Another major milestone for the NHL year has passed. Christmas we are now nearly half a year deep into the NHL season. Below I get into how the NHL looks power rankings wise at the mid point. For the first time in a while, the East boasts 70 percent of the NHL’s Top Ten teams. Though as far as cup contenders go, my top four, the East and West are split 50/50. There is a lot of hockey left, let the new season begin!
1. Washington
2. Saint Louis
3. Boston
4. Colorado
5. Philadelphia
Washington remains the class of the NHL. Where the Bruins have slipped up the seemingly unstoppable Capitals have not. This probably means nothing in the long run as top teams very rarely make cup runs but within the regular season the Capitals have been the best team but Saint Louis and Colorado aren’t that far behind in that regard. At Christmas I look at the NHL standings and see four cup contenders, the top four on this power rankings list separated by just nine points. Colorado is the fourth by far because of defensive issues recently but they can rebound quickly if Landeskog finds his scoring touch in the coming weeks as he did before the Christmas break.
6. Islanders
7. Arizona
8. Carolina
9. Pittsburgh
10. Toronto
The Coyotes stand out the most in this group. They have turned it around in recent weeks. Adding Taylor Hall certainly helps a team in desperate need of another top scoring option. For the first time in a while there has to be a lot of hope around the team from the desert, the original. Pittsburgh is still a steady force in the east that is finding solid backup goaltending. The Pens could be primed for a big second half run. Toronto has rebounded nicely but still struggle in big games and with big leads.
11. Vegas
12. Dallas
13. Winnipeg
14. Edmonton
15. Nashville
This is the oh how the mighty have fallen category. The Golden Knights need a streak, badly. They have hovered around win one lose one all year long, they need to get hot if they want a chance at home ice advantage in the playoffs which is crucial for them. Dallas remains in the mix but have cooled down a bit. Edmonton has come back to earth and I trust the Nashville predators more than I do the Calgary Flames. These teams are all still alive to get home ice advantage in my opinion if they were to get hot.
16. Calgary
17. Montreal
18. Vancouver
19. Florida
20. Minnesota
21. Buffalo
22. Tampa Bay
23. Columbus
24. Ottowa
25. New York Rangers
26. Chicago
27. Los Angeles
28. Anaheim
29. New Jersey
30. Detroit
31. San Jose