NHL Power Rankings: Tim Thomas, Bruins reign supreme

Tarik El-Bashir assesses the top teams in the National Hockey League this week (Jan. 20). Records are through Thursday’s games.

5 Seconds

00:00

1 (1 last week): Boston Bruins; 30-13-1

Although the defending champs are 2-2-0 in their last four games, they rank second in goals against per game (2.00), first in goals for (3.54) and, thus, still are the team to beat. Tim Thomas and the B’s close out the month against the Rangers, Flyers, Capitals and Senators. Whew.

Chris O'Meara / AP

2 (4 last week): Detroit Red Wings; 31-15-1

They’ve won five in a row, sit atop the NHL standings and Pavel Datsyuk is playing like an MVP. Datsyuk has 13 points in the past nine games and a team-best 51 this season. On Monday, the Red Wings host St. Louis in a potential showdown for first place in the Western Conference at Joe Louis Arena, where they’ve won 15 in a row.

Ronald Martinez / Getty Images

3 (3 last week): New York Rangers; 29-12-4

After Thursday’s 4-1 defeat on home ice to the Penguins, they dropped to 2-3-0 in their last five, a stretch that also includes lopsided losses to Ottawa and Montreal. Henrik Lundqvist and Co. need to bounce back Saturday in Boston if they hope to remain atop the Eastern Conference standings.

Graham Hughes / AP

4 (7 last week): St. Louis Blues; 28-12-6

In a span of 10 weeks, Coach Ken Hitchcock has turned the Blues into bona fide contenders. They’re 7-0-1 this month and only a point behind the Red Wings in the Central Division after goalie Jaroslav Halak pitched back-to-back 1-0 victories over Dallas and Edmonton. Halak has three shutouts in four games and is 10-0-3 in his last 13 starts.

Dilip Vishwanat / Getty Images

5 (6 last week): Chicago Blackhawks; 28-12-6

After opening 2012 with three consecutive losses, the ’Hawks are 4-0-2 in their last six games. MVP candidate Jonathan Toews scored twice in Wednesday’s 6-2 win over Buffalo, giving him 26 goals (second in the NHL behind Steven Stamkos’s 31) and 41 points in his past 36 games.

Nam Y. Huh / AP

6 (2 last week): Vancouver Canucks; 28-15-4

The Northwest Division leaders opened a six-game homestand this week with losses to Anaheim and Los Angeles (in a shootout). And with San Jose, Chicago and Detroit scheduled to make visits in the coming 13 days, this won’t be a staycation. The Daniel and Henrik Sedin-led power play still leads the NHL at 23.8 percent.

Rich Lam / Getty Images

7 (9 last week) Ottawa Senators; 27-16-6

Joining Ken Hitchcock as a coach of the year candidate has to be Paul MacLean, whose team is 8-1-1 in 2012. Center Kyle Turris has four goals, nine assists and a plus-minus rating of plus-13 since the surging Senators acquired the 22-year-old from Phoenix on Dec. 17. In the 16 games since his arrival, Ottawa is 12-2-2.

Claus Andersen / Getty Images

$After suffering setbacks against Chicago and Ottawa this week, the Sharks find themselves clinging to a one-point lead over Los Angeles in the Pacific Division. With fifth-leading scorer Ryane Clowe (facial fracture) joining Martin Havlat (hamstring surgery) on injured reserve, they’re going to need more from captain Joe Thornton, who has one point in the last five games.$

8 (8 last week): San Jose Sharks; 26-13-5

After suffering setbacks against Chicago and Ottawa this week, the Sharks find themselves clinging to a one-point lead over Los Angeles in the Pacific Division. With fifth-leading scorer Ryane Clowe (facial fracture) joining Martin Havlat (hamstring surgery) on injured reserve, they’re going to need more from captain Joe Thornton, who has one point in the last five games.

Marcio Jose Sanchez / AP

9 (10 last week): Nashville; 27-16-4

Since Dec. 28, the team with the league’s lowest payroll has defied expectations, winning 11 of 13 games and vaulting into sixth place in the Western Conference. Goalie Pekka Rinne has won his last six starts, yielding a total of eight goals in that span.

Henny Ray Abrams / AP

10 (5 last week): Philadelphia Flyers; 27-14-4

They dropped two of their past three, including Thursday’s unsightly 4-1 loss to the Islanders, New York’s first win on Broad Street in 14 games. Leading scorer Claude Giroux hasn’t scored since the Winter Classic and has two goals in his last 15 games.

Mike Strasinger / AP

FEATURED PHOTO GALLERIES

BALTIMORE, MD - MAY 18: Jockey Gary Stevens rides Oxbow out to the front of the pack on the first straight away during the 138th Running of the Preakness Stakes at Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore, Md., on Saturday, May 18, 2013. (Photo by Toni L. Sandys/The Washington Post)

Oxbow wins and infield fun at Preakness Stakes in Baltimore

Oxbow put D. Wayne Lukas in the record books again with an upset of Orb in the Preakness, giving the Hall of Fame trainer his 14th win in a Triple...

New York Yankees' Travis Hafner bats during the fifth inning of a baseball game against the Kansas City Royals Sunday, May 12, 2013, in Kansas City, Mo. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)

MLB power rankings

Barry Svrluga assesses the best teams in Major League Baseball through Thursday.

