The 7-Eleven Power Rankings: Predators, Bruins battle for No. 1

Not only have the Predators set a franchise record with their 111^th point (it's now 113), they also have the lead in the Presidents’ Trophy race and may finish first in their division for the first time.

With a 12-2-4 record since the trade deadline, the Bruins have taken over the Atlantic Division lead, knocking down Tampa Bay (they beat them 4-2 last week) for the first time since October. 

Connor Hellebucyk earned his 41st win of the season - one back of leader Andrei Vasilevsky. Only two American-born goalies in NHL history have more: Tom Barrasso (43) and Mike Richter (42).

The Lightning lost to Boston twice in a nine-game span, during which time they won just four times. Steven Stamkos left Sunday’s loss to Nashville (LBI) and did not return. He's now listed as day-to-day.

The Maple Leafs reached the 100-point mark for just the fourth time in team history and the first time since 2004. They’re just two points away from their all-time best of 103.

Not only did the Golden Knights clinch first place in the Pacific Division, but William Karlsson scored his 42^nd goal to remain in the hunt for the Rocket Richard Trophy. He had six last season in Columbus.

Braden Holtby isn’t having a great season, but backup Philipp Grubauer has picked up the slack. Since the trade deadline, he’s 8-2 (1.88 GAA, .937 save percentage) leading the Caps to another division title.

The league’s top-ranked power play scored three times against Montreal on Saturday and Phil Kessel leads all players with 40 power play points. But it went 0-for-5 against the Capitals on Sunday.

Two impressive comebacks for the Blue Jackets last week included a win over Edmonton, scoring seven straight after being down 3-0, and scoring three in the third to tie Vancouver before losing in OT.

A three-game road skid won’t matter to the Sharks, who are all but plugged into second in the Pacific Division after many pundits picked them to miss the playoffs. Joe Thornton is also back skating.

The Wild have just one goal in three of their last four games, but still earned a point in two of them. On the plus side, Eric Staal has 40 goals and he hasn’t scored that many since 2008-09.

An eight-game point streak has put the Flyers in excellent position for a playoff spot. All three of their remaining games are against non-playoff teams: NYI, Hurricanes and NYR.

The Ducks, who rallied from a 3-1 deficit against Colorado Sunday to win in OT, have won five in a row at home and eight of their last nine on home ice. Having two of their last three games at home will help.

Since Jan. 25, Keith Kincaid has a 17-6-1 record. The Devils, vying for their first playoff berth in six years, are currently on a six-game point streak, led by Taylor Hall (eight points in five games).

They laid an egg with a 6-0 loss to Arizona, but that was after seven straight games of earning a point. Their playoff fate comes down to games against Chicago, Washington and Colorado.

The final week is going to be a tough grind for the Avs and their playoff hopes. They don’t have any “easy” games left and losing Semyon Varlamov for the rest of the season is a big blow.

A stretch of eight games in which seven were on the road may have ended Florida’s playoff hopes (2-4-1). Four of their final five games are at home but it may be too late.

Valentin Zykov has made a strong case for next year’s team, going 3-3-6 in seven games after his AHL call-up. The Rangers beat the Hurricanes Saturday to oust them from the playoff race.

Not cause for a huge celebration but a win by Henrik Lundqvist is at least a reason to worry less. He was winless in his previous five starts (0-3-2) with a 3.51 GAA.

Antti Raanta earned his third shutout since Feb. 12 last week. He is 11-2-0 with league-best in goals-against average (1.51) and save percentage (.954).

The loss of Ben Bishop has hurt the Stars, but after an eight-game losing streak they’ve been officially eliminated from the playoff race - they would lose any tiebreaker with the Avs, Blues or Kings.

The Oilers lost all three games this week, but Connor McDavid passed the 100-point mark and takes a comfortable scoring lead into the final week of the season.

A 3-2 win over Edmonton, including keeping McDavid off the scoresheet, ended a horrendous seven-game losing streak during which time they were outscored 33-8.

Forget the full season of bad news, it was all good news when 36-year-old accountant Scott Foster was pressed into action as an emergency backup.

The Sedin twins announced they will retire at the end of the season as the Canucks, who have won four straight, continue their rebuild. Jussi Jokinen has 11 points in 13 games since his last trade.

Winning three straight is huge for the Wings, as is scoring at least five regulation goals in consecutive games, the first time they’ve done that all year. Jimmy Howard also earned his first shutout of 2017-18.

One of many things the Canadiens will need to improve on next year is their penalty killing. In their first two games last week, they allowed five and overall for the season they rank 30th.

The good news is that prospect Casey Mittelstadt made his debut and has two assists in two games. They’re also three points clear of having the worst record and the best chance to get Rasmus Dahlin.

Josh Ho-Sang may be right about being singled out and sent to the minors to work on his defensive game. The Isles, who have lost 16 of their last 19, have allowed more goals than any other team.

The Sens, who have been shut out nine times this year, fell one game short of their longest (regulation) losing streak of the year when they beat Florida in OT. They've had two six-game skids in regulation.