Left Handed Larceny

Week 13 Power Rankings

by Eric Berkenpas

After a 3 week break and with 1 week to go, it's time to put out the final NHL Power Rankings. There are still some major races to make the playoffs so instead of doing all 30 teams, I am going to do the top 16, all of which I fully expect to be in the playoffs. Here we go!

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1. Chicago Blackhawks - The Hawks continue to dominate and edge the Penguins out for the top spot simply due to consistency. The Hawks made one minor move at the trade deadline to acquire Michal Handzus from the Sharks. Other than that they are the same team who shot out of a cannon at the beginning of the season and have hardly looked back. Only point of concern is injuries to Ray Emery and Patrick Sharp.

2. Pittsburgh Penguins - The Pens are back to their winning ways after dropping 2 lopsided losses in a row and have won 6 straight without Crosby, Malkin and Neal who combined for 41 goals this season so far. Iginla, Morrow and Jokinen have found chemistry with their new line mates and everything is clicking again. Both goalies look stellar and this team is looking primed and ready for a strong playoff run. 

3. Washington Capitals - With great hesitation, it's hard to deny the level that the Capitals are at right now. Alexander Ovechkin is scoring at an unbelievable rate and Braden Holtby is shutting the door at the other end of the rink. Depth could prove to be an issue but right now the Caps seem to only need that first line to produce goals enough to win.

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4. Los Angeles Kings - The Stanley Cup champs have shown their true colors after a first half flop. Jonathan Quick seems to have his mojo back and Dustin Brown is scoring the clutch goals, as any captain should. The Kings right now look to be the only legitimate threat to the Hawks, and boy are they ever. There are never guarantees in the NHL, and this is certainly one of those cases.

5. New York Islanders - It's time to put away the image of the Islanders that we have all grown accustomed to. They are worthy of being called elite and have shown it with their strong push into the playoffs. John Tavares is lighting up the scoreboard, eying up that Hart Trophy, and scoring has been coming from the first 3 lines. Nabokov has been the piece that the Islanders have been missing in years past and looks to put his team into the playoffs for the first time since 2007.

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6. Boston Bruins - No, they haven't been playing well lately, but yes, they are a very formidable opponent for anyone in the playoffs. They play with as much toughness and grit as anyone and have an endless supply of skilled forwards. Marchand and Bergeron suffered minor concussions and were able to come back quickly. Once Jagr gets accustomed to their system, the Bruins immediately become a legitimate Cup Contender.

7. St. Louis Blues -  Brian Elliot has been a completely different goalie since getting called back up into the NHL. He is 8-2-0 with a 1.39 GAA and 3 shutouts. St. Louis, who was hanging on by a thin thread to a playoff spot, now sits more comfortably in that 6 spot in the West. The additions of Jay Bouwmeester and Jordan Leopold have helped the Blues to get back to their gritty defensive ways that they excelled in last year.

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8. Vancouver Canucks - Was Derek Roy the answer? It certainly seems like it. The Canucks are 6-2-1 since acquiring him at the trade deadline. The true test comes in the last week of the season with matchups against the two top teams in the West.

9. New York Rangers - This could be a really bad first round matchup for the Penguins. The Rangers, since acquiring Brassard and Clowe have found their scoring touch in a big way. They have netted 38 goals in 10 games (almost 4 goals per game) and have been playing tough and gritty New York Rangers defense. They finally look like the Rangers team that topped the East last year.

  

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10. Anaheim Ducks - The Ducks have almost fallen out of elite status and looked like they were about ready to give up the division to the soaring Kings, losing 5 out of 10 games in April and 4 straight before defeating the Oilers last night. Viktor Fasth has fallen away a bit from his first half fireworks, but Hiller has still been a steady presence in net, which will be much needed come playoffs. 

11. Toronto Maple Leafs - The problems the Leafs have had all year is beating the top teams in the East. In April, they beat the Rangers, Habs and Senators and are a great goaltender away from being an elite team. They could absolutely make some noise in the playoffs with their fast and dynamic group of forwards and solid special teams (3rd ranked Penalty Kill).

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12. Columbus Blue Jackets - They likely deserve to be higher than this but I can't get passed the fact that I think this team is playing over their heads right now. Bobrovsky, who other than this year has been far from an elite goalie, has had himself a Vezina worthy season, but I am afraid if he loses his groove even just a little bit, the Blue Jackets will get sunk faster than a ball of lead in the Atlantic Ocean. Gaborik adds a level of legitimacy to the Jackets though.

13. San Jose Sharks - The Sharks have really turned it on at the right time. They are 7-2-1 in their last 10 and have found their scoring touch again thanks to Logan Couture who has 4 goals and 5 assists in the last 10. Niemii has been solid in net too as the Sharks are looking to be in playoff form right now.

Photo cred www.cbc.ca

14. Montreal Canadiens -  The Canadiens are lucky they had such a strong start and aren't in threat to lose a playoff spot because they are dead right now. The injury to Alexei Emelin really ruffled up that defense and goals started pouring past Price and Budaj. Montreal is going the wrong direction entering the playoffs.

15. Ottawa Senators - The Senators got Anderson back but still are having the worst time scoring goals. They have scored 10 goals in 19 games in April and can't blame it much on injuries. There is still a ton of talent on this team to score goals. The poor special teams, namely, the power play could be their downfall in the playoffs.

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16. Detroit Red Wings - This is my bold prediction, that the Red Wings will find a way to get into the playoffs. There is a lot of veteran experience on this team to not make a push to make the playoffs for a league best 22nd straight year. Jimmy Howard has been very inconsistent and the Wings have just looked downright old and slow. Can never count these guys out in the playoffs though, not with names like Datsyuk and Zetterberg in the lineup.