The playoff picture has been narrowed down to 13. The latest series win came from Pittsburgh, as the Penguins disposed of the Rangers in five lopsided games. With Washington, St. Louis, and Dallas struggling to finish their series, the Penguins have taken a jump in the NHL Power Rankings. Meanwhile, the Chicago Blackhawks have come back from 3-1 to force Game 7 in St. Louis. This could be the end of the line for Blues’ coach Ken Hitchcock.
1. Washington Capitals
They still have the upper hand at taking out the Flyers, but Philly, mostly because of Michal Neuvirth, is finally beginning to show that they are worthy of their playoff spot. Washington has been outscored 4-1 in their last two games despite outshooting the Flyers 76-36, and their offense needs to figure out how to beat Neuvirth before another playoff appearance ends in an early exit. It was a quiet, yet brutal, night for Braden Holtby. He faced just ten shots for the entire game, but he allowed a goal off of defenseman Taylor Chorney to take his second loss in three days.
2. Pittsburgh Penguins
Either the Rangers are absurdly weak or the Penguins are serious Stanley Cup contenders. Or both. Regardless, Pittsburgh is moving on to face either Washington or Philadelphia, and either matchup should be fun to watch. The Penguins are continuing to prove that they are more than just the red-hot Phil Kessel, Sidney Crosby, Marc-Andre Fleury, and Evgeni Malkin, as Bryan Rust had two goals and an assist in the second period of Game 5 to help finish off New York.
3. Dallas Stars
Like Washington, Dallas is not pushing the panic button…yet. They have to travel to Minnesota, where the fans will be especially hyped, to avoid a do-or-die Game 7. That is because their defense gave up two late Mikko Koivu goals in Game 5 to give Minnesota life. Jason Spezza has now scored in three of the five games after a quick turnaround goal in Game 5.
4. Chicago Blackhawks
Even if the Blackhawks lose Game 7, they might have derailed the Blues once again. They have come back from a 3-1 hole with just one Patrick Kane goal. Do not let that stat fool you. That one goal was the overtime winner in Game 5, and Kane has assists in five straight games. He continues to be the most valuable player in both Chicago and the NHL.
5. Tampa Bay Lightning
Maybe Tampa Bay benefitted from a weaker opponent, but they too look destined for bigger things. The Panthers/Islanders series result is still uncertain (Now a 3-2 Islander lead heading into Game 6), but it likely will not matter if Tampa Bay continues to play like they did against Detroit. Ben Bishop recorded his first shutout of the 2016 playoffs in the series clincher, which was possible after Alex Killorn tipped in the game’s only goal with under two minutes left in regulation.
6. St. Louis Blues
The embarrassment that is the Blues in the playoffs has returned. After nearly clinching the series in Game 5 (until Patrick Kane happened), the Blues let Game 6 slip away as well. The home fans would not like to see their team get an early exit for the fourth straight season, but that just might happen considering all the momentum that Chicago is carrying. Vladimir Tarasenko’s playing time was relatively low in Game 6, and that might make Ken Hitchcock’s case for the head coaching job even worse.
7. San Jose Sharks
While lots of fans braced for another LA comeback, they were surprised to find out that it never happened. San Jose ripped off three third-period goals in Game 5 to put away any remaining nightmares from two seasons ago. Brent Burns had more assists (six) than there were LA-SJ games (five) after getting three in Game 5. One of those assists resulted in the go-ahead goal from Joonas Donskoi.
8. Anaheim Ducks
After losing the first two games at home, the Ducks have roared back to take control of the series. Their win in Game 5 was the first win from the home team in the series. They can clinch the series on Monday and go 3-0 in Nashville. Frederik Andersen’s save percentage in his three starts is north of 96.5%. Only Michal Neuvirth has a better percentage.
9. New York Islanders
New York is one win away from taking on Tampa Bay, and a lot of that is because of…Alan Quine? The former sixth-round pick scored in first career game on April 9. His next goal? The game-winner in overtime to give the Islanders Game 5. That is how you make a good first impression.
10. Nashville Predators
There is nothing good about losing three straight playoff games. After going home with a 2-0 series lead over Anaheim, they suddenly return to their home crowd down 3-2. Getting eliminated in Game 6 would only be fitting for a team who cannot win in front of their own fans when it matters most. Miikka Salomaki scored his first career postseason goal in Game 5.
11. Florida Panthers
The Panthers now have to win in Brooklyn and in Sunrise to avoid elimination. This franchise has been so unsuccessful that they have not won a playoff series in any year outside of 1996. On the bright side, this team will likely have plenty of chances to win a playoff series with or without Jaromir Jagr because of their excellent core of young players. Roberto Luongo made 40 saves in Game 5 before finally giving up a second goal in double overtime.
12. Philadelphia Flyers
Both the Wild and the Flyers are second wild-cards looking for a shocking comeback, but the tiebreaker here is Michal Neuvirth. He replaced the inconsistent Steve Mason, who looked brutal in the first three game of the season, and has allowed just one goal in Philly’s two wins. He will likely be in line for the starting goaltender position next year, but it might as well be sealed if the Flyers win this series over Washington.
13. Minnesota Wild
After Dallas rallied to take a late lead in Game 5, Mikko Koivu put the team on his back (I guess he is doing his captain job correctly). He scored late in regulation and again in overtime to extend the series. Minnesota’s concern will be whether the offense can keep up with Dallas’s offense for two more games. This would certainly be an epic upset considering how poorly Minnesota finished the season.