In this edition of the hotstove we share our power rankings for the top-5 teams in hockey. Obviously team records are a factor but plenty of other things are taken into consideration.
Todd Cordell
1. Dallas (15-4-0)
The Stars are scoring a ton of goals, John Klingberg looks the part of a legitimate Norris candidate and their goaltending has been good. Put all that together and you have a Stars team that leads the league in wins despite playing in an absurdly difficult Central Division.
2. New York Rangers (14-2-2)
The Rangers have won nine in a row, have allowed the fewest amount of goals in the league and have a big lead in a pretty tough division.
The Rangers are not flawless - they've struggled in possession and have been outshot somewhat frequently - but Henrik Lundqvist has done an excellent job of masking what problems they do have.
3. Montreal (14-3-2)
They're getting balanced scoring, playing good team defense and they continue to pile up the wins even without Carey Price.
4. Los Angeles (12-6-0)
After an 0-3-0 start the Kings have won 12 of 15. Tyler Toffoli is scoring like there's no tomorrow, they are the best possession team in hockey and they are getting results to show for it. All is good in Los Angeles. I mean, nobody is even talking about Anze Kopitar having tallied just seven points in 18 games.
5. Nashville (11-3-3)
They're the league's 6th best team in possession, they are sound defensively, and they're averaging more than three goals per game. It's no surprise they are tied for 1st in terms of fewest regulation losses.
Tim Chiasson
1. New York Rangers 2. Nashville Predators 3. Dallas Stars 4. Montreal Canadiens 5. St Louis Blues
Hon. Mention: James Reimer
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