NHL Power Rankings: Rangers rounding into form as Stanley Cup contender

Hurricanes
Carolina came back from its bye week and got mauled by the Rangers, or more specifically, Artemi Panarin. The Rangers have already made a big splash on the trade market with the move for Tarasenko. It could only be a matter of time before the Hurricanes respond. — 35-10-8
2

Rangers
It is good to be the Rangers these days. Tarasenko scored in his debut on Friday night. He already seems to have chemistry with Panarin, who scored four goals against the Hurricanes. With each passing day, New York looks more and more like a big-time threat in the Eastern Conference. 4 31-14-8
3

Bruins
Have the Bruins finally started to cool off? Boston has been more vulnerable recently with four losses in its last five games, and worse, the underlying numbers have been trending in the wrong direction. Since Jan. 14, the Bruins have controlled just 49.32% of the expected goals at five-on-five, per Natural Stat Trick. 1 40-8-5
4

Lightning
Brandon Hagel is thriving. He’s already set new career highs in assists (24) and points (46). He could set a new career high in goals any day now, and Hagel is on pace to finish the season with 35 tallies. Hagel has been yet another brilliant addition by the Tampa front office. 1 35-16-2
5

Devils
With Jack Hughes out of the lineup for a while, other players have to step up in order for the Devils to create offense. That’s why it’s a good sign that Tomas Tatar broke out of an eight-game goal drought to score twice against the Wild on Saturday. They’ll need more of that while Hughes is on the shelf. 2 35-13-5
6

Maple Leafs
After the Leafs split a back-to-back series against the Blue Jackets over the weekend, Auston Matthews could return as soon as Wednesday. Even if Matthews does need a few more days of rest, the team’s next three games are against the Blackhawks and Canadiens. 2 32-14-8
7

Avalanche
The Colorado Avalanche have made up ground in the Western Conference playoff race, and goaltending has had a lot to do with that. Alexandar Georgiev and Pavel Francouz have both been strong, combining for 9.42 goals saved above average since Jan. 14, according to Natural Stat Trick. 1 28-19-5
8

Oilers
There is chatter that the Oilers are trying to pull off a trade for Erik Karlsson ahead of the deadline. Can they make the money work? I have no idea. Would it be a good long-term financial decision for Edmonton? Probably not. Would it be worth it just to see Karlsson hitting Connor McDavid with seam passes over and over again? Absolutely. 1 30-19-5
9

Kings
Don’t get too close to Adrian Kempe without wearing a fireproof jumpsuit. In his last three games, Kempe has taken 14 shots and scored on seven of them. In the Kings’ 6-0 thumping of the Penguins on Saturday night, he scored four straight goals, a feat accomplished just six other times in the last 30 years. 4 30-18-7
10

Stars
The Stars haven’t exactly been lighting up the scoreboard recently. Dallas has scored 13 goals in its last six games, and some of the top scorers have hit mini skids. The Stars have managed to keep picking up points thanks to goalie Jake Oettinger, but they probably need to pursue more scoring ahead of the deadline. 1 30-14-11
11

Golden Knights
Vegas entered its bye week as one of the coldest teams in the NHL. In three games since their bye week and the All-Star Break, the Golden Knights have scored 17 goals. Regression can be a good thing too, folks. When Vegas is playing like this, it looks like an extremely dangerous team in the Pacific Division. 6 32-18-4
12

Jets
After returning from injury on Jan. 6, Nikolaj Ehlers got off to a strong start with three goals in his first five games. Since that time, Ehlers has just one goal in 10 games. That said, things aren’t as bad as they seem on the surface. Ehlers’ shooting percentage has been miserably low (3.13%) throughout his drought. Things should turn for him sooner rather than later. — 34-19-1
13

Kraken
The Kraken have really stumbled out of the All-Star break. They dropped their first three games in regulation before getting back in the win column against the Flyers on Sunday. Seattle’s offense was due to come back to Earth, and that has happened. We’ll see whether the team can get back on track with Vegas and Los Angeles heating up. 4 30-18-6
14

Panthers
It hasn’t always been pretty, but the Panthers have clawed their way back into playoff contention. One player who deserves a lot of credit for that is Sergei Bobrovsky. Over the last month, Bobrovsky is second in the NHL in goals saved above average with 6.90, per Natural Stat Trick. 4 27-24-6
15

Flames
If Calgary can stop shooting itself in the foot, it might be able to make a real run at a playoff spot. Last week, the Flames dropped an incredibly winnable game against the Red Wings, but frustration levels were off the charts on Monday night. That’s when the Flames held a two-goal lead on the Senators with under three minutes left in the third period before losing in overtime. — 25-18-11
16

Penguins
If the Penguins are going to hang on to a playoff spot, I would recommend that Sidney Crosby remain in games for the full 60 minutes. Crosby got ejected from Saturday’s 6-0 loss to the Kings, which was a first in his career. That’s just a lesson to all the young kids watching at home. No matter how much you’ve accomplished, keep striving to achieve more. 4 27-17-9
17

