1: New York Rangers (42-15-7)
Beating the Boston Bruins 4-3 Sunday afternoon proved they are the team to beat in the Eastern Conference. 5-1-2 in their past eight games and since January 21st they have just two regulation losses against conference opponents.
2: Detroit Red Wings (43-20-3)
The Wings lost their netminder Jimmy Howard to injury, again. Will Joey MacDonald save the day again for the Wings? I think so, I personally thought MacDonald should have kept playing until he got cold, if that ever happened. But Howard is not the only blow to this Wings roster, they are also missing Lidstrom, Datsyuk, Bertuzzi, Eaves, Ericsson, Kindl.
3: Pittsburgh Penguins (38-21-5)
The Pens have won five in a row and leaped ahead of New Jersey and Philadelphia in the race for the fourth spot in the conference and home ice advantage in the first round of the playoffs. But the loss of Kris Letang to a second concussion remains more than a little troubling for the Sidney Crosby less Pens. Good news though, Sidney Crosby has been cleared for contact.
4: Vancouver Canucks (41-17-8)
Losing to the Sabres 5-3 on Saturday, the Canucks didn’t exactly look very Cup like. But every team gets to have a hiccup game here and there. Look for the Nucks to remain atop the Western Conference clinching the President’s Trophy once again.
5: Philadelphia Flyers (36-21-7)
Injuries have struck down on the Flyers, losing Andrej Meszaros, Kimmo Timonen and the useless James Van Reimsdyk. But the Fly guys pulled out an impressive defensive/goaltending battle over the Capitals Sunday night. Ilya Bryzgalov has been looking more comfortable in net and looks to be back to his normal self. If this is the case, watch out all teams in the Eastern Conference. Flyers still remain #1 on offense in the NHL.
Honorable Mentions:
St. Louis Blues (41-18-7)
Disappointing loss to the Canucks keeps them out of our top 5 with other hot teams in the mix. But beating the Sharks 3-1 was a nice bounce back effort. Then again, seems like whoever plays the Sharks these days, tend to come out victorious.
Nashville Predators (38-20-7)
This week will determine next weeks rankings, facing the LA Kings, Colorado Avalanche and Detroit Red Wings.
Chicago Blackhawks (36-24-7)
A nice 2-1 win over the Wings on Sunday was the Blackhawks’ third in a row. Signs of life from Patrick Kane in Jonathan Toews’ injury absence are a hopeful sign for the Hawks.
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