The Blackhawks continue to drop points in this week's power rankings

In this week's power rankings, the top teams in the Central division remain red-hot while the playoff race in the East begins to heat up. These power rankings are determined mainly by a team's win-loss record, but also by their recent performance, injuries, and the strength of the week's schedule. For example, if teams have similar records or point totals, they will receive a higher ranking based on who they played and the margins of victory. Teams will also be ranked higher or lower depending on how they have played over their last 10 games.

The Past Week (1-2-1)

The Chicago Blackhawks played their first game in three weeks, travelling to Nashville to face the Predators. Connor Bedard reminded fans and critics in the second period why he should have been included on Canada's Olympic roster with his patented wrist shot goal. They went on to blow yet another third-period lead as the Predators scored three straight to secure the win. Bedard would score the Blackhawks' lone goal in Colorado before shutting out the Mammoth in Salt Lake City.

Arvid Soderblom had 22 saves for the shutout while Teuvo Teravainen scored two goals as the Blackhawks cruised to a rare, easy victory. And finally, last night, the Blackhawks gave up the game-tying goal with 39 seconds remaining, sending the game to overtime. Mark Scheifele would go on to score the game-winner. It was the ninth game this season in which the Blackhawks gave up a game‑tying or game‑winning goal in the last four minutes, which has become an all‑too‑familiar storyline.

Power Rankings

32 - Vancouver Canucks (18-35-7) (-)
31 - New York Rangers (23-29-8) (-1)
30 - St. Louis Blues (22-29-9) (+1)
29 - Calgary Flames (24-29-7) (-1)
28 - Chicago Blackhawks (23-28-10) (+1)
27 - Nashville Predators (27-26-8) (-4)
26 - Winnipeg Jets (24-26-10) (+1)
25 - Los Angeles Kings (24-22-14) (-3)
24 - New Jersey Devils (30-29-2) (+2)
23 - Toronto Maple Leafs (27-24-10) (-5)
22 - Florida Panthers (30-28-3) (-2)
21 - Ottawa Senators (29-22-9) (-)
20 - Philadelphia Flyers (28-21-11) (+4)
19 - San Jose Sharks (30-25-4) (+6)
18 - Seattle Kraken (29-22-9) (-1)
17 - Edmonton Oilers (30-24-8) (-1)

16- Utah Mammoth (32-25-4) (-2)
15 - Washington Capitals (31-25-7) (+4)
14 - Vegas Golden Knights (28-19-14) (-1)
13 - Anaheim Ducks (33-24-3) (+2)
12 - Columbus Blue Jackets (31-21-8) (-1)
11 - Boston Bruins (34-21-5) (-3)
10 - New York Islanders (35-21-5) (+2)
9 - Detroit Red Wings (35-20-6) (-)
8 - Pittsburgh Penguins (31-16-13) (+2)
7 - Montreal Canadiens (33-18-9) (-1)
6 - Buffalo Sabres (36-19-6) (+1)
5 - Tampa Bay Lightning (38-17-4) (-3)
4 - Minnesota Wild (36-16-10) (-1)
3 - Carolina Hurricanes (38-16-6) (+2)
2 - Dallas Stars (38-14-9) (+2)
1 - Colorado Avalanche (41-10-9) (-)

Central Division Standouts

The Colorado Avalanche, Dallas Stars, and Minnesota Wild have gone a combined 23-5-2 in their last 30 games. Nathan MacKinnon and the Avalanche are both closing in on 100 points, while the Stars have won their last ten games and trail Colorado by just six points. Last night, the Wild dismantled one of the East’s top contenders, the Lightning, winning 5-1. All of these teams will look to add at the trade deadline to avoid being the second- or third-seed in the division.

Mediocrity in the Pacific

Is anyone interested in taking charge of the Pacific division? The division-leading Golden Knights have lost three straight while going 3-5-2 in their last ten games. Edmonton, who just added Connor Murphy, have also treaded water as of late going 5-5-0 in their last ten games.

After going winless in nine straight games, Joel Quenneville and the Anaheim Ducks have won 12 of their last 15 games. The break may have benefited their young core nicely by giving them a much-needed recharge. The Seattle Kraken holds the last current wild card position while only trailing the Knights by three points. Even the Sharks and Kings are within striking distance as we come down to the last 20 games of the regular season.

Looking Ahead

The Blackhawks return to the United Center for the first time since Feb. 2 as they face off against the league's worst, the Vancouver Canucks (March 6). Next up, the team heads back on the road for a final showdown with the red‑hot Stars (March 8), a matchup they’ve shockingly dominated this season. Finally, they travel back home to take on the Mammoth (March 9) as they look for a repeat performance from last week.