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With just less than two weeks to go until the all-star break, teams are either hitting their stride or folding right now. Each game is getting more intense which means there is smaller room for error. Here are this week's top 10 teams:
#10 Boston Bruins: They are 8-0-2 in their last ten games and Boston continues to cause headaches for opponents. Boston is a very good team, but they play in a weak Atlantic Division despite having the Tampa Bay Lightning in it. Tuukka Rask continues to be solid between the pipes with a 15-8-4 record with a .919 save percentage and a 2.25 GAA, along with two shutouts.
Boston has one of the best surprising goal differentials this season. The Bruins have scored 135 goals and given up 105 goals. Their record is 24-10-7 with 55 points so far this season. Last week's ranking: 8.
#9 Pittsburgh Penguins: The Pittsburgh Penguins have scored 19 goals total on their four-game winning streak. Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, and Phil Kessel are in the zone right now. Pittsburgh is 22-4-2 this season when they score three goals or more in a game.
Tristan Jarry has been solid for the Penguins between the pipes this season whenever Matt Murray needs a break or is injured. Jarry's record is 9-3-2 with a .923 save percentage and a 2.33 GAA, along with two shutouts. Pittsburgh's record is 24-19-3 with 51 points so far this season. Last week's ranking: not ranked.
#8 St. Louis Blues: The Blues are starting to slip a little bit and that is not a good thing for them. Whenever Jaden Schwartz returns, it will be a big relief for them. Jake Allen hasn't been lights out lately. He has given up five goals each in his last two starts. St. Louis's record is 26-17-3 with 55 points so far this season. Last week's ranking: 5.
#7 Los Angeles Kings: The Kings are in the middle of a three-game funk and their roller-coaster season continues. They have scored 128 goals in 43 games and the Kings could use a trade that will get them another goal scorer since it is kind of disappearing right now. Their record is 24-14-5 with 53 points so far this season. Last week's ranking: 7.
#6 Calgary Flames: The Flames are on a seven-game winning streak and different players are contributing. Glen Gulutzan is an underrated coach. Johnny Gaudreau has scored 15 goals and recorded 39 assists so far this season. Sean Monahan has scored 21 goals and recorded 21 assists so far this season.
Calgary's blue line is also very underrated and Mike Smith is making a difference between the pipes for the Flames. His record is 20-13-3 with a .924 save percentage and a 2.46 GAA, along with two shutouts. The Flames record this season is 25-16-4 with 54 points and they have jumped into the number two spot in the Pacific Division. Last week's ranking: not ranked.
#5 Nashville Predators: Nashville has had success this season in low scoring games including a 2-1 win against the Edmonton Oilers last Tuesday. Nashville is 11-1-6 this season in games decided by one goal. The Predators were on a bye week after that and they will continue play tomorrow against the Vegas Golden Knights. Nashville's record this season is 25-11-6 with 56 points. Last week's ranking: 6.
#4 Vegas Golden Knights: Vegas was handed a rare home loss to the Edmonton Oilers 3-2 on Saturday Night. The Golden Knights are still a tough team to play against. Vegas was handed their first home loss in regulation since October 13 against the Detroit Red Wings 6-3. Vegas has only given up 116 goals this season and that's pretty good. Their record is 29-10-3 with 61 points. Last week's ranking: 2.
#3 Washington Capitals: The Washington Capitals are currently in the middle of their bye week. They defeated the Carolina Hurricanes 4-3 on January 12 before the bye week. Alex Ovechkin now has 28 goals on the year.
The Capitals continue to quietly climb in the standings. Washington's record is now 28-14-3 with 59 points so far this season. Last week's ranking: 4.
#2 Winnipeg Jets: The Jets are flying high right now. They are one of the biggest surprises in the NHL this season and are primed for a championship run. Winnipeg is 16-3-1 at home but they are just 10-10-6 on the road. Winnipeg's record so far this season is 26-13-7 with 59 points. Last week's ranking: 3.
#1Tampa Bay Lightning: The Lightning continue to be at the top of the NHL standings and power rankings which isn't a surprise. They have four all-stars going to the game in Steven Stamkos, Nikita Kucherov, Victor Hedman, and Andrei Vasilevskiy.
Tampa Bay has scored 161 goals so far this season and they have given up 112 goals. Their record is 31-10-3 with 65 points. Last week's ranking: 1.
