NHL Power Rankings: Presenting All-Star Game Snubs as Bruins Blink

The East is beast. With the Stars and Jets losing multiple games over the past week, the first six teams ranked in this week’s NHL power rankings are all in the Eastern Conference. 

While the top five seeds are likely set – Bruins, Hurricanes, Devils, Leafs and Lightning – the wild-card battle promises to be exciting and will likely be determined during the final games of the season.

The Central Division is the stronger of the two in the Western Conference, but in both cases, the division title is up for grabs. The top four teams in the Pacific are all within three points of each other. The flip side is whoever represents the West in the Stanley Cup final will likely have an easier path than the East’s winner, and good health and lots of rest can be big advantages in the playoffs.

With Bo Horvat dealt, the first domino has also fallen in what could be a busy trade market if teams can figure out ways to add players under the cap. Of the 12 teams that are projected to have zero cap space, seven are currently in playoff position, and another two – Bruins and Penguins – have less than $50,000, per capfriendly.com. The confluence of teams at the All-Star Game might spark some trade talk, with the deadline just a little more than a month away.

As part of this week’s all-star celebrations, a selection snub will be included for each team for your reading pleasure.

Here are this week’s THN power rankings.

(All fancy stats are 5-on-5 and courtesy of naturalstattrick.com. CF% stands for Corsi For Percentage and xGF% represents Expected Goals For Percentage.)

1. Carolina Hurricanes (34-9-8, +37. CF% league rank: 1, xGF% league rank: 1)

How can the Canes not be first with a seven-game winning streak including a win against the Bruins? The Bruins may end up winning the Presidents’ Trophy, but that gap isn’t as big as we thought. Snub: Martin Necas and Sebastian Aho, who are both ahead of Andrei Svechnikov in scoring. Having only one all-star from the league’s second-best team is baffling.

2. Boston Bruins (39-7-5, +81. CF%: 13, xGF%: 5)

Panic? No. Some blood in the water? Definitely. The good thing about the Bruins’ amazing season is that they can survive a disastrous week and still find themselves seven points ahead of the competition in the standings. Snub: Perhaps Hampus Lindholm, who has a league-leading plus-31 and without him keeping the Bruins steady early in the season would not be where they are now.

3. New Jersey Devils (32-13-4, +40. CF%: 3, xGF%: 2)

The Devils are back in a groove again, and with a playoff spot all but assured, all eyes will be on Jack Hughes as he attempts to be the first to score 50 goals in a season in franchise history. Snub: Dougie Hamilton, who is four points away from tying his career high and on his way to a 70-point season.

4. Toronto Maple Leafs (31-13-8, +34. CF%: 10, xGF%: 4)

Ilya Samsonov’s been holding down the fort, and it’s in their best interest to have Samsonov and Matt Murray playing well. That hasn’t really happened this season, but it’s worked out OK so far. Snub: William Nylander, who has arguably been their best forward this season.

5. Tampa Bay Lightning (32-15-1, +34. CF%: 12, xGF%: 7)

Still very much a terrifying team and a 3-2 win against the Bruins was certainly a statement. It was arguably the best regular-season game of the year, and the Lightning have now won 12 straight at home. Snub: It’s either Brayden Point, who is again criminally underrated, or Steven Stamkos, even if it’s just to give him a chance to celebrate 500 goals with the best of his peers. A milestone like that should get recognized at the All-Star Game.

6. New York Rangers (27-14-8, +28. CF%: 9, xGF%: 19)

Interesting side note: Jaroslav Halak has won five straight games, which is one more win than he had with the Canucks all season. Alternating wins and losses for two weeks isn’t ideal, but holding the third spot in the Metro is crucial because it avoids a first-rounder against the Canes or Bruins. Snub: None, they’ve got three all-stars already, which is one more than they should have. (Sorry, Panarin).

7. Dallas Stars (28-13-10, +40. CF%: 16, xGF%: 16)

It’s been a tough stretch, with three straight overtime losses against tough Eastern Conference opponents. It did show, however, that the Stars aren’t too far off and could stage multiple upsets if Jake Oettinger is on his game and the offense gives him support. Snub: Jake Oettinger, who’s their most important player.

8. Winnipeg Jets (32-19-1, +29. CF%: 17, xGF%: 22)

They got called out by Rick Bowness and rallied from a 0-2 deficit to beat the Blues in their following game, avoiding what would’ve been a season-high fourth straight loss. This team’s mentally tough despite pre-season talk about fractured leadership and Blake Wheeler losing the ‘C’. Snub: They got it right with Josh Morrissey, but lineys Kyle Connor and Pierre-Luc Dubois have been very solid this season.

9. Edmonton Oilers (28-18-4, +25. CF%: 15, xGF%: 11)

After going 1-2-1 to start January, they have not lost a single game in regulation since. Snub: It’s Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl, and then everyone else, so there’s no snubs. But Stuart Skinner being an all-star tells you a lot about the state of goaltending in the Pacific. None of them have a chance against the Central in the playoffs. (Go back to the 1 to 8 format, Mr. Bettman.)

