Ovi and company lead the pack in 7-Eleven Power Rankings
Alex Ovechkin
, The Canadian Press
Season-long excellence and a return to form after a four-game stumble place the Washington Capitals at No. 1 in the inaugural 7-Eleven Power Rankings.
Washington is the consensus choice of TSN Hockey experts Ray Ferraro, Jeff O’Neill, Jamie McLennan, Craig Button and Darren Dreger who will be ranking teams from first to worst on a weekly basis.
Caps’ head coach Barry Trotz declared a March 18 game versus Tampa Bay an “absolute” must-win and his Capitals responded with a 5-3 triumph to ignite four wins in eight days and earn the renewed confidence of our experts.
The 7-Eleven Power Rankings reflect a blend of emphasis on overall record and recent performance.
Chicago, Columbus, Anaheim and Pittsburgh round out the top 5 – and at No. 6 are the Calgary Flames, whose brilliant record since mid-February has them slotted considerably higher than their No. 11-ranked overall points percentage.
Calgary holds a slight edge over provincial rival Edmonton at No. 7.
No team has paid a bigger price in the rankings for recent poor play than Minnesota, which has gone from a 12-game winning streak in December to 11 losses in 14 games this month. The voters took notice and have the Wild slotted No. 12, well below their overall No. 5-ranked season-long points percentage.
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Record
49-17-8
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Last 10
5-4-1
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Last 5
4-0-1
The Capitals are back on track with six-game point and four-game winning streaks, erasing the memory of a four-game losing stretch in early March.
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RECORD
48-21-6
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LAST 10
6-3-1
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LAST 5
3-1-1
The Hawks were 6-0-1 over a seven-game stretch before losing 7-0 to Florida on Saturday; Chicago still has the league’s best record (18-4-1) since Feb. 1.
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RECORD
48-19-7
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LAST 10
7-2-1
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LAST 5
3-1-1
Columbus has a 9-3-1 mark in March; even more impressive is Sergei Bobrovsky’s 8-0-1 record and .970 save percentage over the month.
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RECORD
41-23-11
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LAST 10
8-1-1
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LAST 5
4-0-1
The Ducks’ 8-1-1 record since March 7 has featured wins over seven playoff teams – among them Washington, Chicago, St. Louis and Edmonton.
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Record
46-18-11
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Last 10
5-2-3
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Last Week
2-1-2
The Penguins have lost to just one team (twice to Philadelphia) in regulation since March 3. Their other three losses during that span were all by shootout.
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RECORD
42-29-4
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LAST 10
7-3-0
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LAST 5
3-2-0
Since kicking off a 10-game winning streak Feb. 19, the Flames have compiled the NHL’s best record (13-3-0).
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RECORD
41-24-9
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LAST 10
6-3-1
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LAST 5
4-1-0
Edmonton has recently had moments like the Oilers of the 1980s, scoring 32 goals in seven games (6-1-0), averaging a goal a game more than any other team.
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RECORD
40-28-6
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LAST 10
8-1-1
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LAST 5
4-0-1
St. Louis is tied with Anaheim for the best record (9-2-1) in March. Previously much-maligned Jake Allen has a .951 save percentage and 1.44 GAA.
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RECORD
45-24-9
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LAST 10
7-2-1
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LAST WEEK
9
A four-game winning streak just about ensures top spot in the Atlantic. A .956 save percentage in those games says Carey Price is peaking for the playoffs.
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RECORD
38-25-11
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LAST 10
6-2-2
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LAST 5
4-1-0
The Preds’ only loss in their last seven games was to red-hot Carolina. Wins include two over San Jose, and one each over Calgary and Washington.
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RECORD
46-26-4
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LAST 10
4-4-2
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LAST 5
2-2-1
Eight straight starts by Antti Raanta yielded just three wins. A return to action by Henrik Lundqvist on Sunday didn't help in a 6-3 loss to Anaheim.
