It almost comedic how poorly the Bruins have choked over the past two seasons, but I will leave that topic for the Boston writers. These NHL Power Rankings are all about the playoff teams. Here is a look at the strength of each contender (or pretender) after the first night of playoff hockey.
1. Washington Capitals
The Flyers are far from the weakest team in the playoffs, but the Capitals are certainly the team to beat this season. They had 120 points this season, which is the most since…surprise! They were the last team to do that in 2009-2010. Unfortunately, they lost in the first round to Montreal, and they will have to get by Philadelphia to avoid further embarrassment. If they win, they will likely take on either Pittsburgh or New York (Rangers), so expect a lot of NBC Coverage (and Doc Emrick) in the near future. Alex Ovechkin had a hat trick against St. Louis, giving him 50 goals for the third consecutive season and seventh time in his career. HOF worthy, indeed.
2. Dallas Stars
Despite heavy pressure from the Blues, Dallas clinched the Western Conference with a win over Nashville. They should have the easiest first round matchup, for they take on a Wild team that is just stone cold right now. Tyler Seguin is a game time decision for Game 1, but the offense will likely be suffocating even without him. Antti Niemi has not allowed more than two goals in his last five starts, so it will be interesting to see if he gets a look in goal for the playoffs.
3. St. Louis Blues
Their worst nightmare came true this week. After falling to the Capitals, the Blues have to take on the Blackhawks in the first round. That is not a good omen for a team that desperately trying to earn a playoff series win. They got it done, barely, in Game 1. It took nearly 70 minutes, but David Backes found the back of the net to defeat Chicago in overtime.
4. Chicago Blackhawks
They would still be lower in the regular season Power Rankings, but it is playoff time, and this usually means a good two months for Chicago. Now one of the top four teams is guaranteed to be eliminated in the first round, but who moves on could be decided in seven games. Corey Crawford looked rusty in his return from injury against Columbus, but he looked great in Game 1 before finally faltering in overtime.
5. Pittsburgh Penguins
No Marc-Andre Fleury? For now, no problem. The star goalie was sidelined with a concussion, but Jeff Zatkoff, with everyone holding their breath at the Consol Energy Center, dominated against the aggressive Rangers, He made 35 saves on 37 New York shots to preserve the win. Patric Hornqvist earned his first career postseason hat trick, and he may be needed some more with Evgeni Malkin still out. Pittsburgh has now won a ridiculous 15 times in their last 17 games.
6. Anaheim Ducks
The Ducks took the Pacific Division title away from the Kings by winning in Washington. That does not sound that impressive since the Capitals had no intention of winning (John Carlson, Nicklas Backstrom, and Alex Ovechkin all sat out), but it helped the Ducks with their playoff seeding. Anaheim-Nashville is certainly not a very popular playoff battle, but it could be very entertaining considering Nashville’s balanced attack and Anaheim’s explosiveness. Fredrik Andersen had the luxury of having an easy shutout, his third of the season, on Sunday.
7. Florida Panthers
The most up-and-coming team in the NHL had little competition in their quest to the Atlantic Division championship, but now they must prove they are for real by defeating the New York Islanders. That could be easier considering the fan base took a punch to the stomach with having home games in Brooklyn; the Panthers could steal some games on the road. Can the Islanders fans possibly make the BB&T Center their home away from home?
8. Los Angeles Kings (101 points)
Last week: 4 (97 points)
A shootout loss to Winnipeg is the reason why they failed to win the Pacific Division. Tough. Now they get another showdown with the Sharks. They knocked San Jose out in the most dramatic way in 2014 (a 3-0 comeback), and it eventually resulted in a crazy adventure to the Stanley Cup. Can they do it again? Milan Lucic could be on his way towards a repeat of 2011 in Boston. He had four points in his last three games, including two goals in Calgary. He had five goals, seven assists and a +12 +/- to help Boston win the Stanley Cup in 2011.
9. Tampa Bay Lightning
The road back to the top is officially on full steam. Nikita Kucherov scored twice on Detroit in the first two periods, but it was an Alex Killorn tip-in that gave the Lightning Game 1. Tampa Bay should expect there to be more endings like that one if they want to win the Stanley Cup and redeem themselves from last season.
10. New York Islanders
The Islanders “blew” an opportunity to move up in the Metropolitan Division with a loss to Philadelphia. Had they won, they would have had to face the Penguins, but now they take on Florida. Considering the trend that Pittsburgh is on, it may have been a good idea to take their chances on the Panthers. Casey Cizikas has become a bigger part of the offense lately, especially in the Isles’ statement victory over the Rangers. He is worth keeping an eye on down in the Sunshine State.
11. Nashville Predators
The success of the Predators this postseason will be a mystery heading into Game 1. Will they get the October Ducks or the March Ducks. Depending on which one comes, the Predators could shake up the Western Conference Playoff picture. Their consistent, balanced attack could be more frightening than perceived, and newcomer Ryan Johansen. Despite just 14 goals on the season and a rather negative reputation to outside followers, he has quietly put up 46 assists this season. He could possibly go from doghouse in Columbus to hero in Tennessee.
12. New York Rangers
Got to wonder if this just is not the year for the Rangers. They limped their way into the postseason, and Pittsburgh squashed them in Game 1. It will likely take more than a brick wall to stop this runaway train. It certainly did not help that Henrik Lundqvist had to leave the game with a facial injury.
13. San Jose Sharks
San Jose should still be reeling after what happened to them the last time they saw the Kings, or any team for that matter, in the playoffs. Now they do not have home ice advantage, so knocking out their biggest rival should be doubly difficult. Brent Burns will get the attention on defense, but keep a close eye on Brenden Dillon. He had two helpers in the win over Minnesota last week and can be a huge enforcer for the rivalry.
14. Philadelphia Flyers
The way they have played recently, the Flyers probably should be higher on the list. Of course, they got hot after they had been counted out, and now they have the challenge of taking on Washington. They just beat them a couple of weeks ago, so they once again should not be counted out. Michael has made a habit out of scoring in bunches this season, and he had a goal and two assists in the win over the Islanders on Sunday. Will he save his points for Game 7 in DC?
15. Detroit Red Wings
Losing Game 1 in Tampa was a downer, but they looked competitive. It was Jimmy Howard who got the start for Detroit in Game 1, and he made 31 saves on Tampa Bay. It remains to be known as to whether he earned the start in Game 2 with Petr Mrazek lurking. Mike Green scored six of his seven regular season goals after the turn of the new year, and he only needed Game 1 to get his tenth career postseason goal.
16. Minnesota Wild
Sometimes missing the playoffs can be a learning experience. Just ask the Winnipeg Jets and Calgary Flames. The Wild, meanwhile, made the playoffs even those they probably do not deserve it looked lost during the second half of the season and now have to take on the best offense in the NHL. This series could get ugly very quickly if Dallas remains focused. Zac Dalpe, who played in 55 games with Vancouver in 2013-2014, scored his first and only goal of the season in Minnesota’s 2-1 loss to Calgary on Saturday.