | 19-2-6 |
