#31 Anaheim Ducks (21-26-9, -55, LW: 31)
On December 17, 2018, the Ducks beat the Penguins 4-2 to improve to 19-11-5. They were in second place in the Pacific Division and looked like a solid playoff team. Since then they have lost 14 of 16 and have accumulated just eight points (2-10-4). This latest seven game skid has been especially rough; they have been outscored 37-8. On Sunday Randy Carlyle was let go for the second time. They are now eight points out of the playoffs and will be looking to regroup for next season after missing out on the postseason for the first time in seven years.
#30 Detroit Red Wings (21-28-7, -30, LW: 24)
#29 Colorado Avalanche (22-22-11, -3, LW: 25)
#28 Edmonton Oilers (24-26-5, -25, LW: 29)
#27 New Jersey Devils (21-26-8, -27, LW: 28)
#26 Arizona Coyotes (24-26-5, -16, LW: 27)
#25 Ottawa Senators (21-29-5, -29, LW: 30)
#24 Vancouver Canucks (25-25-7, -17, LW: 21)
#23 Los Angeles Kings (23-28-5, -35, LW: 23)
#22 New York Rangers (24-23-8, -26, LW: 26)
Henrik Lundqvist is now 36 years old and holds the New York Rangers records in wins, losses, and save percentage. He helped get the team to the 2014 Cup Finals and this season passed up Terry Sawchuk in career wins, now ranking sixth all-time. He’s also still on the books for the next two seasons and is the team’s biggest cap hit ($8.5 million each year). When you’re a seventh place team you have to make decisions that are tougher than if you’re a first place team. Do the Rangers move on from Lundqvist and attempt to get younger? Or do they hold on and hope they can develop enough around him to become competitive again?
#21 Florida Panthers (23-23-8, -21, LW: 22)
#20 Minnesota Wild (27-24-5, -6, LW: 18)
#19 Buffalo Sabres (27-21-7, -8, LW: 19)
#18 Chicago Blackhawks (23-24-9, -21, LW: 20)
#17 Philadelphia Flyers (25-24-7, -24, LW: 11)
#16 Pittsburgh Penguins (29-20-7, +20, LW: 15)
#15 Dallas Stars (28-22-5, +2, LW: 8)
#14 Vegas Golden Knights (31-22-4, +13, LW: 16)
#13 Carolina Hurricanes (28-22-6, 0, LW: 12)
#12 St. Louis Blues (27-22-5, -4, LW: 14)
Coming out of the All-Star break the Blues were three points out of the playoffs. A five game winning streak now has them as the first wild card team, two points ahead of Vancouver with two games in hand. One big difference has been the emergence of goaltender Jordan Binnington, a third round pick back in 2011. In 13 games (11 starts) he has a .931 save percentage and a 1.72 goals against average. Goaltending has been an issue for the Blues for some time, but if the 25-year old can solve that problem they could be a pain come April.
#11 Washington Capitals (31-18-7, +12, LW: 13)
#10 Nashville Predators (33-20-5, +29, LW: 5)
#9 Montreal Canadiens (31-18-7, +10, LW: 9)
#8 Columbus Blue Jackets (31-20-3, +10, LW: 17)
#7 Winnipeg Jets (35-18-3, +34, LW: 3)
#6 Boston Bruins (31-17-8, +17, LW: 10)
#5 Calgary Flames (34-15-6, +41, LW: 2)
#4 New York Islanders (33-16-6, +27, LW: 6)
#3 Toronto Maple Leafs (34-18-3, +38, LW: 4)
#2 San Jose Sharks (34-16-7, +33, LW: 7)
California’s second NHL entry has gone the opposite direction of the state’s third entry. Since December 18 the Sharks are 16-5-2 and are now in first place in the Pacific Division. While the preseason thoughts were focused on their blue liners the biggest contributions have been on the offensive side of the ice. They currently rank second in the league in goals scored, fifth in power play goals scored, and fifth in net power play percentage. This April and May will see several good teams making early playoff exits because to the number of quality teams.
#1 Tampa Bay Lightning (41-11-4, +61, LW: 1)