The NHL's All-Star weekend is in the rearview mirror and that means the push for the playoffs will really start to ramp up. I can guarantee that the second half of the season will be more fun than awkward magic at a skills competition and offside reviews in an All-Star game.
In the Eastern Conference, the playoff teams have essentially been sorted out already, but the battle for seeding will be key. In particular, positioning in the Atlantic Division will be critical, because the No. 2 vs. No. 3 matchup will send a contender home in the first round. Even a Wild Card spot that faces off against the Metro Division champ might be preferable to facing one of the two Florida teams.
Out West, the playoff teams are still far from set. In the Pacific Division, it will be fascinating to see whether the Kings and Ducks can hang on to playoff spots as the Flames and Oilers try to climb into the top three of the division. At least one team will be left out in the cold after a strong regular season.
With the second half of the season set to begin this week, here are the update NHL Power Rankings:
Biggest Movers
5
Red Wings
4
Stars
Rk | Teams | Chg | Rcrd | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  | Kirill Kaprizov transformed himself into Alex Ovechkin for the Breakaway Challenge at the All-Star Skills Competition, and he has been playing like his idol of late. Kaprizov is riding a 12-game point streak, and he has notched multiple points in seven of those contests. | 4 | 39-34-9 |
| 2 |  | As has been stated before in these rankings, a team cannot lose to the Coyotes and keep the top spot. In yet another example of how hockey makes no sense, the Avalanche saw their 10-game winning streak snapped by Arizona. Something tells me Colorado will be just fine, though. | 1 | 50-25-7 |
| 3 |  | As if the Panthers needed any more help, they may have found magic in a line that features Mason Marchment in between rookie Anton Lundell and Sam Reinhart. Those three have played just over 73 minutes together at five-on-five, and they have outscored opponents 12-1 in that time. In Florida's 8-4 win over the Blue Jackets, they combined for a whopping 18 points. | 1 | 52-24-6 |
| 4 |  | Rod Brind'Amour should be in the conversation for the Jack Adams Award, not just for what he's done in the regular season, but also for his performance in the All-Star Game. Brind'Amour got players to kind of care about winning in that event, which is an impressive feat in itself. | 1 | 52-23-7 |
| 5 |  | After an incredible start to the season for Jack Campbell, he has really taken a step back in the last month. Since Jan. 6, Campbell has allowed 7.01 goals above average, and goaltending has suddenly become a major concern for a Maple Leafs team that has the ability to make a deep playoff run. | 1 | 46-26-10 |
| 6 |  | The Rangers had the most impressive win of the pre-All-Star break week as they took down the red hot Panthers, 5-2. Although he was great, Igor Shesterkin did not have to carry his team to victory. Instead, the Rangers simply outplayed one of the best teams in the league. | 3 | 55-23-4 |
| 7 |  | The Lightning are very much in the for the highly-coveted No. 1 seed in the Atlantic Division, and they will be able to get some rest for the stretch run. They only play five games from now until the end of February. | -- | 45-29-8 |
| 8 |  | The Penguins have gotten a lot of major contributions from unexpected places this season, and Bryan Rust might be at the top of the list. He has 14 goals and 32 points in 24 games played, and Pittsburgh owns 53.50% of the expected goals at five-on-five with Rust on the ice. | 2 | 38-32-12 |
| 9 |  | During All-Star weekend, Golden Knights head coach Pete DeBoer said that Jack Eichel could be cleared for contact in the near future. That's good news for a Vegas team that has yet to hit fifth gear. The addition of Eichel should help them get there. | 1 | 45-29-8 |
| 10 |  | The most interesting part about the second half of the Bruins' season will be how they split the starts in goal. Jeremy Swayman has played well this season, the team has a sizable investment in Linus Ullmark and Tuukka Rask is a franchise legend. One of those three may not see much action in the final few months of the regular season. | -- | 47-20-15 |
| 11 |  | Tanner Jeannot is having a strong rookie campaign with the Predators. Barring a white hot second half of the season, Jeannot likely won't win the Calder Trophy, but Nashville has to be pleased with his progress. Jeannot has 27 points in 46 games, and he plays a valuable role in the defensive end as he eats up tough minutes on the penalty kill. | -- | 47-30-5 |
| 12 |  | Johnny Gaudreau has 25 points in his last 15 games, and he is on pace to top his 99-point season in 2018-19. Gaudreau is set to be a free agent after this season, and at this rate he is going to get a massive payday regardless of whether he stays in Calgary or hits the open market. | 1 | 38-39-5 |
| 13 |  | Not only is Jordan Kyrou having a tremendous season on the stat sheet, but he proved that his wheels stack up with anyone's at the NHL Skills Competition. Kyrou pulled off the upset in the fastest skater event as he knocked off both Connor McDavid and Dylan Larkin. | 1 | 43-33-6 |
| 14 |  | Two of the Kings' offseason additions, Phillip Danault and Viktor Arvidsson, are really starting to gel. With those two on the ice together at five-on-five, Los Angeles controls 61.92% of the expected goals, and the team has scored 18 goals while allowing just five. | 4 | 44-27-11 |
