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Matt’s Top 5: NHL Power Rankings
By Matt Quinn
Each Wednesday, we will break down a top 5 list in various sports for various topics. This week, we visit the NHL and hand out rankings for the top 5 teams that are currently playing their best hockey. There’s been alot of news worthy storylines, not the least of which is the red hot Washington Capitals winning six of their seven games so far without star Center Alex Ovechkin. It’s been an interesting start to the NHL season and it’s only going to get more exciting as we slowly approach both the trade deadline and the NHL All-Star break coming at the start of the new year. There’s alot of hockey still yet to be played so these rankings could be completely different come playoff time, but for now, let’s get into who I think are the 5 best teams in hockey right now.
With Mark Stone re-entering the lineup, the Vegas Knights have been very workman-like. Winning three straight after being humbled by the Utah Hockey Club 6-0 on November 30th. They’ve had five players score at least 20 points this season and have a red hot Jack Eichel, who currently has more assists with 30, then any player on his team has points overall. Since joining the league as an expansion team, the Golden Knights have been highly competitive, reaching two Stanley Cup Finals and winning one since they joined in the 2017/18 season. With the way they are playing right now, it would not be a surprise if they found themselves in the Final again this year.
The Champs are here to stay. After a bit of a rocky start to the season, the defending Stanley Cup Champion Panthers have begun to find their footing, winning six of their last seven games after a stretch of four straight losses. In that stretch they’ve scored five or more goals 4 times, including back to back six goal performances against a strong Carolina team in late November. Getting quality performances from the likes of stars Matthew Tkachuk and Sam Reinhart, has the Panthers back on track and sitting atop the Atlantic division 28 games into the season. If they continue this trend, they will once again be a tough out come playoff time.
The Jets sit tied with Minnesota for the best record in the NHL, both sitting with a league-leading 42 points. Coming fresh off a dominant performance against Boston, lighting them up to a tune of 8-1, the Jets are flying high (I’m not proud of that pun). The Jets started the season strong, then hit a wall by losing five of their last seven games before last night’s demolition job. They reminded the rest of the league why they are indeed a force in the NHL last night and should be able to build off of that and reignite the fire they had at the start of the year.
When 39-year old star forward Alex Ovechkin went down with a lower body injury that was going to sideline him for at least 4-6 weeks, many thought the Caps would falter a bit, and they did lose a few games at the start of Ovi’s absence. They have since picked up their game significantly, winning six of their last seven games, including impressive wins over the defending champion Panthers and Maple Leafs. Unsung heroes and gutsy player performances from guys like Tom Wilson, who took a nasty shot when he was hit in the face with a puck, are why this team will be all the more threatening when Ovechkin returns.
Going 7-2-1 in their last ten games, the Minnesota Wild are tied with the Jets for the most points in the NHL. The jets have played two additional games but it’s the Wild that have been more impressive. Playing like the best team in hockey, they continue to get strong performances from the ageless wonder that is Net minder Marc-Andre Fleury and winger Kirill Kaprizov leads the league in points with 39. Some big time wins have come in this latest stretch of games and it will need to continue in order for Minnesota to get to where they want to go. If the early season is any indication, they are well on their way to a big time season.
