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NHL Power Rankings See Chicago Blackhawks Slide Down Amid Losing Streak

By Matt Morrow

CHICAGO, IL - JANUARY 22: Patrick Kane
CHICAGO, IL - JANUARY 22: Patrick Kane /
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NEWARK, NJ – JANUARY 22: Andreas Athanasiou
NEWARK, NJ – JANUARY 22: Andreas Athanasiou /

26. Detroit Red Wings

Previous: No. 24

After punting the Blackhawks recently, the Wings came up with a 3-0 triumph against the New Jersey Devils, who are still inexplicably good. That’s not how one would describe this Wings team, but coach Jeff Blashill has Detroit playing a bit better than a rebuild would suggest it should.

NASHVILLE, TN – JANUARY 20: The artwork on the top of the mask of Florida Panthers goalie James Reimer (34) is shown during the NHL game between the Nashville Predators and the Florida Panthers, held on January 20, 2018, at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tennessee. (Photo by Danny Murphy/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
NASHVILLE, TN – JANUARY 20: The artwork on the top of the mask of Florida Panthers goalie James Reimer (34) is shown during the NHL game between the Nashville Predators and the Florida Panthers, held on January 20, 2018, at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tennessee. (Photo by Danny Murphy/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) /

25. Florida Panthers

Previous: No. 25

It’ll be interesting to see what the Panthers do with their goaltending situation moving forward. Roberto Luongo has been injury-prone of late, and James Reimer is not the answer of the future. Is 28-year-old Harri Sateri their guy, or is he doing a Jeff Glass impersonation?

RALEIGH, NC – JANUARY 21: NHL referee Wes McCauley (4) discusses a call with Carolina Hurricanes Defenceman Justin Faulk (27) during a game between the Vegas Golden Knights and the Carolina Hurricanes at the PNC Arena in Raleigh, NC on January 21, 2018. Vegas defeated Carolina 5-1. (Photo by Greg Thompson/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
RALEIGH, NC – JANUARY 21: NHL referee Wes McCauley (4) discusses a call with Carolina Hurricanes Defenceman Justin Faulk (27) during a game between the Vegas Golden Knights and the Carolina Hurricanes at the PNC Arena in Raleigh, NC on January 21, 2018. Vegas defeated Carolina 5-1. (Photo by Greg Thompson/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) /

24. Carolina Hurricanes

Previous: No. 23

It’s not exactly news that Scott Darling is having a rough first season in Carolina. But giving up three goals on eight shots in 13 minutes against Vegas is just another level of bad. The Canes were likely hoping they could have moved on a bit more from Cam Ward by now.

EDMONTON, AB – JANUARY 20: Drake Caggiula
EDMONTON, AB – JANUARY 20: Drake Caggiula /

23. Edmonton Oilers

Previous: No. 27

Edmonton is on a three-game winning streak, showing more signs of that team everyone thought could come out of the Western Conference this season. It’s just too little, too late in the grand scheme of things. The Oil will need to go on a Colorado-type run to even sniff the postseason picture.

GLENDALE, AZ – JANUARY 22: Anthony Beauvillier
GLENDALE, AZ – JANUARY 22: Anthony Beauvillier /

22. New York Islanders

Previous: No. 22

Losing to the Coyotes is just not a good look. The Islanders’ offense is a juggernaut, but the defense and goaltending leaves a lot to be desired. Averaging 3.47 goals per game should be enough to garner a squad more than 24 wins in 49 tries.

LOS ANGELES, CA – JANUARY 21: Ryan McDonagh
LOS ANGELES, CA – JANUARY 21: Ryan McDonagh /

21. New York Rangers

Previous: No. 21

The Rangers are slinking around the Eastern Conference wild-card picture despite having lost two straight games. Pavel Buchnevich has come up big for the Rangers, tallying 30 of his 50 career NHL points this season. He could use some help from his teammates.

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