Todd Cordell
1. Washington Capitals (32-7-3)
Alex Ovechkin, Nicklas Backstrom, Evgeny Kuznetsov and Braden Holtby are all playing outstanding hockey. That's bad news for the rest of the NHL.
2. Chicago Blackhawks (28-13-4)
The Blackhawks have won eight in a row and are now just two points behind Dallas for 2nd in the West.
3. Dallas Stars (29-11-4)
The Stars have slowed down of late (4-4-2 in last 10) but they still lead the league in goals, are 2nd in goal differential and are very strong in possession. They'll get going again soon.
4. Los Angeles Kings (27-12-4)
The Kings were winning a lot of games when Anze Kopitar was struggling offensively. They're winning even more now that Kopitar has found his game. In the last nine games Kopitar has 15 points. LA is 7-1-1 in those nine.
5. Florida Panthers (26-13-5)
They've won 12 of 14 and picked up at least a point in 13 of 14. They're not as good as their record indicates but their recent run earned them a spot in the top-5.
James Tanner Ignoring the standings, here are the five best teams in the NHL. They are the best because they don't need Vezina level goaltending to win games.
LA Kings
They lead the league in possession by 1.8 pts, which, when you consider the small range of Corsi, is massive.
Anaheim
Their ridiculous 4.2% shooting is killing them, but they are still one of the best teams in hockey. I submit that their luck is so bad that they are actually the second best team in the NHL, despite having the 24th best record.
They are 3rd in CF%. 4th lowest in HD scoring chances against, 2nd lowest in scoring chances against, and they are the best shot suppression team in hockey.
They have great goaltending, and Ryan Getzlaf - in what has to be one of the biggest freak occurrences ever - has zero 5v5 goals in like 40 games.
Nashville
Dominant possession team that allows hardly any shots. A potential line of Forsberg, Johansen and Neal is crazy.
Dallas
Less defensive than the rest, but they make up for it with a crazy good offense. They are a good possession team and I like their style of play.
St.Louis
The only team that ranks with the Oilers in terms of bad injury luck so far. When they can actually ice the team they will be close to unstoppable.
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