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It is crazy to think that the final week of the NHL regular season is upon us. Eight teams have clinched playoff spots and eight more are still to be decided. The final week of the regular season is always crazy deciding seeds. Here are this week's top 10 NHL teams:
10. Pittsburgh Penguins: The Pittsburgh Penguins will be heading to the postseason for the 12th consecutive season after a 5-2 win on Saturday Night against the Montreal Canadiens, but Pittsburgh are starting to fold a little bit. They suffered a bad 5-2 loss against the Detroit Red Wings on Tuesday Night on the road and a 3-1 loss at home against the Washington Capitals on Sunday Night. Pittsburgh lives and dies by scoring three or more goals to win a game. Pittsburgh has only two wins all season when they score less than that. The Penguins have a monstrous game on the road against the Columbus Blue Jackets on Thursday and it will have a major impact on playoff seeding. Pittsburgh's record so far this season is 45-29-6 with 96 points. Last week's ranking: 7
9. San Jose Sharks: The San Jose Sharks have hit a three-game skid, but they are still going to be a tough out come playoff time. The Sharks lost to three caliber playoff teams this past week on the road against the St. Louis Blues 3-2 in overtime on Tuesday, 5-3 on Thursday against the Nashville Predators, and 3-2 on Saturday. Joe Pavelski (21 goals and 42 assists) and Brent Burns (11 goals and 52 assists) each have 63 points for the Sharks so far this season. San Jose's record so far this season is 44-25-10 with 98 points. Last week's ranking: 6.
8. Columbus Blue Jackets: The Blue Jackets are starting to get serious production from Pierre-Luc Dubois. He is becoming a big time player for Columbus and he will be a headache to deal with come playoff time. Dubois has 19 goals and 26 assists so far this season for Columbus. He recorded a hat-trick in a 5-1 win on Thursday Night on the road against the Calgary Flames. Thomas Vanek also recorded a hat-trick this for Columbus in Wednesday Night's 7-3 win on the road against the Edmonton Oilers. The Blue Jackets offense is becoming dangerous at the right time of year. Columbus's record so far this season is 44-29-6 with 94 points. Last week's ranking: 10.
7. Toronto Maple Leafs: Toronto continues to win games when they score three or more goals and they continue to lose games when they don't. The Maple Leafs won 4-3 on Wednesday Night against the Florida Panthers at home and 5-4 on Friday Night on the road against the New York Islanders. Toronto lost 3-2 on Monday Night at home against the Buffalo Sabres and 3-1 on Saturday Night against the Winnipeg Jets. The Maple Leafs have four dangerous lines. Matthews continues to lead the charge for the Maple Leafs. He has 31 goals and 26 assists so far this season. Toronto has scored the second most goals so far this season in the NHL with 267. The Maple Leafs record so far this season is 47-25-7 with 101 points. Last week's ranking: 5.
6. Washington Capitals: Philipp Grubauer is starting to seize the starting crease from Braden Holtby. Grubauer made 34 saves in a 3-1 win on the road on Sunday Night against the Pittsburgh Penguins. He has been more steady and has gained the trust in head coach Barry Trotz. Washington will be the number one seed for the third consecutive season in the Metropolitan Division. The Capitals won't feel as much pressure as in years past. This is what they want and they feel like they can be dangerous with that. Washington's record so far this season is 47-25-7 with 101 points. Last week's ranking: 9.
5. Vegas Golden Knights: William Karlsson scored a highlight reel goal in Saturday Night's 3-2 win against the San Jose Sharks. Karlsson has scored 42 goals so far this season and he also has recorded 33 assists. He has been the Golden Knights best offensive player so far this season. Vegas is also heading to the playoffs in their inaugural season and they also have won the Pacific Division. Vegas has the third best goal differential in the NHL at 50 (263 goals scored/213 goals given up). The Golden Knights record so far this season is 50-22-7 with 107 points. Last week's ranking: 8.
4. Tampa Bay Lightning: The struggles for Tampa Bay continue as they lost 4-1 against the Nashville Predators on Sunday and 4-2 on Thursday Night against the Boston Bruins on the road. Steven Stamkos left the game against the Predators with a lower-body injury and he did not return. Head coach John Cooper provided no update after the game, but Stamkos is now listed day-to-day. Stamkos has scored 27 goals and recorded 59 assists so far this season. Tampa Bay plays Boston once again tomorrow night, but this time it is at home. The Lightning have the second best goal differential in the NHL at 55 (283 goals scored/208 goals given up). Tampa Bay's record so far this season is 52-23-4 with 108 points. Last week's ranking: 3.
3. Winnipeg Jets: The Jets are 7-2-1 in their last 10 games and they continue to styme opponents. They picked up a huge 3-1 win on the road on Saturday Night against the Toronto Maple Leafs. Connor Hellebuyck made 28 saves in that game and he continues to be a story for the Jets between the pipes. His record so far this season is 41-11-9 with a .926 save percentage and a 2.36 GAA, along with six shutouts. Winnipeg also picked up a big 5-4 win at home in a shootout against the Boston Bruins. Dustin Byfuglien scored a goal against the Maple Leafs and he has seven goals and 35 assists so far this season. He is influencing the defensive unit for Winnipeg. Blake Wheeler leads the Jets with 87 points (20 goals and 67 assists) and Patrik Laine leads the Jets with 43 goals and 29 of them are on the power play. Winnipeg has a goal differential of 53 (260 goals scored/207 goals given up). The Jets record so far this season is 48-20-10 with 106 points. Last week's ranking: 4.
2. Boston Bruins: Even though the Boston Bruins lost 5-4 in a shootout on Tuesday Night on the road against the Winnipeg Jets and 4-3 in overtime on the road against the Philadelphia Flyers on Sunday Afternoon, the Bruins picked up the most important win this week when they defeated the Tampa Bay Lightning 4-2 at home on Thursday Night. David Pastrnak scored a goal and recorded an assist in Thursday's game. He has scored 33 goals and recorded 45 assists so far this season. Patrice Bergeron scored a tying goal with 3.8 seconds remaining in regulation against the Flyers. Bergeron has 30 goals and recorded 31 assists so far this season. Ryan Donato continues to be impressive for the Bruins offense. He has four goals and recorded three assists in eight games with them. Boston has the best goal differential in the NHL with 60 (261 goals scored/201 goals given up). The Bruins record so far this season is 49-17-12 with 110 points. Last week's ranking: 2.
1.Nashville Predators: Filip Forsberg lit the lamp twice and recorded an assist in Sunday Night's 4-1 win against the Tampa Bay Lightning on the road. Forsberg has scored 23 goals and recorded 38 assists so far this season. Backup goalie Juuse Saros made 29 saves in Sunday Night's win. Saros has been a reliable backup for Pekka Rinne so far this season. His record is 10-5-7 with a .926 save percentage and a 2.41 GAA, along with three shutouts. Nashville needs just one more win or one more Winnipeg loss to clinch the number one seed in the Central Division. The Predators have a goal differential of 54 so far this season (258 goals scored/204 goals given up). Nashville's record so far this season is 51-17-11 with 113 points. Last week's ranking: 1.
