NHL Power Rankings 2017: Lightning On Top While Capitals, Golden Knights, And Rangers Surge Up Top 10
The latest NHL power rankings of 2017 arrive with the Tampa Bay Lightning still ruling while other teams are building up steam. Soon, the league will take a break for a few days, but just ahead of that there are teams. including the Washington Capitals and New York Rangers, who have shot up the top 10 list. The Las Vegas Golden Knights are also continuing to set the bar high for their franchise in just its first season of existence.
In the latest edition of the team rankings from Sporting News, it’s noted that the Metropolitan Division made waves with Washington, New York, and New Jersey all rising up this week. In particular, the Capitals made the biggest leap in the top 10 as they went from ninth last week all the way up to the third spot. Washington is now 22-12-1 and second in the division with a four-game win streak.
The top team remains the same, though, as Tampa Bay has continued to look like the top contenders in all of the NHL. They could very well be paving the way on the ice for a trip to the Stanley Cup Finals this postseason. The same could be said of last year’s runner-up in the championship series. The Nashville Predators held onto the No. 2 spot for this week’s power rankings as seen below.
NHL Power Rankings (Week 11)
- Tampa Bay Lightning (24-7-2) (No. 1)
- Nashville Predators (21-8-4) (No. 2)
- Washington Capitals (22-12-1) (No. 9)
- Los Angeles Kings (21-10-4) (No. 5)
- Toronto Maple Leafs (21-13-1) (No. 4)
- Vegas Golden Knights (22-9-2) (No. 10)
- New Jersey Devils (19-9-5) (No. 8)
- New York Rangers (19-12-3) (No. 11)
- St. Louis Blues (22-11-2) (No. 3)
- Winnipeg Jets (20-10-5) (No. 7)
The New York Rangers moved from outside of the top 10 to No. 8. The Rangers (19-12-4) are trying to work their way up the Metropolitan Division standings. They’re fourth right now behind Columbus, Washington, and division leaders, New Jersey. The team is currently ranked in the top 10 in goals per game, goals allowed, power play percentage, and penalty kill percentage, showing just how solid they’re playing so far this season.
The other team that surged in this week’s edition is the Vegas Golden Knights. This team is still playing out its first season in the sports gambling capital of the United States. They’re holding onto the second-place spot in the Pacific Division behind the Los Angeles Kings and have won three-straight games now. Among those victories, was a win over the No. 1 team in the rankings, the Tampa Bay Lightning, 4-3.
Playing important roles in the win were Shea Theodore with a goal and three assists, as well as David Perron, who had three assists in the game. If the team continues their winning ways through the NHL season, it will certainly be considered a successful first campaign in Vegas, with high expectations set for coming seasons.
