OUTSIDER SPORTS BUZZ: NHL WEEKLY REPORT
Welcome to Outsider Sports Buzz, NHL edition. Here we break down the biggest news over the course of the week and we give the Outsider Sports staff power rankings.
Image credit to Jonathan Kozub/NHLI via Getty Images and NHL.com
Avalanche Answer
The Avalanche have failed to really gain any kind of consistency this season with all of the injuries they’ve seen, but this past week might’ve been the biggest statement of their Stanley Cup defense so far. Colorado not only had a perfect week, but the Avalanche won all four of their games on the road.
It didn’t take much for Colorado to get back into the race for the Central Division, and now the Avalanche sit just three points behind the Stars for first with two games in-hand.
Minnesota was able to keep themselves two points ahead of the Avalanche this week with a pair of wins, including one Sunday against Washington, bouncing back from Saturday’s loss to Boston.
Rangers push in Metro
New York made a few splashy moves at and before the deadline, but the team had to struggle for a couple weeks to make those moves. Despite losing and sacrificing some points to stay compliant with the salary cap, the move seems to be paying off and not keeping the Rangers from playing for home ice in the postseason.
The Rangers closed their week out with a 7-0 stomping of Nashville, coming on the heels of three straight wins and stretching the point streak to seven games (6-0-1). They’re getting hot at the right time and if they can play like this infront of world-class goaltender Igor Shesterkin, this team is as good as any in the league. With the same amount of games played as New Jersey, the Rangers are five points back and six points behind Carolina for the top spot in the division.
The two teams ahead of the Rangers in the Metropolitan, the Devils and Hurricanes, seem to have issues of their own which are paving the way for the Rangers.
Goaltending was New Jersey’s biggest weakness last season, and it is starting to become an issue again. Vitek Vanecek has had a strong season, but his consistency hasn’t been there. Mackenzie Blackwood has been hurt for most of the season, and while Akira Schmid has been good when called upon, is he really trusted to make a run for a Stanley Cup? New Jersey dropped the first three games of the week, including two at home to the Lightning before blowing a 2-0 third period lead to the Panthers on Saturday. They were able to grab a win Sunday in Tampa Bay, but they only picked up three of eight possible points and still sit behind Carolina for first in the metro with 97 points.
The Hurricanes are still holding onto the top spot in the division, and even though they learned they would be without their best offensive player in Andrei Svechnikov, Carolina might be in a better spot than they were entering last week. The Hurricanes are in sole possession of the division, not sharing it with the Devils, and they also have two games in-hand instead of just one.
Sebastian Aho is a big reason for that, and Saturday against the Flyers was a prime example. He scored the tying goal with 0.2 seconds left and then showcased his bid for goal of the year when he danced through the Philadelphia defense and scored the game-winner.
Kings chasing Pacific throne
Los Angeles crawled a bit closer to the Golden Knights for the top spot in the Pacific Division by picking up five out of a possible six points this week, going 2-0-1. While Vegas also won two games but fell in regulation for four points this week.
Both teams have played 70 games and the Kings are two points back for the division and conference lead.
The loss last Thursday to Calgary was Jonathan Quick’s first real blemish as a Golden Knight. He has been very strong and just what the Golden Knights have needed, but they need more of that consistency to hold the Pacific. It’s important to remember this team came into the season planning on Robin Lehner playing in goal. After he went out of the lineup, Logan Thompson was sensational. Now they need the combination of Quick, Jiri Patera and Adin Hill to fill that void.
For the Kings, all seems right in the world. They have picked up a point in every game in March so far, going 6-0-2, and they’re on a nine-game point streak. Adrian Kempe is having a great year with 32 goals, Anze Kopitar continues to prove he is still an elite player and they’re getting strong play between the pipes with Phoenix Copley and Joonas Korpisalo.
