The days are warmer, the sunlight lasts a little longer and baseball is here. Hope springs eternal, but that shouldn’t just apply to baseball. We’re looking at reasons for each NHL team to be hopeful in this edition of NHL Power Rankings.
For MLB fans watching their favorite team’s season get underway, the crushing reality that it will almost certainly end without a World Series hasn’t set in yet. The same can’t be said for NHL fans with just a dozen games left in the regular season, but that doesn’t mean we can’t mine a little hope out of even the worst circumstances.
One team not lacking hope these days is the St. Louis Blues. They’ve won seven games in a row and have pulled within two spots of the first wild card spot in the West. This turnaround, which began under new coach Jim Montgomery, has been fueled by elite defense. That’s not something I expected to type about this Blues team, but I can’t deny the results.
Since Montgomery made his debut on Nov. 25, St. Louis has allowed expected goals against at the lowest rate in the NHL, per Natural Stat Trick. In the month of March, the Blues have allowed two or fewer goals in nine of their 13 games. That has powered the hot streak that has the team looking incredibly dangerous with the playoffs just a few weeks away.
As the Blues build hope for another surprising Cup run, here are the updated NHL Power Rankings with one reason every team should feel hopeful.
Expected goals and goals saved above average data courtesy of Natural Stat Trick.
| RK | TEAMS | CHG | RCRD | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
 AVALANCHE |
— | 45-26-4 | |
| 2 |
 CAPITALS |
3 | 48-17-9 | |
| 3 |
 HURRICANES |
1 | 45-24-4 | |
| 4 |
 GOLDEN KNIGHTS |
5 | 45-21-8 | |
| 5 |
 JETS |
2 | 51-20-4 | |
| 6 |
 STARS |
2 | 49-21-4 | |
| 7 |
 KINGS |
4 | 42-23-9 | |
| 8 |
 PANTHERS |
2 | 44-26-4 | |
| 9 |
 OILERS |
3 | 43-26-5 | |
| 10 |
 MAPLE LEAFS |
2 | 45-25-4 | |
| 11 |
 LIGHTNING |
4 | 44-25-5 | |
| 12 |
 BLUES |
2 | 41-28-7 | |
| 13 |
 SENATORS |
3 | 39-29-6 | |
| 14 |
 WILD |
1 | 41-28-6 | |
| 15 |
 DEVILS |
2 | 40-29-7 | |
| 16 |
 FLAMES |
3 | 35-27-12 | |
| 17 |
 CANADIENS |
1 | 35-30-9 | |
| 18 |
 CANUCKS |
1 | 34-27-13 | |
| 19 |
 HOCKEY CLUB |
1 | 34-29-12 | |
| 20 |
 ISLANDERS |
2 | 32-32-10 | |
| 21 |
 RANGERS |
1 | 35-32-7 | |
| 22 |
 BLUE JACKETS |
1 | 34-30-9 | |
| 23 |
 PENGUINS |
2 | 30-34-11 | |
| 24 |
 DUCKS |
— | 33-33-8 | |
| 25 |
 SABRES |
1 | 32-36-6 | |
| 26 |
 RED WINGS |
3 | 34-33-7 | |
| 27 |
 BRUINS |
— | 30-36-9 | |
| 28 |
 KRAKEN |
— | 31-38-6 | |
| 29 |
 PREDATORS |
— | 27-40-8 | |
| 30 |
 FLYERS |
— | 31-36-9 | |
| 31 |
 SHARKS |
— | 20-44-10 | |
| 32 |
 BLACKHAWKS |
