Now is the perfect time to jump on the Buffalo Sabres bandwagon.
The calendar has officially flipped to February and the 2022-23 NHL season is more than halfway over at this point. The All-Star break is upon us and the trade deadline approaches at a rapid pace. It’s a busy time in the NHL season, with teams really starting to jockey for playoff position as the games begin to dwindle.
As February begins, the Sabres have forced their way into the playoff conversation for the first time in over a decade. Despite not being pegged as Stanley Cup contenders, the surging Sabres have a real chance to knock off a playoff hopeful such as the Pittsburgh Penguins or Washington Capitals. Plus, they’re a fun goal-scoring machine with one of the NHL’s biggest rising stars leading the way. What’s not to love?
Here are our NHL power rankings as February begins.
32
Chicago Blackhawks (15-29-4)
Last ranked: 32
Despite going 6-1-0 for a good stretch of January, the Blackhawks are still in prime position to have the best lottery odds come spring. Especially so if Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews get dealt by next month’s trade deadline.
31
Columbus Blue Jackets (15-32-4)
Last ranked: 30
The Blue Jackets have been in free fall for some time, but last month was the first time they landed squarely in 32nd place. Injuries have had a real unfortunate effect on Columbus’ season — which had high expectations after acquiring Johnny Gaudreau — but they just haven’t been able to recover. Thankfully, this is a pretty good year to stink in the NHL.
30
Arizona Coyotes (16-28-6)
Last ranked: 26
A nine-game losing streak has brought the Coyotes back to the NHL’s basement, very much so for the better. Still, the team holds a 10-8-2 record at home in Mullett Arena, which is a nice positive for Arizona to build upon going forward.
29
Anaheim Ducks (16-29-5)
Last ranked: 31
Winning four of the last five games of the month should be cause for celebration for a normal NHL team, but the Ducks want to be losing — not winning — this season. That late-January surge has them sitting with the third-best lottery odds at the moment, but given their league-worst minus-80 goal differential, Anaheim will definitely still be competing for that No. 32 spot.
28
San Jose Sharks (15-25-11)
Last ranked: 29
After a blistering December, Erik Karlsson slowed down just a bit in January (15 points in 13 games) but is still the Sharks’ prize trade chip in the midst of a Norris-caliber season. As the Sharks’ time on ice leader at an average 25:28 minutes per game, Karlsson has done his best to carry San Jose on his back, but it’s time for them to set him free.
27
Montreal Canadiens (20-27-4)
Last ranked: 28
It’s a shame Cole Caufield’s season is over due to injury. The 22-year-old was leading the Canadiens in goals (26) by a wide margin and was overall a delight to watch night in and night out. Montreal might not be a good team now, but their young core has been giving fans hope that all this pain might be worth it in the future.
26
Vancouver Canucks (20-26-3)
Last ranked: 23
Bruce Boudreau is gone and Bo Horvat has officially been traded. The teardown has begun in Vancouver, but it’s certainly going to take a lot more than that to fix the deep-rooted issues this team faces. General manager Patrik Allvin as his work cut out for him ahead of the trade deadline next month.
25
Philadelphia Flyers (21-21-9)
Last ranked: 27
The Flyers went a season-best 8-4-2 in January, which is likely cause for celebration for the team’s front office. For fans hoping for a higher draft pick, however, this is the worst case scenario. Philadelphia’s likely landing spot on draft day is at No. 11, far away from the high-end talent that will go at the top of the board. The 2023 NHL Draft may be deep, but being mediocre is a death knell for a team looking for star talent to build around.
24
St. Louis Blues (23-25-3)
Last ranked: 21
As the Blues slip further and further out of wild card contention, look for teams to be calling on Vladimir Tarasenko. The forward is in the final year of his deal and would be a decent pickup for any contending team looking for some juice in the middle of their lineup. If the Blues do fail to make the playoffs, this would be the first time in the Craig Berube era that St. Louis would miss out.
23
Detroit Red Wings (21-19-8)
Last ranked: 20
The Red Wings should also be sellers at the upcoming trade deadline. Detroit’s still a young team, but veterans on expiring contracts like Tyler Bertuzzi and Olli Maatta could very well be dealt to teams looking to fill holes by the start of next month. Knowing savvy Steve Yzerman, however, the Red Wings will always be in on deals to make their team better in unexpected ways.
22
Ottawa Senators (24-23-3)
Last ranked: 22
January was quite the month for the Senators, who lost 7-0 to the Avalanche but beat the Maple Leafs 6-2 and the Canadiens 5-0 in a two-week span. Though the Senators are well out of a playoff spot, it’s good to see Claude Giroux continue to find success on a personal level. Giroux has 20 goals and 48 points in 50 games this season, proving he’s still got it even at age 35.