OUTSIDER SPORTS POWER RANKINGS
Members of the Outsider Sports Hockey Podcast Tom Leone and Mikey D along with myself each provided our top 10 teams in the NHL. How we ranked them? Where we ranked each team was how many points assigned to them, with first getting 10 points and 10th getting one point. The team with the most points is ranked first. How we ranked each team is underneath our rankings.
1. Boston Bruins (30 points)
The Bruins continue to dominate as they coast into the playoffs. They answered a mini two-game skid with three-straight wins to finish the week, including a 7-0 win against Buffalo.
2. Carolina Hurricanes (27 points)
The fact that the Hurricanes are still in first place in the Metropolitan Division says enough. They learned they were losing Svechnikov for the season and still they were able to gain ground on New Jersey while picking up a game in-hand.
3. New Jersey Devils (22 points)
The Devils find themselves tied with Toronto for third place in our power rankings this week. After such a promising win to close out the week last Sunday, they dropped three-in-row before finally getting two points Sunday in Tampa Bay.
4. Toronto Maple Leafs (22 points)
The Maple Leafs tied the Devils in our Power Rankings, but we slotted them at four since the Devils had two third place votes to Toronto’s one. The Maple Leafs have been right around the top of the league all season long and despite two losses to start the week, they bounced back with two wins against Carolina and Ottawa.
5. New York Rangers (19 points)
After getting four days off following the 4-2 loss to Boston at the beginning of the month, the Rangers have gotten points in all seven games. All the new guys needed was some practice. We are finally seeing a roster at full strength and the Rangers are really looking dangerous.
6. Tampa Bay Lightning (14 points)
The Lightning quickly shot back up a couple spots in our rankings with a pair of strong showings in New Jersey. They also won at home on Saturday against Montreal, but they blew a pair of third period leads on Thursday in New Jersey before winning in the shootout, and then blew a 2-0 lead they held in the second period on Sunday before losing 5-2. Still, Tampa can play with the best of them.
7. Vegas Golden Knights (13 points)
Our thoughts on the West vs. the East are clear, as Vegas comes in as the highest rated team from the West. The up-and-down Flames exposed Quick, but they still grabbed four of a possible six points. They hold the top spot in the West but are fending off the Kings.
8. Dallas Stars (8 points)
Despite the Avalanche recent surge, the Central Division still belongs to Dallas. They went 2-2-0 to close out a six-game road trip this week, and while they are still in first place, the Avalanche perfect road trip means the Stars no longer control their own destiny for the division crown. They return home for three games this week and a big matchup in Colorado looms on April 1.
9. Los Angeles Kings (6 points)
A 3-2 shootout loss to Vancouver leaves a sour taste in the Kings mouths, as they inch closer to Vegas for the top spot in the Pacific and the West. Even though the week wasn’t perfect, they did pick up a point and now sit just two points away from home ice through the conference.
10. Colorado Avalanche (4 points)
After two weeks as the first team outside of our top 10, the Avalanche return thanks to five-straight wins, four of them this week on the road. They continue to deal with injuries with their third leading goal-scorer, Artturi Lehkonen, out for at least the next five weeks with a finger injury. Despite the news, Cale Makar and Nathan Mackinnon have put the team on their backs and are ready to carry them on another playoff run.
How we ranked them:
Ben Mandell: Boston Bruins, Carolina Hurricanes, New Jersey Devils, Toronto Maple Leafs, New York Rangers, Vegas Golden Knights, Tampa Bay Lightning, Los Angeles Kings, Dallas Stars, Colorado Avalanche.
Tom Leone: Boston Bruins, Carolina Hurricanes, New Jersey Devils, Toronto Maple Leafs, New York Rangers, Tampa Bay Lightning, Vegas Golden Knights, Dallas Stars, Los Angeles Kings, Colorado Avalanche.
Mikey D: Boston Bruins, Carolina Hurricanes, Toronto Maple Leafs, New York Rangers, New Jersey Devils, Tampa Bay Lightning, Vegas Golden Knights, Dallas Stars, Colorado Avalanche, Los Angeles.