We’re back!
The unofficial second half of the season is officially underway now that the All-Star break is over. Here are power rankings to kick things off…
The Elite Eight
1. Colorado Avalanche (32-8-4)
In one of the most shocking outcomes of the 2021-22 season thus far, the Coyotes ended Colorado’s 10-game winning streak right before the All-Star break. Still, despite the upset, the Avs are still the league’s top team.
2. Carolina Hurricanes (31-9-2)
The Hurricanes jump into the second spot thanks to a four-game winning streak that they road into the All-Star break. Carolina has a test ahead of them as they’re set to face Toronto, Boston and Minnesota.
3. Florida Panthers (32-10-5)
Once Carolina is finished with that slate, we’ll see them go head-to-head with the Panthers, who have an extra bit of time off after the All-Star break. Florida had won four in a row before losing to the Rangers before the break.
4. Toronto Maple Leafs (29-10-3)
One streak is going to have to come to an end. The Leafs are rolling, have won five in a row before the break, and they’ll start their second half against the Hurricanes.
5. Minnesota Wild (28-10-3)
The last time the Wild didn’t record at least a point in a game was when they were playing outside at Target Field on Jan. 1. Since the Winter Classic, they’ve gone on a 9-0-1 run.
6. Tampa Bay Lightning (30-10-6)
We have a possible Stanley Cup Final preview coming up as the Avs will host the Lightning on Thursday. Colorado won the last time these two teams met back in October.
7. Pittsburgh Penguins (27-11-8)
The Penguins are doing their best to fall off of this list. After a stretch in which they won 17 of 19 games, Pittsburgh has gone cold, as they’ve dropped four in a row. They managed to get loser points in three of them but getting dropped by Seattle and Detroit is nothing to feel good about.
8. Boston Bruins (26-14-3)
Another team that’s cooled off after a tear is the Bruins, who round out this week’s list. Boston looked unbeatable in January but they’ve suddenly dropped three of five. Tuukka Rask has been shelled a couple of times now and has an .844 save percentage in four games. What’s next for Rask and the Bruins?
Worth Mentioning…
The Vegas Golden Knights are edging their way towards the Elite Eight. They had a gauntlet of a road trip before the All-Star break, going through Washington, Carolina, Florida and Tampa, and they came out with wins over the Capitals and Lightning.
Vegas also might soon be adding a reinforcement to the lineup…
Jack Eichel was projected to potentially be making his debut for the Golden Knights at the end of the Olympic break, which, of course, was filled with rescheduled games because NHL players aren’t going to Beijing. The break would have ended on Feb. 22, which seems optimistic for Eichel’s return.
The Golden Knights have a lot of work to do in terms of the salary cap before Eichel makes his debut. How are they going to add a $10.5 million cap hit to their roster? They’ll have to find a way to offload a bunch of salary during the season, which is no easy task.
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