Wild
The Wild snapped a three-game losing streak with a win over the Devils on Saturday, but they followed that up with a shootout loss to the Panthers. Several players have struggled over the last couple of weeks, but Matt Boldy has had an especially tough time. He has just one assist in his last six games, and his five-on-five numbers have been troubling. 3 28-20-5
18

Sabres
I regret to inform everyone that the Sabres have now lost three straight games in regulation and four straight games overall. That has dealt a massive blow to the team’s playoff chances, but Buffalo does have multiple games in hand over its biggest competition for a wild card spot. The Sabres now face a lot of pressure to close out their SoCal swing with a pair of wins over the Ducks and Sharks. 8 26-22-4
19

Capitals
Alex Ovechkin has carried the Capitals offense for most of the season. He has 32 goals this year, and the next closest player is Marcus Johansson with 13. Washington has to find a way to manufacture more offense with teams like the Islanders and Panthers breathing down their neck. 3 28-22-6
20

Senators
Since Jan. 1, the Senators have been playing at a 96-point pace, and they have won seven of their last 10 games. It’s too late for Ottawa to really get back into the playoff picture, but this team is headed in the right direction. Brady Tkachuk and Tim Stützle are well on their way to stardom. 2 26-24-3
21

Islanders
The good news for the Islanders is that Bo Horvat has gotten off to a good start on Long Island with three goals in five games. The bad news is that the team’s results haven’t been much better. The Isles have now lost three in a row to the Canucks, Canadiens, and Senators. 2 27-23-7
22

Red Wings
The longer the Red Wings wait to sign Dylan Larkin, the more expensive he will be. His price has been shooting up by the day lately. In his last four games, Larkin has scored five goals while adding a pair of assists. It would be hard to imagine him not being in a Red Wings jersey next season, but if he hits free agency, Larkin will have plenty of suitors. 1 24-20-8
23

Predators
After losing Filip Forsberg to injury on Saturday, the Predators lost a home game to the Coyotes on Monday. It has been a rough week for Nashville, and the team’s eight-year postseason streak is in jeopardy with the Bruins coming to town. 2 25-20-6
24

Canadiens
Montreal has now won three straight games, and the team’s chances to land the No. 1 overall pick have dipped to 8.0%, according to MoneyPuck. Let’s not get carried away with this winning thing, Habs. 1 23-27-4
25

Blues
Since trading Vladimir Tarasenko, the Blues have won two in a row while scoring six goals in each game. Maybe if they trade Ryan O’Reilly and Ivan Barbashev they’ll be back in a playoff spot by March. 1 25-25-3
26

Coyotes
The Coyotes now have points in six straight games and are 3-0-3 in that stretch, and Jacob Chychrun has been a healthy scratch for the last two contests. This team may have slightly hurt the organization’s chances at the No. 1 overall pick, but the players and head coach André Tourigny. This team hasn’t been a doormat for playoff hopefuls. 5 18-28-8
27

Sharks
With Bo Horvat and Vladimir Tarasenko off the trade market, the Sharks are now the belle of the ball as the trade deadline approaches. Timo Meier already has a handful of suitors, Erik Karlsson is now on track to tally 108 points this season, and even Alexander Barabanov looks like an attractive trade chip. San Jose might wind up with every pick in the 2023 draft at this rate. 1 17-27-11
28

Flyers
Carter Hart has been tremendous for the Flyers over the last month. Since Jan. 14, Hart has posted 6.90 goals saved above average, which leads the NHL in that span. Hart’s resurgence this year has been an encouraging sign for the future of the franchise. 4 22-23-10
29

Canucks
I was ready to give the Canucks a lot of credit for holding their own on a three-game series in the greater New York area. They went 1-1-1 against three tough opponents, and every game was close. Then, Vancouver got blasted by the Red Wings twice in a row. You win some, you lose some 1 21-29-4
30

Blackhawks
Patrick Kane has been speaking like a man who has turned in his two-week notice. First, Kane said he was “not the happiest” that the Rangers traded for Tarasenko. Then, he essentially said the Blackhawks mismanaged Kirby Dach before trading him to the Canadiens. 3 16-31-5
31

Ducks
Anaheim has a few defensemen on expiring contracts, and they could all be trade targets. The issue is that their trade value may never be lower than it is right now. John Klingberg, Dmitry Kulikov, and Kevin Shattenkirk have combined for a goal differential of minus-55 at five-on-five. 2 17-31-6
32

Blue Jackets
Vladislav Gavrikov is on the trade block, and his name has been thrown around in rumors for a couple of weeks. I’m open to the idea that he will improve in a better situation, but he has been very underwhelming this year. If Columbus can get a premier asset in return for him, it will be a good piece of work by GM Jarmo Kekäläinen. — 16-34-4