10. Colorado Avalanche (27-18-3, +18. CF%: 5, xGF%: 15)

The Avs are making a furious charge with seven wins in their past eight, though it was a pretty easy schedule. They swing through the East next week, and it’s going to tell us how they stack up as the playoff races heat up. Snub: No complaints.

11. Minnesota Wild (27-17-4, +13. CF%: 18, xGF%: 18)

They needed extra time to finish off the Sabres and Flyers, but the truth is they run so hot and cold that the length of their playoff run is going to hinge on how much momentum they have going into the post-season. Snub: Definitely Mats Zuccarello, who has been aging like fine wine and playing his best hockey in his age-34 and age-35 seasons.

12. Calgary Flames (24-17-9, +5. CF%: 2, xGF%: 3)

So many question marks, from management’s decisions, coaching fit to on-ice performance. Knocking off the Kraken was key in a tight divisional race, and after being on the road for most of February, the Flames have an easy-peasy finish to the season. Snub: Jonathan Huber – just kidding. It’s Elias Lindholm, who’s holding the offense together, or Rasmus Andersson, who is well on pace for his second straight 50-point season and 11th in the league with 24:43 time on ice per game.

13. Seattle Kraken (29-15-5, +26. CF%: 8, xGF%: 17)

Five straight wins and then two straight losses at home. Seven straight wins and then losing eight of their next 11. Eight straight wins and then lose four of their next seven. The Kraken have more whips and turns than a Rian Johnson murder-mystery, and you wonder if their offense is going to be this good in the playoffs when the rules suddenly change. Snub: How about the All-Star Game itself with the Kraken playing the reverse Uno card and said, “no, thanks,” when no one wanted to go in place of the injured Matty Beniers?

14. Vegas Golden Knights (29-18-4, +12. CF%: 20, xGF%: 9)

At the end of 2022, the Knights were third in the league with 52 points, four ahead of the second-place Kings in the Pacific, nine ahead of the Flames and 10 ahead of the Oilers. Now the Knights are third in their division after losing eight of their past 10, and I’m a little shocked we’re not hearing them being linked with the big-ticket trade bait. Snub: Chandler Stephenson was a great choice, but it cannot be overstated how important Alex Pietrangelo is to this team.

15. Buffalo Sabres (26-20-4, +16. CF%: 6, xGF%: 20)

It was a fantastic stretch where they went 5-0-1, and if not for their eight-game losing streak in November, they would be a playoff shoo-in. Snub: It's criminal that Rasmus Dahlin only gets to go to replace Tage Thompson and not because, y'know, he's a top-three defenseman in the league.

16. Los Angeles Kings (28-18-7, -10. CF%: 11, xGF%: 12)

At one point, the Kings led the Pacific with a negative goal differential. That is improbable and hilarious, and also a hint of how bad Jonathan Quick and Cal Petersen were at the beginning of the season. Snub: Pheonix Copley, because a Skinner-Copley tandem at the All-Star Game is going to be a good trivia question 10 years from now, not to mention an automatic loss for the Pacific during any part of the weekend festivities.

17. Washington Capitals (27-20-6, +14. CF%: 14, xGF%: 14)

The Caps looked good for a stretch, then John Carlson got hurt, Nicklas Backstrom and Tom Wilson (briefly) returned to the lineup, and it all just went sideways. Since Jan. 1, they’re 6-7-1 and 23rd in points percentage. Snub: Can we Frankenstein some sort of goalie with beginning-of-the-season Darcy Kuemper and November’s Charlie Lindgren? Otherwise, it’s just… wait, Alex Ovechkin is actually going?!

18. Pittsburgh Penguins (24-19-9, +8. CF%: 19, xGF%: 10)

Since Jan. 1, Casey DeSmith is 3-4-2 and ranks 38th in save percentage (.887) and 41st in GAA (3.82) out of 47 goalies with at least five appearances. He’s been so bad, he might cost the Pens a playoff spot, and Ron Hextall has to come up with an answer. Snub: Tristan Jarry, if he was healthy, but also the league’s 101st best player in history, Evgeni Malkin, who might play all 82 games, something he hasn’t done since his third year when he led the Pens to the Cup and won the Conn Smythe.

19. Nashville Predators (24-18-6, -4. CF%: 21, xGF%: 21)

Neat fact: you can’t spell ‘Predators’ without Saros. He’s a worthy all-star, but let’s also not forget about how dominant Roman Josi continues to be; he has a plus-5 rating playing the most minutes on a team with a minus-4 goal differential and one of eight players to eclipse the 200-shot mark. Snub: Josi, if it wasn’t clear enough already.

