Bruins left wing Taylor Hall (71) and goalie Linus Ullmark (35) Fred Kfoury III/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

NHL Power Rankings: 'Slumping' Bruins Continue to Lead the Way

Lyle Fitzsimmons

It's good to be the Boston Bruins.

Boston has run roughshod over the NHL for nearly every moment of the 2022-23 season, to the extent that a recent mini-skid—a stretch of three losses in four games after a 10-game win streak, to be exact—is about all that's gone wrong thus far.

Whether it's a sign of bleaker things to come remains to be seen, but the hiccup hasn't had much of an impact on B/R Power Rankings voters, who once again put the Bruins in the top spot (for the 18th consecutive week) thanks a sweep of the first-place ballots.

The continuity held down the line as well, with the remaining teams in the top five—the Carolina Hurricanes, New Jersey Devils, Toronto Maple Leafs and Vegas Golden Knights—all holding their spots as well.

The B/R voting panel awarded 32 points for first place and one point for 32nd to come up with the weekly list. Teams' last rankings and how they moved are shown alongside each updated placement. Scroll through to see where your favorites landed, and drop a thought or two of your own in the comments.

Nos. 32-26: Blue Jackets, Sharks, Ducks, Blackhawks, Flyers, Canadiens, Coyotes

Coyotes wing Clayton Keller Norm Hall/NHLI via Getty Images

32. Columbus Blue Jackets (Last Week: 32/Move: 0)

Johnny Gaudreau's first year in Columbus hasn't been blissful, but he scored twice—his first multi-goal game since October—in a Blue Jackets win at San Jose that ended a four-game (0-3-1) losing streak.

31. San Jose Sharks (Last Week: 31/Move: 0)

No one was expecting a deep Cup run in the Bay Area, but the Sharks were officially eliminated from playoff contention with a 6-5 OT loss to Columbus on Tuesday. They're 1-7-2 in their last 10 games.

30. Anaheim Ducks (Last Week: 29/Move: -1)

The Ducks are in the final throes of another unsuccessful season, but they've showed gumption by going 5-1-3 over the past nine games heading into Wednesday. "We're just trying to create really good habits," forward Max Jones said.

29. Chicago Blackhawks (Last Week: 30/Move: +1)

The Blackhawks reached the short list of teams to beat Boston, getting a hat trick from Taylor Raddysh in a 6-3 win. The bad news: Goalie Petr Mrazek left in the second with an apparent groin injury.

28. Philadelphia Flyers (Last Week: 25/Move: -3)

General manager Chuck Fletcher took the fall for another season of irrelevance, losing his gig after an uneventful trade deadline. "Flyers fans deserve a better team than what they've seen," team governor Dave Scott said. Ex-Flyer Daniel Briere was installed as the interim GM.

27. Montréal Canadiens (Last Week: 28/Move: +1)

Montréal's first win of March—a 6-4 road defeat of Pittsburgh—finally arrived 14 days into the month. The Canadiens had gone 0-5-2 in their previous seven games and fallen to 29th overall.

26. Arizona Coyotes (Last Week: 27/Move: +1)

Break up the Coyotes, who defeated Calgary in OT to get to 4-0-2 in their last six. Only one player, some guy named Connor McDavid, has more points than Clayton Keller (13 goals, 17 assists) since February 1.

Nos. 25-21: Blues, Canucks, Red Wings, Senators, Capitals

Canucks wing Brock Boeser Jeff Vinnick/NHLI via Getty Images

25. St. Louis Blues (Last Week: 26/Move: +1)

The Blues were up and down during a busy weekend, winning at Columbus and losing at home to Vegas to start a brief homestand that continued with a Wednesday date against visiting Minnesota.

24. Vancouver Canucks (Last Week: 24/Move: 0)

It's too late for a playoff push, but a five-game win streak and an 8-2-1 record over their past 11 games are positives for the Canucks. "It gives us confidence and shows if we play the right way, we can be a really good team in this league," forward Brock Boeser said.

23. Detroit Red Wings (Last Week: 23/Move: 0)

A 2-1 loss at Nashville on Tuesday was the latest blow for the Red Wings, who've lost eight of their last 10 games (2-7-1). They've skidded seven points off the Eastern playoff pace that's now being set by the New York Islanders.

22. Ottawa Senators (Last Week: 19/Move: -3)

A 6-3 road loss to Edmonton was the third in a row in regulation for the reeling Senators, who are six points off the Eastern playoff cutline. "This group is not going to quit," head coach D.J. Smith said. "They're not going to give in."

21. Washington Capitals (Last Week: 21/Move: 0)

A 5-3 loss against the New York Rangers at Madison Square Garden was Washington's sixth straight loss in games without Alex Ovechkin, who was out with a lower-body injury. In fact, the Capitals have lost nine in a row in which the league's second all-time goal-scorer did not play.

Nos. 20-16: Sabres, Flames, Panthers, Islanders, Predators

Sabres wing Alex Tuch Mark Blinch/NHLI via Getty Images

20. Buffalo Sabres (Last Week 22/Move: +2)

It's always good to end a four-game losing streak, particularly when you do it against your nearby rivals from Toronto. The Monday win marked the return of forward Alex Tuch, who scored two goals after missing eight games with a lower-body injury.

19. Calgary Flames (Last Week: 20/Move: +1)

A 4-3 defeat at Arizona on Tuesday was Calgary's league-leading 14th OT loss of the season, but the "loser point" did move the Flames within five of the eighth and last Western playoff spot.

