NHL Top 10: Jan. 18

Story posted January 19, 2023 in CommRadio, Sports by Jakob Schnur

As teams begin to approach 50 games played, the playoff picture is still unclear as many teams are very much in the hunt for not only Wild Card spots, but one of the top three seeds in their respective divisions.

While there’s about 15 to 20 teams that can still very well make their way into the postseason, only 10 can be in the top 10.

So, without further ado, let’s rank the 10 best teams in the NHL right now.

10. Los Angeles Kings

After making the playoffs last year, the Kings went into the offseason and made a splash, trading for star winger Kevin Fiala, who currently leads the team in points with 47.

Los Angeles currently has 56 points through 46 games and sits at the third seed in the Pacific Division.

9. Vegas Golden Knights

The Golden Knights have been a consistently good team in just about every season since joining the league in 2017, and looked poised for one of their best years yet at the start of the season.

Since then however, they have slowed down a bit, going 9-6-1 in the month of December and 3-3 so far in January.

Even with the team not dominating their competition like they used to, they still sit atop the Pacific Division for the time being.

8. Carolina Hurricanes

Like the Golden Knights, the Hurricanes sit at the first seed in their division, but the teams behind them have been getting closer and closer as they have also hit a bit of a snag.

They have a record of 3-3-2 so far in the new year, including bad losses to some of the league’s worst teams this year such as the Blue Jackets and Canucks.

7. Dallas Stars

Now three years removed from a Stanley Cup appearance, the Stars are back to form.

They have the fifth most points in the league with 59 in 45 games played, but recent heartbreaking losses to the Kings, Ducks, Rangers and Flames drops them here.

6. New York Rangers

After going on an unprecedented run to the Conference Finals in last season's Stanley Cup Playoffs, the Rangers were expected to take a big leap this year - but struggled early.

However, since a bad loss to the Blackhawks in early December, New York immediately went on a seven game win streak and has looked like one of the league’s best teams.

The first power play unit has struggled as of late which could be problematic, but this is a team expected to make a potential splash at the trade deadline to vault themselves into the “elite” conversation.

5. Tampa Bay Lightning

The Lightning have been one of the most consistent teams in the NHL for many years now and this year is no different.

They are third in the Atlantic Division with 57 points, but that is in just 42 games played, so expect them to rise in the standings soon.

4. Seattle Kraken

In just their second season, the Kraken have vaulted themselves into a position of one of the league’s most dangerous teams.

With money to spend in the offseason, they brought in some key contributors including their leader in points, Andre Burakovsky.

The emergence of Calder Trophy favorite Matty Beniers has also been a massive key to Seattle’s success thus far.

3. Winnipeg Jets

The Jets have been unbelievably dominant as of late and are now tied for the top seed in the Western Conference.

A recent loss to the lowly Canadiens however, prevents them from being any higher than this in the top 10.

2. New Jersey Devils

This year’s New Jersey Devils have been quite a roller coaster ride, but have recently flipped the switch once again and rattled off five straight wins.

Jack Hughes, the number one overall pick in the draft in 2019, has completely arrived and emerged as one of the league’s best talents.

1. Boston Bruins

To no one’s surprise, the Bruins remain at the top spot.

Since day one of the season, they have been the best team in the NHL and still have just five regulation losses this year.

The next closest team, in terms of points, has 10 less than them in one more game played.

Barring a drastic shift, Boston seems to be a lock for the Presidents Trophy.

Jakob Schnur is a third-year majoring in broadcast journalism. To contact him, email jks6463@psu.edu.