21
Nashville Predators (24-18-6)
Last ranked: 24
The Predators had a much-needed rebound in January, going 9-4-0 with some gutsy wins over the Devils and Hurricanes. That being said, despite all the positives, the Predators are still behind the eight ball when it comes to the playoffs. MoneyPuck has Nashville’s odds around 30 percent, with heavyweights like Edmonton and Colorado standing in their way. Check back in a month to see if the Predators can keep up the pace or if they fall back once more.
20
Florida Panthers (24-22-6)
Last ranked: 25
The wild card race in the East is going to be a real fun one to follow. Like the Predators, the Panthers still are alive in the playoff hunt even though the odds are slim. Florida went 8-5-2 in January, in part thanks to Matthew Tkachuk — who had a six-game point streak (10 points total) to close out the month. If the Panthers truly want to make it to the playoffs, they’re going to need to stop letting in goals, as their 182 goals allowed places sixth-worst in the NHL.
19
New York Islanders (25-22-5)
Last ranked: 15
I still don’t understand the logic behind the Islanders buying before the deadline. Horvat is a fine pickup in the short term, but it doesn’t seem like he’s going to be the difference between the Islanders making the playoffs and not. Plus, losing a first-round pick for a rental — since Horvat is a UFA in the summer — is rough, especially if the Islanders do miss the playoffs. They’re still in the race, but color me baffled on this one.
18
Calgary Flames (24-17-9)
Last ranked: 13
Though the Flames are favored by the odds at MoneyPuck to make the playoffs over a team like the Avalanche, my money’s on the reigning Stanley Cup champions. Calgary did have a good January with a 6-4-2 record, but they are out of a wild card spot and have two more games played than Colorado. Still, this Flames team isn’t going down without a fight, which is nice to see.
17
Pittsburgh Penguins (24-16-9)
Last ranked: 14
Pittsburgh fans are calling on general manager Ron Hextall to make a move before the Penguins’ playoff hopes fade from their grasp. Unfortunately, Hextall’s well-known patience to wait out problems might come to bite them here if he can’t swing a big deal before the deadline. With scoring issues in the team’s bottom six and goaltending inconsistencies abound, the Penguins seem like sitting ducks in the East’s final wild card spot if something doesn’t change.
16
Buffalo Sabres (26-19-4)
Last ranked: 19
I’m all in on the Sabres bandwagon. They may not be a Stanley Cup contender, but I absolutely believe they can make some noise by playing spoiler to a playoff favorite. Tage Thompson’s rise to stardom has been one of the NHL’s best stories all year long and it would be nice to see their 11-year playoff drought get broken with a fun team like this.
15
Washington Capitals (27-20-6)
Last ranked: 12
January was a weird month for the Capitals. Tom Wilson, Nicklas Backstrom, and T.J. Oshie all returned from injury, but the team was unable to string together back-to-back wins all month. The Capitals are still in a good position to make the playoffs, but they’ll need to get their consistency back if they don’t want to become the odd man out.
14
Minnesota Wild (27-17-4)
Last ranked: 11
The Wild had two three-game losing streaks in January, but still came away with a 6-4-2 record to keep them at third in the Central. While Minnesota is in danger to drop to the wild card — especially if Colorado keeps climbing — their playoff position is relatively secure thanks to how weak the rest of the division is. Keep an eye out for the Wild as the trade deadline approaches, since they feel like prime candidates to add a scorer for their playoff push.
13
Edmonton Oilers (28-18-4)
Last ranked: 17
The Oilers did wonders for their playoff odds with an 8-2-2 January. While Evander Kane has been quiet since his return from injury — one goal in four games — Connor McDavid’s the only NHL player so far this season to pass 40 goals. Things can change on a dime for this Oilers team, who seem to oscillate between middling and unbeatable, but right now they’ve got their groove back.
12
Colorado Avalanche (27-18-3)
Last ranked: 18
It was looking a bit dicey at times, but the Avalanche are finally starting to look like the reigning Stanley Cup champions. Injuries have really hampered Jared Bednar’s ability to ice a fully healthy lineup, with Gabriel Landeskog likely not available until March now. Still. the Avalanche have done a great job battling back and getting themselves into a playoff spot with a little over two months left to play.
11
Los Angeles Kings (28-18-6)
Last ranked: 10
Kevin Fiala’s been quite the pickup for the Kings. His 17 goal, point-per-game season has him leading Los Angeles in points and he’s picked up his first All-Star bid as well. January was an okay month for the Kings overall, but thanks to the weaknesses of the West, they’ve yet to really be challenged. Given that the Kings have one of the easiest strength of schedules remaining, they should be in a good spot to keep hold of their playoff position.