| 15 |  | The Capitals have been sliding backward for a while now. They are 5-7-2 in that stretch, and the five-on-five offense has gone cold. Add in a power play that has scored on just 15.8% of its opportunities in 2022, and Washington suddenly has some problems on its hands. | -- | 40-31-11 |
| 16 |  | The Ducks played one game last week and don't play again until Friday night, so I would just like to say that Trevor Zegras got robbed of first place in the Breakaway Challenge. Not only was the Dodgeball gimmick fun, but the actual move he used to score would have been jaw-dropping on its own. | -- | 27-50-5 |
| 17 |  | Just when the Oilers looked like they were getting on a roll, they lost in overtime to the Senators. Edmonton did bounce back nicely with a win over the Capitals before the All-Star break. Goaltending remains an issue, even in some of the wins, so it will be interesting to see whether that gets addressed in the coming weeks. | -- | 49-27-6 |
| 18 |  | The Stars had a golden opportunity to pick up a critical win over the Flames last week, but instead they saw a 3-1 third-period lead turn into a 4-3 loss in regulation. Dallas needs a strong second-half push with its playoff chances fading by the day. | 4 | 52-21-9 |
| 19 |  | Even though the team as a whole has improved since Bruce Boudreau took over as head coach, Elias Pettersson still has yet to catch fire. Considering his shooting percentage (12%) is 4.5% below his career average, it would be a fair bet to assume that Pettersson will start finding the back of the net more often. | -- | 50-23-9 |
| 20 |  | Despite the Islanders' disappointing season, defenseman Adam Pelech remains a brick wall on the blue line. The team's five-on-five goal differential is +9 with him on the ice, and the Islanders own 55.32% of the expected goals in those situations. | -- | 39-27-16 |
| 21 |  | Moritz Seider is stating his Calder Trophy case this year. The 20-year-old is playing top pairing minutes for the Red Wings, and he is holding his own in that role. In terms of goals for and against at five-on-five, Seider is roughly break even on the season. That's rather impressive considering he has played substantial minutes next to Danny DeKeyser. Factor in Seider's 29 points, and he is a serious contender for the award. | 5 | 41-32-9 |
| 22 |  | Jonathan Dahlen, a second round pick from the 2016 NHL Draft, has been a pleasant surprise for the Sharks this year. The 24-year-old rookie has 20 points in 41 games and is third on the team in expected goals at five-on-five with 7.45. | -- | 19-54-9 |
| 23 |  | Winnipeg has won just one of its last eight games, and its playoff hopes have cratered over the last two weeks. The Jets are now nine points out of a playoff spot, with five teams between them and the second Wild Card spot. The good news for Winnipeg is that it could make up some ground with five straight divisional games starting on Tuesday. | 2 | 52-24-6 |
| 24 |  | Jared McCann has come on strong for the Kraken of late. He has seven points in his last six games and ranks third on the team with 6.07 expected goals at five-on-five. He looks like one of the Kraken's best selections from the expansion draft. | -- | 34-35-13 |
| 25 |  | The Blue Jackets are not a very good hockey team, but all their flaws are amplified by the fact that they haven't gotten many saves this year either. Whether Elvis Merzlikins or Joonas Korpisalo is in goal, it has not gone well in Columbus. The team's 90.5% save percentage at five-on-five ranks 30th in the NHL. | 2 | 27-43-12 |
| 26 |  | Claude Giroux did his best to drive up his trade value by winning the All-Star Game MVP award. It has been a frustrating season for the Flyers, but Giroux has still been productive. He will be a tantalizing piece for every Stanley Cup contender as the trade deadline approaches. | 2 | 38-33-11 |
| 27 |  | If there is any good news for the Senators, it's that goaltender Matt Murray has played well in his last handful of starts. If Ottawa wants to be more competitive down the stretch, getting better play out of the men between the pipes is a good place to start. | -- | 37-41-4 |
| 28 |  | Chicago has now lost three straight games, and the latest loss came in blowout fashion to the Wild. Things are going poorly for the Blackhawks these days, and that even includes Patrick Kane. With Kane one the ice this season, Chicago owns just 43.97% of the expected goals at five-on-five. | 3 | 23-53-6 |
| 29 |  | Inexplicably, the Coyotes handed the Avalanche their first loss since Dec. 11. Of course, Arizona came right back down to Earth one day later in a 4-2 loss to the Flames. | 2 | 36-41-5 |
| 30 |  | Alex Tuch is already paying dividends for the Sabres. He has 13 points through 13 games, and he is one of just two Buffalo players that is on the right side of the expected goals share at five-on-five (50.25%). | -- | 39-37-6 |
| 31 |  | The Canadiens didn't lose any games last week. Don't check to see how many games they actually played, but at least they didn't lose. That is more than can be said for the one team below Montreal this week. | 1 | 30-36-16 |
| 32 |  | New Jersey dropped back-to-back games against the Maple Leafs, and it's hard to tell which one was worse. First, the Devils allowed four third-period goals in a 6-4 loss, and then they got skunked by a score of 7-1 the following night. New Jersey has now lost six in a row, and it is challenging the Flyers for the worst goal differential in the Metro Division. | 3 | 38-39-5 |
