At the All-Star break. Last week's rankings in parentheses.
1. Colorado Avalanche. Kadri on streaking team's swagger: "It feels amazing." (1)
2. Carolina Hurricanes. Andersen has been stellar in goal but what happens in playoffs? (4)
3. Florida Panthers. Hard to believe in them: 23-3 at home, 9-7-5 on road. (2)
4. Toronto Maple Leafs. Campbell takes place with elite in goal in Vegas. (5)
5. Tampa Bay Lightning. Stamkos with correct Vegas vibe for the week: "It's cold." (3)
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Being the No. 1 overall pick in the NHL Draft brought Rasmus Dahlin fame before he ever stepped on the ice with the Buffalo Sabres. But there have been many nights – even some this year – where it came with a heavy price.
6. Minnesota Wild. Cracked Central top three with six-game win streak. (7)
7. Pittsburgh Penguins. NHL-high five shootout losses are dropped points. (6)
8. New York Rangers. Kreider surprise NHL goal leader at break. (11)
9. Nashville Predators. Won't be able to hold off Wild in Central. (10)
10. Vegas Golden Knights. As you expected, a fabulous All-Star host city. (9)
11. St. Louis Blues. Kyrou upsets McDavid, Larkin to win Fastest Skater at Skills. (8)
12. Washington Capitals. Tough break for Ovechkin to miss Vegas due to Covid. (12)
13. Boston Bruins. Solid wild card. Can they crack Atlantic top three? (13)
14. Calgary Flames. Bettman bemoans collapse of arena deal. (14)
15. Los Angeles Kings. Two points out of Pacific lead. (15)
16. Edmonton Oilers. Nice road win at Ovi-less Washington. (17)
17. Anaheim Ducks. NBA-style slick thinking by NHL to invite Zegras to Skills. (16)
18. Dallas Stars. Pavelski was aces in outdoor '21' shooting challenge. (18).
19. San Jose Sharks. Didn't think they'd be a wild-card contender. They are. (19)
20. Vancouver Canucks. Team average: .500 overall, at home and on the road. (20)
21. Winnipeg Jets. Nine points out of wild card. They're toast. (21)
22. Detroit Red Wings. One point shy of .500 at break is a step forward. (23)
An 82-game season is grind. This one is a double grind. Sabres coach Don Granato has to make sure his team continues to battle and doesn't buckle, Mike Harrington says.
23. New York Islanders. Barring some 15-game win streak, they're too far out. (23)
24. Columbus Blue Jackets. First post-break foe for Sabres, Thursday in KeyBank. (25)
25. Chicago Blackhawks. No Kane at All-Star Game was very odd. (24)
26. Ottawa Senators. Tkachuk a fun asset to build a team around. Need a few more. (27)
27. Philadelphia Flyers. Giroux says he's like everyone else: No idea what happens at deadline. (28)
28. Buffalo Sabres. Verdict on Mittelstadt a key talking point to start week. (29)
29. New Jersey Devils. Lost six straight heading into break. (26)
30. Seattle Kraken. First season a smash off the ice and a huge flop on it. (30)
31. Arizona Coyotes. Season highlight to end Avs' 18-game home win streak in shootout. (31)
32. Montreal Canadiens. Misery all over, and now might lose NHL draft due to Covid restrictions. (32)