10
Seattle Kraken (29-15-5)
Last ranked: 16
The Kraken currently lead the Pacific Division with a 29-15-5 record, quite the difference from their third-to-last place finish in the NHL last year. I’m not sold on their offense long-term, which has been getting a league-best 12 percent shooting percentage this season, but Dave Hakstol’s group has come a long way from their missteps in their first year. Given how well the Kraken have played this year, I could very well see them winning their first ever playoff series come spring.
9
Vegas Golden Knights (29-18-4)
Last ranked: 6
Vegas had a rough go of things in January. The Golden Knights had a losing record (4-6-2) in a month-span for the first time all season, capping things off with an unfortunate injury to Mark Stone. Thankfully, the injury isn’t likely to keep him out long-term, but it’s hard not to get flashbacks to last season if you’re a Golden Knights fan. I have faith Vegas will rebound in February, given they’ve got some real winnable games on the schedule this month.
8
New York Rangers (27-14-8)
Last ranked: 9
Igor Shesterkin may not be the world beater he was last season, but his 4-2-2 record and .916 save percentage in January helped inch the Rangers ever closer to a top-two spot in the Metropolitan. It’s probably a tough ask, given the competition ahead of them, but the Rangers are well prepared to fend off challengers to their third place spot in the division. A big reason why the Rangers took a hit this year? Chris Kreider is well behind his 52-goal pace from last year, as he only has 20 after 46 games played.
7
Winnipeg Jets (32-19-1)
Last ranked: 8
Despite some rough losses at the end of January, the Jets still went 9-6-0 in the first month of 2023 and put some space between themselves and the Wild all the while. Overall, a net win for Winnipeg as Connor Hellebuyck (.911 save percentage in January) continues to build his Vezina Trophy nominee case. Definitely frustrating to drop games to the Flyers, Sabres, and Predators at the end of the month, but the Jets will rebound quickly.
6
Tampa Bay Lightning (31-15-1)
Last ranked: 5
The Lightning moving back a spot has less to do with their play (9-4-0 record in January) and more to do with a team that returned to form ahead of them. Tampa Bay had a great month of January, winning eight of their last 10 games, and continue to cement an upcoming first round matchup with the Maple Leafs. This season also is the first time since 2020-21 where Brayden Point leads the team in goals, as his 29 so far is besting Steven Stamkos’ 24.
5
New Jersey Devils (32-13-4)
Last ranked: 7
It seems like the Devils’ December swoon was just a simple fainting spell, as the team went 9-2-2 in January to keep ahead of the Rangers. If New Jersey can’t catch Carolina for first place, however, we’ll be looking at quite a spicy first round matchup between the Devils and Rangers. The last time we had a Hudson River rivalry in the playoffs was way back in the 2012 Conference Finals, where the Devils advanced to the Stanley Cup. Jack Hughes and Nico Hischier versus Artemi Panarin and Mika Zibanejad would be quite fun, don’t you think?
4
Dallas Stars (28-13-10)
Last ranked: 4
The Stars were surprisingly middling in January (5-4-4 record) as the team ran into some bad luck losing three straight overtime games. Given how the Devils rebounded from their issues last month, I don’t think this is anything to worry about overall. Jason Robertson remains on a tear and Jake Oettinger had a .930 save percentage in January, which bodes well for the Stars’ future as they battle for first in the Central.
3
Toronto Maple Leafs (31-12-8)
Last ranked: 2
With a first round date against the Lightning all but assured, the Maple Leafs and Kyle Dubas have to be looking ahead to the trade deadline. Dubas’ previous trade deadline acquisitions have left much to be desired, so it’s imperative he knocks this one out of the park. The Maple Leafs are a real good team this year, with an actual shot at advancing to the second round, so any move Dubas makes should be to service the team’s needs and finally give Toronto that final push to win a playoff series.
2
Carolina Hurricanes (33-9-8)
Last ranked: 3
The Hurricanes survived a four-game losing streak at the beginning of January to finish off the month winning seven of their last eight. Under Rod Brind’Amour, Martin Necas has really come into his own this year, with a career-high 21 goals and 45 points in 49 games. Carolina is definitely a force to be reckoned with when its firing on all cylinders, so look out for general manager Don Waddell to add some pieces to juice up the Hurricanes’ offensive potency.
1
Boston Bruins (38-7-5)
Last ranked: 1
The Bruins lost three games in a row for the first time this season to close out January. How dare they? But seriously, even with this slight hiccup, the Bruins remain the NHL’s best team in all aspects of the game. It’s even becoming difficult to find something new to talk about with this team every month when I write these power rankings, for goodness sake!
Given how all-in the Bruins are this season, expect them to swing big at the trade deadline to shore up their position as Stanley Cup favorites.