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RECORD
44-24-7
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LAST 10
2-7-1
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LAST 5
1-3-1
The Wild has the NHL’s worst point (.208) and save (.870) percentages since March 7. Bruce Boudreau labeled Minnesota’s loss to Vancouver Saturday embarrassing.
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RECORD
41-25-8
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LAST 10
5-3-2
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LAST 5
2-2-1
After starting the month with six straight wins, the Sens have won just two of seven and scored only 11 goals for a league-low 1.57 goals per game mark.
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RECORD
35-24-15
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LAST 10
7-2-1
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LAST 5
3-1-1
Apart from stinkers vs. Buffalo and Florida, the Leafs have been solid over their last 10 games – going 7-0-1 and not allowing more than two goals in any game.
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RECORD
42-26-7
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LAST 10
3-7-0
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LAST 5
0-5-0
The Sharks are on a league-high six-game losing streak, punctuated by weekend losses to Dallas and Nashville in which they were outscored 13-3.
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RECORD
33-27-13
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LAST 10
7-0-3
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LAST 5
4-0-1
The Canes have earned a point in 10 straight games (7-0-3), the league’s longest current point streak.
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RECORD
43-30-6
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LAST 10
6-4-0
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LAST WEEK
17
Boston rebounded from a four-game losing streak – during which they allowed 20 goals - with a much-needed win over the Islanders on Saturday.
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RECORD
36-29-9
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LAST 10
6-3-1
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LAST 5
2-3-0
Tampa Bay kept their playoff hopes alive with wins over Boston and Detroit, ending an ill-timed three-game losing streak.
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RECORD
35-27-12
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LAST 10
5-4-1
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LAST 5
2-2-1
The Isles brought back Jaro Halak from the minors and it resulted in a 4-3 shootout win over Pittsburgh, helping keep them in the playoff hunt.
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RECORD
33-34-11
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LAST 10
3-7-0
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LAST WEEK
20
The Panthers lost four straight games (and fill-in No. 1 goalie James Reimer) as they were officially eliminated from playoff contention.
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RECORD
38-33-8
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LAST 10
6-4-0
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LAST WEEK
21
The Flyers won four in a row, but a highly improbable last-ditch playoff effort ended Sunday with a loss to the Rangers.
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RECORD
31-33-11
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LAST 10
5-4-1
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LAST 5
3-1-1
Dallas has allowed just nine goals over a 4-1-1 stretch (1.5 per game) vs. 17 goals in its previous three games (5.7 per game).
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RECORD
31-32-12
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LAST 10
4-6-0
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LAST 5
3-2-0
Three wins in four games have helped the Sabres forget their previous 12-game stretch during which they recorded two wins and a .250 point percentage.
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RECORD
30-32-12
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LAST 10
5-4-1
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LAST 5
3-1-1
Three wins in five games has been largely based on improved goal prevention; the Red Wing have allowed six goals in their last four games.
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RECORD
34-35-7
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LAST 10
4-5-1
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LAST 5
3-2-0
Jets’ goalie Michael Hutchinson has recorded three wins in eight days after going nearly three months without a victory.
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RECORD
35-32-7
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LAST 10
4-5-1
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LAST 4
2-3-0
The Kings have failed to mount a playoff challenge since the trade deadline, going 5-5-1 during a critical 11-game period.
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RECORD
30-36-9
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LAST 10
2-6-2
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LAST 5
2-3-0
The Canucks went 2-3-0 on a five-game road trip and now return home where they are winless (0-5-3) since Feb. 18.
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RECORD
27-39-9
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LAST 10
4-4-2
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LAST 5
1-4-0
Arizona is a .500 team since late January, but has reverted to form in recent games with one win in its last six games.
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RECORD
27-33-12
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LAST 10
2-7-1
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LAST 5
1-3-1
Fifteen losses in their last 17 games. Enough said.
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RECORD
20-51-3
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LAST 10
3-7-0
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LAST 5
0-5-0
The Avs’ historically bad season has worsened recently: they’ve lost five straight games, allowing 26 goals, an average of 5.2 per game.