There was not a lot of movement in the rankings this week with the short schedule followed by the All-Star break. There was no movement in the top-five as Tampa Bay remained in first followed by Calgary, Winnipeg, the New York Islanders and San Jose.
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1. Tampa Bay
Record: 37-10-2 (0-0-0)
Last Week 1
The Lightning did not play this past week. They are in Pittsburgh and then travel to New York to take on the Islanders and Rangers this week. Tyler Johnson returned to practice on Monday after missing the Lightning’s last game on January 19 with a lower-body injury. He was on a line with Nikita Kucherov and Brayden Point which would be the top line in Tampa Bay.
2. Calgary
Record: 33-13-5 (1-0-0)
Last Week 2
The Flames defeated Carolina in their only game of the week. This week they are in Washington and Carolina to play the Hurricanes. The mid-season awards were voted upon by the PHWA and Mark Giordano is the front-runner for the Norris Trophy while Johnny Gaudreau is second in Hart voting. GM Brad Treliving was tops in voting for the best GM while Bill Peters is second in the Jack Adams vote as best coach.
3. Winnipeg
Record: 31-16-2 (0-1-0)
Last Week 3
The Jets lost to the Flyers on Monday in their only contest of the week. The Jets are on the road to play Boston and return home to face Columbus and Anaheim. Nikolaj Ehlers has been out since January 4 with an upper-body injury and is not back on the ice with the team at practice just yet. He is projected to return in early-mid February and it looks like it will be closer to February 15. Dustin Byfuglien is still out of action with a lower-body injury.
4. New York Islanders
Record: 29-15-4 (0-0-1)
Last Week 4
The Islanders lost to the Blackhawks in a shootout Tuesday. This week they face the Tampa Bay Lightning and the Kings in a couple of home games. Andrew Ladd is still not ready to return from a lower-body injury that has kept him out of action since November 13. Devon Toews has five points in 15 games but the Islanders have been sensational with him in the lineup as they are 12-2-1.
5. San Jose
Record: 29-16-7 (1-0-0)
Last Week 5
The Sharks knocked off Washington in a wild one during their only game this past week. They play only once this week as Arizona comes to town. Joe Pavelski was the second star of the week with a goal and five points in two games. Erik Karlsson missed the Sharks last three games with a lower-body injury but managed to participate in the All-Star game. He should return in time for the Coyotes game. Logan Couture has 19 goals and 47 points in 52 games this season.
6. Toronto
Record: 30-17-2 (1-0-0)
Last Week 7
The Maple Leafs defeated Washington at home in their only game of the week. Toronto is in Detroit before returning home to play Pittsburgh and Anaheim. The Maple Leafs needed help on the blueline and corrected the problem on Monday when they dealt a couple of prospects (Carl Grundstrom and Sean Durzi) as well as their first pick in the 2019 Draft, for Jake Muzzin. Muzzin can do everything well and will likely play beside Morgan Rielly, moving Ron Hainsey down to the third pairing with Travis Dermott. Igor Ozhiganov is likely the odd-man out once Jake Gardiner returns. William Nylander had three assists in his first game on the third line with Nazem Kadri and Connor Brown.
7. Washington
Record: 27-17-6 (0-1-1)
Last Week 6
The Capitals lost to San Jose in overtime and then lost to the Maple Leafs in Toronto and have not tasted victory in their last seven games. Washington starts a six-game home stand with games against Calgary and Boston. Alex Ovechkin had yet another hat trick against San Jose and with his goal against Toronto, now has 37 goals this season. He is tied with Sergei Federov at 1,179 points, the most ever by a Russian-born player.
8. Nashville
Record: 30-18-4 (1-0-0)
Last Week 9
The Predators beat the Golden Knights in their only game of the week. Nashville is at Florida and home to Dallas. P.K. Subban has four goals and 18 points in 33 games this season with a plus-10 rating. Ryan Johansen has yet to score on the power play but has 11 assists with the man-advantage. Viktor Arvidsson leads the Predators with 19 goals despite missing 24 of Nashville’s 52 games thus far.
9. Vegas
Record: 29-19-4 (0-1-0)
Last Week 8
The Golden Knights lost to Nashville last week. Vegas travels to Carolina and Florida this week. Top prospect Cody Glass suffered a knee injury Saturday in a WHL game and is out indefinitely. The Golden Knights are currently in third in the Pacific and their path to the Stanley Cup will be a lot tougher this season as they will not have home ice advantage in the first round and likely anything past that if they get through. The Golden Knights need to give goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury more time off as he has played in 45 of Vegas’s 51 games.
10. Boston
Record: 27-17-5 (0-0-0)
Last Week 10
The Bruins did not play this past week. Boston hosts Winnipeg and Philadelphia before going to Washington to end the week. Tuukka Rask was placed on the injured reserve list Monday but he could be back as early as the game against the Flyers if he is able to practice on Tuesday. He has a concussion. Ryan Donato is back in the minors. He has six goals and nine points in 34 games with the Bruins this season but the rookie needs to play and preferably top-six minutes.
