Alberta's teams rise rapidly in latest NHL Power Ranking

The Edmonton Oilers continue their climb up the standings and are now knocking on the door for the top spot in our Power Rankings.

Up five spots from seventh to second, the Oilers are coming off of a perfect 4-0-0 week. Connor McDavid continues his ascension in the scoring race, leading all players in points since the start of February with 30. Zach Hyman, fresh off a two-goal game against the Penguins Sunday night, is on pace to score 59 goals.

No team has a better expected goal differential, and the Oilers rank fourth in goal differential per game. So long as the Oilers get decent goaltending, they have proven to be virtually unbeatable this season. Edmonton has a 35-4-1 record when allowing three or fewer goals.

The Winnipeg Jets remain in the top five, dropping from third to fifth. The Jets falling a couple of spots despite winning three of four games last week is not a major concern. Winnipeg owns the second best points percentage in the NHL but rank 11th in expected goal differential – the lowest ranking of any team in our top 10.

Connor Hellebuyck, the front-runner for the Vezina trophy, has been rock solid behind a team that ranks seventh in expected goals against. Josh Morrissey led the Jets in scoring last week with seven points and has been on a heater of late. Morrissey has 16 points in his past eight games after registering just two assists in his previous eight games.

Sitting just outside the top five, the Toronto Maple Leafs occupy sixth spot on our list. The Leafs won two of three games last week while welcoming Joseph Woll back to the lineup. Woll, making his first start since Dec. 7, got the win against the Arizona Coyotes, stopping 30 of 32 shots against.

Toronto has a big week coming up with a pair of games against the Boston Bruins. The Leafs trail the Bruins by six points for second place in the Atlantic Division, though they do have two games in hand.

The Vancouver Canucks have dropped out of our top 10, falling from eighth to 12th. The Canucks got a much-needed win Sunday night against the Ducks after losing six of their previous seven games.

Vancouver still has a nine-point lead over the Oilers for the top spot in the Pacific Division, however, the Oilers do have four games in hand. Vancouver has a tough schedule ahead of them, with games coming up in Los Angeles and Vegas before hosting the Jets on Saturday and then the Avalanche the following Wednesday.

The Calgary Flames made a big move in our rankings this week, jumping from 22nd to 13th. The Flames have won five straight games and have knocked off some of the better teams in the league in the process.

Calgary has picked up wins over the Jets, Bruins, Oilers and Kings and made a spirited comeback Saturday against the Penguins. Unfortunately for the Flames, the team they are chasing for the last wild-card spot in the West, the Nashville Predators, has won its past eight games. Calgary sits seven points out of a playoff spot with two games in hand on the Preds. The Flames' current odds of making the playoffs sit at 13 per cent.

Down five spots from 21st to 26th, the Ottawa Senators. The Sens lost all four games they played last week and were outscored by 10 goals in the process.

Tim Stutzle, who scored 39 goals last season, is stuck on 14 goals having not scored in his past six games. Goaltending continues to be the biggest area of concern in Ottawa and the biggest reason for their disappointing season. The Sens rank last in save percentage and goals saved above expected with Ottawa’s goalies costing the team 25 goals this season. That’s 10 clear of the next worst team.

The Montreal Canadiens hold down the 28th spot for a second week in a row. The Habs went 1-0-2 last week and currently have the seventh best odds to pick first overall in the upcoming draft.

Nick Suzuki led the Canadiens in scoring last week and continues to be a bright spot in an otherwise tough season for Montreal. Suzuki is playing at a near point-per-game clip, with 59 points in 61 games this season. His career high in points is 66.

Power Rankings - March 4