18. Florida Panthers (Last Week: 17/Move: -1)

Seven points over the past four games gave the Panthers a push toward the postseason. They're now within three points of the East cutline. Matthew Tkachuk's 29 multi-point games are second in the league.

17. New York Islanders (Last Week: 14/Move: -3)

Losing 5-2 at Los Angeles on Tuesday wasn't the perfect way to start a three-game western swing that'll also take the Islanders to San Jose on Saturday before they return home next week against Toronto.

16. Nashville Predators (Last Week: 18/Move: +2)

The Predators were aggressive sellers at the trade deadline, but they've been surging ever since. They moved within four points of the Western cutline with a 2-1 win at Detroit on Tuesday. Nashville has three games in hand over Winnipeg, the team it's currently chasing.

Nos. 15-11: Penguins, Jets, Oilers, Kraken, Wild

Oilers center Leon Draisaitl Andy Devlin/NHLI via Getty Images

15. Pittsburgh Penguins (Last Week: 15/Move: 0)

Helping Montréal end its slide was not advantageous for the Penguins, who have a two-point lead for the first Eastern wild-card spot. It's also a concern that goalie Tristan Jarry allowed four goals on seven shots against Montréal and has been pulled three times in his past eight starts.

14. Winnipeg Jets (Last Week: 13/Move: -1)

A 5-3 loss at Carolina was the lone blotch on an otherwise pristine three-game road trip for the Jets, who began with wins at Florida and Tampa Bay and hold the West's eighth playoff position.

13. Edmonton Oilers (Last Week: 12/Move: -1)

The Oilers became the first team this season to boast a pair of 100-point scorers when Leon Draisaitl reached the threshold in Tuesday's defeat of Ottawa. He's third in the league in goals (44) and sixth in assists (56).

12. Seattle Kraken (Last Week: 9/Move: -3)

A 5-2 loss to Dallas was the third straight to close a four-game homestand for the suddenly skidding Kraken, who've gone 1-4-1 in their last six at Climate Pledge Arena and are 16-14-4 there this season.

11. Minnesota Wild (Last Week: 16/Move: +5)

The Wild are three games into a prolonged stretch without leading scorer Kirill Kaprizov, who was injured in a 4-2 win at Winnipeg on March 8 and will miss three to four weeks with a lower-body injury.

Nos. 10-6: Avalanche, Lightning, Kings, Rangers, Stars

Rangers wing Patrick Kane Bruce Bennett/Getty Images

10. Colorado Avalanche (Last Week: 11/Move: +1)

Forward Artturi Lehkonen is out for four to six weeks after breaking a finger in a Monday win at Montreal. He was scheduled to undergo surgery Wednesday.

9. Tampa Bay Lightning (Last Week: 7/Move: -2)

The Lightning's 4-1 win on Tuesday at New Jersey came in the first of three games between the Eastern contenders through the weekend. The victory leveled Tampa Bay's road record at 16-16-1, while it has gone 24-6-5 on its home ice at Amalie Arena.

8. Los Angeles Kings (Last Week: 6/Move: -2)

The Kings beat the New York Islanders on Tuesday to stretch their point streak to seven games (6-0-1). They have five games remaining on a prolonged homestand that continues through March 26.

7. New York Rangers (Last Week: 10/Move: +3)

Patrick Kane's sudden surge—three goals over the past four games—coincided with a 3-0-1 run that gave the Rangers an eight-point gap over fourth-place Pittsburgh in the Metropolitan. Kane had gone scoreless with a minus-4 rating in his first two games with New York.

6. Dallas Stars (Last Week: 8/Move: +2)

The Stars won the first three games of a lengthy road trip that started in Buffalo, continued on the West Coast and will include visits to Edmonton and Calgary before they return home on Tuesday.

Nos. 5-1: Golden Knights, Maple Leafs, Devils, Hurricanes, Bruins

Golden Knights goalie Jonathan Quick Tim Nwachukwu/Getty Images

5. Vegas Golden Knights (Last Week: 5/Move: 0)

It's early for comeback player awards, but newly acquired goalie Jonathan Quick has been a revelation while winning four straight starts. He's allowed nine goals on 128 shots—a .930 save percentage.

4. Toronto Maple Leafs (Last Week: 4/Move: 0)

The Maple Leafs have been taking a tour of the NHL's elite in recent days. They won at New Jersey, defeated Edmonton at home and are hosting Colorado and Carolina before they begin a five-game road trip that runs March 18-26.

3. New Jersey Devils (Last Week: 3/Move: 0)

The home loss to Tampa Bay, coupled with a Carolina win, dropped the Devils out of a first-place tie with the Hurricanes in the Metropolitan. If it finishes second, New Jersey is likely to face the New York Rangers in the first round of the Eastern playoffs.

2. Carolina Hurricanes (Last Week: 2/Move: 0)

The Hurricanes erupted for five goals in a home win against Winnipeg after losing consecutive games by shutout to Vegas and New Jersey. Forward Andrei Svechnikov was injured in the loss to the Golden Knights and will undergo season-ending surgery on his right knee this week.

1. Boston Bruins (Last Week: 1/Move: 0)

The Bruins have fallen behind in each of their last three games and have wound up losing two of them, on Sunday to Detroit and Tuesday to Chicago. "It's our starts," forward Charlie Coyle said. "Our starts are kind of killing us."

   

Read 35 Comments

Download the app for comments Get the B/R app to join the conversation

Install the App
×
Bleacher Report
(120K+)