Article Written By: Adam Wible
1. Anaheim Ducks (79pts)- Anaheim has been hot, winning eight in a row, before falling Friday night in Chicago. The Ducks are the hottest team in the NHL going 9-1-0, in their last 10 games. Anaheim is loaded all over the top five rankings, in almost every category. The biggest role has been played by goalie Jonas Hiller, ranked fifth in wins (23) has played on fire as of late. The Ducks are 20-0-2 at home, and play four of their next five games at the Honda Center. Anaheim will be apart of the LA Stadium Series outdoor game held at Dodger Field Saturday against the Los Angeles Kings. (WPG,LAK,@LAK(DS),MIN,PHI)
2. Chicago Blackhawks (75pts)- Chicago has been on a roll at home, beating the red hot Ducks Friday night, and following up with a shootout victory Sunday afternoon. The United Center has been very friendly to the Hawks. Having two solid goalies certainly helps, with Cory Crawford finally back from injury and Antti Raanta filling the void. Chicago should pick up some wins this week with a favorable schedule, though four of the next five are on the road. (@DET,@MIN,WPG,@CGY,@VAN)
3. Pittsburgh Penguins (70pts)- Pittsburgh is in cruise control in the Eastern Conference. The closest teams are seven points behind in the standings, and if you look at Pittsburgh’s schedule this week you’ll have a good chuckle. Having the best player and goaltender in the game is almost unfair. The overall team game Pittsburgh plays is at the top of the charts. The Penguins have three cake games to get a solid streak going into the olympic break, let’s see what they can do. (FLA,MTL,@NYI,@DAL,BUF)
4. St. Louis Blues (69pts)- St. Louis is coming off a weekend of losing to the Southern Cal hockey teams. Losing 4-1 Thursday to the Kings, and 3-2 Saturday against the Ducks. That’s not the exact start you want heading into a four game road trip out East. They’ll have their hands full as they try to track down Chicago for the Central Division lead. (@DET,@NJD,@NYR,@NYI,NJD)
5. Colorado Avalanche (67pts)- The Avalanche continue to get momentum out West, winning four in a row and going 8-1-1 in their last 10 games. Two of those wins came against Chicago in the Windy City and in Minnesota. Colorado looks to keep momentum rolling as they host Toronto, before heading on a three game road trip. (TOR,@FLA,@TB,@DAL,MIN)
6. San Jose Sharks (68pts)- San Jose comes into this week winning four out of their last five games, that being an overtime loss to Boston. The Sharks look to improve their impressive home record of 16-2-3, as they begin a four game home stand this week. Antti Niemi should add to his win column, during this nice break at home. (CGY,WPG,MIN,LAK,@EDM)
7. Los Angeles Kings (64pts)- Los Angeles made moves earlier this week, dealing back up goalie Ben Scrivens to Edmonton. With the return of world class goaltender Jonathan Quick, there simply wasn’t enough room or the need to keep three goaltenders. There’s talks of trading for Buffalo Forward Matt Moulson. Moulson certainly can provide a spark to help boost the Kings back to the top of the Western Conference. The Kings are on the road for the next five games, though they are the home team for the Dodger Stadium Series Game Saturday. (@BOS,@CBJ,@ANA,ANA(DS)@SJS)
8. Tampa Bay Lightning (63pts)- Goalie Ben Bishop has been hot for the Lightning as of late. Ranked statistically in the top five in almost every major category, Bishop has given Tampa Bay a chance to make noise in the Metropolitan Division. Martin St. Louis, after being left off the Canadian Olympic Team, showed how good he was scoring four goals in 22 minutes Saturday, in a losing effort to the Sharks. Bishop should have no problem getting the Lightning back into contention for the top spot in the Eastern Conference. (OTT,COL,@TOR,@OTT,@MTL)
9. Boston Bruins (63pts)- The Bruins couldn’t convert on many opportunities Sunday in Chicago, as they fell to the Blackhawks 3-2 in a shootout. Boston missed plenty of golden opportunities late in regulation, and overtime. Tuukka Rask and company need to right the ship, as they have played very inconsistent the past 10 games (4-5-1). Their schedule isn’t too favorable this week, but Boston knows they need a streak. Lets see if they can get one going. (LAK,PHI,@NYI,FLA,MTL)
10. Minnesota Wild (59pts)- Minnesota is coming off a 3-2 overtime win at home over Dallas Saturday Night, and has won three out of its last four games. Josh Harding has kept the Wild in contention for the Central Division lead. His 1.65 GAA and .933 Save % are the best in the Conference. With their next five games coming up against the top teams in the West, this may be a make or break run for the Wild. (@DAL,CHI,@SJS,@ANA,@COL)