WASHINGTON, DC - MAY 13: Many seminary graduates are choosing not to become pastors. Rebecca J. Cole received her Master of Divinity and is becoming a community organizer on Capitol Hill. She hugs another graduate after the ceremony. The 2013 Commencement ceremony for Wesley Theological Seminary was held on May 13 at the Washington National Cathedral. (Photo by Sarah L. Voisin/The Washington Post)

Eager to minister, but not from the pulpit

An increasing number of divinity students who don’t plan to become pastors envision using their degrees to “minister” in a...

epa03704474 A Muslim woman at the ThetKalPyin temporary relief camp near Sittwe in Rakhine State, Western Myanmar, 17 May 2013. A total of 13 people were confirmed dead in neighboring Bangladesh as people began to return home from shelters, a day after Cyclone Mahasen hit the coast, officials said 17 May. EPA/NYEIN CHAN NAING

Photos of the day

Cyclone Mahasen, Texas tornadoes, puffin census, melting Swiss glacier and more.

LOS ANGELES, CA - MAY 16: American Idol Season 12 Winner Candice Glover (C) is seen onstage during Fox's 'American Idol 2013' Finale Results Show at Nokia Theatre L.A. Live on May 16, 2013 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Kevin Winter/Getty Images)

Candice Glover wins 12th season of ‘American Idol’

The 23-year-old vocal powerhouse from St. Helena Island, S.C., tops competition in her third try.

US actress Claire Julien smiles on May 16, 2013 while posing during a photocall for the film 'The Bling Ring' at the 66th edition of the Cannes Film Festival in Cannes. Cannes, one of the world's top film festivals, opened on May 15 and will climax on May 26 with awards selected by a jury headed this year by Hollywood legend Steven Spielberg. AFP PHOTO / ALBERTO PIZZOLI (Photo credit should read ALBERTO PIZZOLI/AFP/Getty Images)

Eye on entertainment

Claire Julien, David Hasselhoff, Freida Pinto, Candice Glover, Martin Short and more.

**LOC IMAGE** Geo. Hamilton, Assistant Superintendent, Cambria Iron Mills house, Johnstown Flood, May 31st, 1889. (Photo by Ernest Walter Histed / Library of Congress)

The Johnstown Flood of 1889

On May 31, 1889, the South Fork dam that held Lake Conemaugh failed, and 20 million tons of water descended upon Johnstown, Pa. The flood claimed the lives of 2,209 people and spurred...

HACIPASA, TURKEY - MAY 5: Syrian refugee Hala ponders her life on the run on Sunday, May 5, 2013, in Hacipasa, Turkey. Three times this morning, the sounds of aircrafts were followed by explosions that shook the ground. Hacipasa, which sits just across the river border from Syria, is home of several hundred Syrian refugees who have been displaced by their home country's conflict. For a year, Hala and her family have been displaced from their home village in Syria because of violent conflict. After bouncing from village to village, fleeing bombings that seemed to follow them, the family crossed into Turkey six weeks ago. Initially, the family was deported back into Syria, where they lived in camps for internally displaced Syrians. But when the camps were bombed, the family was allowed to cross into Turkey. Hala said, 'The blood of the people who died in Syria, the martyrs, is our sad song, but nobody is listening.' (Photo by Jahi Chikwendiu/The Washington Post)

Turkey faces a refugee crisis

More than 400,000 Syrians have crossed into Turkey seeking refuge from the conflict at home. Finding its resources stretched, Turkey is urgently appealing for international aid and...

Back to Previous Gallery

Discussion Policy | FAQ | About Discussions

Comments

Add your comment

Read what others are saying About Badges

SuperFan Badge

SuperFan badge holders consistently post smart, timely comments about Washington area sports and teams.

More about badges | Request a badge

Culture Connoisseur Badge

Culture Connoisseurs consistently offer thought-provoking, timely comments on the arts, lifestyle and entertainment.

More about badges | Request a badge

Fact Checker Badge

Fact Checkers contribute questions, information and facts to The Fact Checker.

More about badges | Request a badge

Washingtologist Badge

Washingtologists consistently post thought-provoking, timely comments on events, communities, and trends in the Washington area.

More about badges | Request a badge

Post Writer Badge

This commenter is a Washington Post editor, reporter or producer.

Post Forum Badge

Post Forum members consistently offer thought-provoking, timely comments on politics, national and international affairs.

More about badges | Request a badge

Weather Watcher Badge

Weather Watchers consistently offer thought-provoking, timely comments on climates and forecasts.

More about badges | Request a badge

World Watcher Badge

World Watchers consistently offer thought-provoking, timely comments on international affairs.

More about badges | Request a badge

Post Contributor Badge

This commenter is a Washington Post contributor. Post contributors aren’t staff, but may write articles or columns. In some cases, contributors are sources or experts quoted in a story.

More about badges | Request a badge

Post Recommended

Washington Post reporters or editors recommend this comment or reader post.

You must be logged in to report a comment.

Comments our editors find particularly useful or relevant are displayed in Top Comments, as are comments by users with these badges: . Replies to those posts appear here, as well as posts by staff writers.

All comments are posted in the All Comments tab.

More about badges

Get a badge

To pause and restart automatic updates, click "Live" or "Paused". If paused, you'll be notified of the number of additional comments that have come in.