20. Florida Panthers (24-22-6, -5. CF%: 4, xGF%: 6)

Good news: one of either Spencer Knight or Sergei Bobrovsky should be back after the all-star break. Bad news: *waves hand* these are not the goalies you’re looking for. An impressive win against the Bruins, but no sane person thinks the two teams are even in the same universe. Snub: Aleksander Barkov seems like a pity entry as captain of the host team, but Brandon Montour is having a fantastic season.

21. Ottawa Senators (24-23-3, -8. CF%: 7, xGF%: 13)

It was a really great run going 4-0-0 this past week with Anton Forsberg in net for three games, which gives the Sens yet another potential trade piece in Cam Talbot. The Summer of Dorion turned into, um, another Sens debacle, so here’s his second chance. Snub: It has to be Tim Stutzle, who would’ve been the third German-born forward to play in the All-Star Game. The other two? Draisaitl and… *drum roll*… hometown Panthers legend Marco Sturm.

22. New York Islanders (25-22-5, +4. CF%: 23, xGF%: 23)

Like it or not, trading for Bo Horvat was their home run swing of the season. They’ll need to right the ship fast after losing 10 of their past 13 games, and if you consider how Horvat can help Mathew Barzal in the dot and improve their power play, the fit seems pretty good on paper. Snub: It’s debatable if Brock Nelson should even be there.

23. Philadelphia Flyers (21-21-9, -20. CF%: 25, xGF%: 24)

This team was pegged for the lottery yet remains at .500, and there’s even talk that the team might actually move on from GM Chuck Fletcher. It’s like a fever dream! Snub: No idea how badly they fumbled this, but Travis Konecny has been a force all season and by far their most consistent and best player.

24. Vancouver Canucks (20-26-3, -28. CF%: 24, xGF%: 25)

So ironic that the Canucks’ direction – at least in the immediate future until the trade deadline – seems much clearer after trading their homegrown captain. “Bruce, there it is!” chants are still alive and well, which is as clear a sign as any the fanbase has a bad case of Stockholm syndrome. Snub: Quinn Hughes, because I thought the All-Star Game was supposed to be a family event.

25. Detroit Red Wings (21-19-8, -15. CF%: 27, xGF%: 27)

It’s been a mixed bag this season, and cracks are showing in the Yzerplan after he spent $20 million in cap space on new players during the summer. The whole trajectory of the franchise will shift if captain and all-star Dylan Larkin is not re-signed. Snub: No one else is quite deserving, but Filip Hronek is five points away from tying his career high with 30 fewer games played and a plus-41 turnaround in plus-minus.

26. Chicago Blackhawks (15-29-4, -58. CF%: 32, xGF%: 31)

It’s been quite the turnaround since Jan. 1. The Hawks are 7-6-0 and rank 20th in points percentage. Not sure if the memo to tank for Connor Bedard was somehow lost during the Christmas party. Snub: Patrick Kane must be the pick over Seth Jones any day of the week.

27. Anaheim Ducks (16-29-5, -80. CF%: 31, xGF%: 32)

Their three-game winning streak is the high point of an otherwise awful season under Dallas Eakins, who has the fourth-worst points percentage (.415) among active coaches, beating only Rick Bowness, who had the misfortune of leading the expansion Sens for their first four seasons (39 wins in 235 games), second-year coach Andre Tourigny and rookie coach Luke Richardson. Snub: Trevor Zegras, NHL 23 cover boy and marketing goldmine, and also thankfully not a Dallas Cowboys fan.

28. Montreal Canadiens (20-27-4, -55. CF%: 26, xGF%: 29)

They’ve lost four straight, and there’s plenty more to come. Snub: I mean, you’d be hard-pressed to find even one on their team right now, with apologies to Nick Suzuki.

29. Arizona Coyotes (16-28-6, -46. CF%: 30, xGF%: 30)

That sound you hear is A&E knocking on the door so they can do an episode on Bill Armstrong hoarding draft picks. Snub: Perhaps Jakob Chychrun, but the real MVP of the Coyotes has been their cap space.

30. St. Louis Blues (23-25-3, -29. CF%: 28, xGF%: 26)

Five straight losses including the Hawks and Coyotes, lackluster efforts and structure, can’t score and can’t defend, and Jordan Binnington making headlines for all the wrong reasons again. Snub: Vladimir Tarasenko was an odd choice because it could’ve easily been one of Robert Thomas, Jordan Kyrou or even Pavel Buchnevich.

31. Columbus Blue Jackets (15-32-4, -58. CF%: 29, xGF%: 28)

The Jackets have won just twice in regulation in 2023, no thanks to a bottom-five save percentage. Snub: None, Johnny Gaudreau was the only logical choice.

32. San Jose Sharks (15-25-11, -39. CF%: 22, xGF%: 8)

At least they went into the weekend with a win. Otherwise, they’ve lost 12 of their last 16. For what it’s worth, it only took me a few tries to get the first overall pick for the Sharks on tankathon.com. Snub: Timo Meier, who is 12th in goals (28) and second in shots (227).