No one is catching the Tampa Bay Lightning, who deserve every morsel of attention they get, but a pair of other Eastern Conference teams are resembling Stanley Cup Final material as the playoffs draw closer.
The Boston Bruins might be the scariest force in the NHL outside of Tampa Bay, as evident by their 9-0-1 run without leading scorer David Pastrnak, as well as resurgent play from Tuukka Rask in net. And their rival Toronto Maple Leafs aren't far behind. Fresh off a 6-2 rout of the Western Conference-leading Calgary Flames, the Leafs not only have Frederik Andersen on a roll but have also found their rhythm on offense -- a unit that's second only to the Lightning in total goals scored.
It's why both Boston and Toronto are on the move in the top five of this week's NHL Power Rankings. Neither Calgary or the San Jose Sharks, the teams they're leapfrogging, should be written off. The Flames remain one of hockey's most balanced teams and the Sharks are loaded with talent, making the top five stiff competition. Yet, both the Bruins and Maple Leafs have the benefit of having a hot goalie play entering the second week of March, and that's imperative come postseason time.
The Edmonton Oilers, meanwhile, make the biggest leap -- albeit to No. 22 -- in our pecking order thanks to the star power of Leon Draisaitl opposite Connor McDavid. However, they're offering too little, too late in terms of the playoff picture.
Check out the entire rundown right here:
Rk | Teams | Chg | Rcrd | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  | How in the world is anyone going to beat them in a series? | -- | 8-6-1 |
| 2 |  | They are super scary. Injuries have yet to slow them down, and they've been as hot as ever without their top scorer. | 2 | 8-8-2 |
| 3 |  | Welcome back to life. With improvement in the net and their signature scoring brigade, they're back in top form. | 2 | 10-6-2 |
| 4 |  | Like the Sharks, the only thing holding them back might be top-tier goaltending. They've been impressive all around for so long, however. | 2 | 8-6-3 |
| 5 |  | Don't be fooled by the drop. This top five is just so competitive. Still, how much of a burden can Martin Jones bear? | 2 | 5-10-3 |
| 6 |  | Still in love with their deadline deals. Let them settle in some more. Depth should carry them far. | -- | 5-9-3 |
| 7 |  | They're getting some reinforcements, but they still need to shore up the defense. Barry Trotz should get the job done. | -- | 7-6-4 |
| 8 |  | Guess who's getting hot at the right time again? Their offense rivals that of just about every team except Tampa. | 1 | 10-4-1 |
| 9 |  | They're not so hot on the road. And it's fair to be concerned with how they match up against the elite. | 1 | 15-2-0 |
| 10 |  | Apparently, this is the year they're for real. The goalie tandem isn't flawless, but they've been scoring all over since the start of the new year. | 2 | 11-4-0 |
| 11 |  | They're still not playing up to their standards, but that's almost the scary part. If their stalwarts step up when it counts, they won't go down easy. | 2 | 6-9-3 |
| 12 |  | They landed Mark Stone at just the right time. They have the pieces to look at least a little bit like themselves from a year ago. | 3 | 10-4-2 |
| 13 |  | They have the firepower. There's no doubt there. But are the expectations too lofty? | 3 | 5-8-2 |
| 14 |  | Carey Price came to play this season. The question is whether he'll get enough help in front of him to keep playing into the spring. | -- | 5-10-2 |
| 15 |  | So much is riding on Jordan Binnington. You wonder if they hit their peak a little early. | 4 | 7-9-1 |
| 16 |  | Yeah, for real. It's astounding they're even this high considering how their season has played out. | 1 | 7-8-2 |
| 17 |  | They have to keep beating their inferiors. And there are plenty lying ahead. But we still don't trust them. | 1 | 10-5-0 |
| 18 |  | They've so often stuck around solely because of their first-line talent. If only they can find some consistency down the stretch. | 1 | 9-8-0 |
| 19 |  | Can they conquer the injury bug? Their schedule helps their cause. | 3 | |
| 20 |  | Ryan Johansen is making a "mockery" of the shootout? Uh, the "mockery" is allowing Nashville back-to-back wins. | 2 | 11-2-3 |
| 21 |  | Remember when we all loved them as playoff breakouts? Good times. | 1 | 11-5-1 |
| 22 |  | Of course they waited until March to start peppering us with promise. | 5 | 9-7-1 |
| 23 |  | You have to be concerned about everything here. It starts with the coach and the defense. | 2 | 8-8-1 |
| 24 |  | You're telling us the Rangers just had to sell all their notable players to get good ratings? | 1 | 10-4-1 |
| 25 |  | At least their young guys are getting the growing pains out of the way now. Let's see them in 2020. | -- | 8-4-3 |
| 26 |  | The best thing for them would be if they don't make the playoffs and are forced to reassess. | 2 | 6-10-1 |
| 27 |  | If you want an example of atrocious road hockey, look no further. They're 8-21-3 away from home. | 1 | 12-6-2 |
| 28 |  | Still stinging from a rather underwhelming deadline. They need an even bigger overhaul after the year. | -- | 7-7-1 |
| 29 |  | They're playing for pride now, but they could also stand to spend their last games learning what it means to use speed in today's NHL. | -- | 9-6-3 |
| 30 |  | It's all about developing the forwards now. | -- | 5-8-2 |
| 31 |  | They're bad at everything, OK? It's as simple as that. | -- | 8-7-1 |
