Welcome to The Hockey Writers’ Power Rankings, the top-13 teams in the NHL this week as ranked by members of The Hockey Writers. The Vegas Golden Knights’ eight consecutive victories carried them into first place in The Hockey Writers’ weekly NHL power rankings. The Golden Knights, the NHL’s hottest team, completed a two-game sweep of
Alex Ovechkin
Alex Ovechkin moved past Phil Esposito into sixth place on the all-time NHL goal-scoring list when he scored the 718th of his career, a second-period power-play goal for the Washington Capitals in their 3-1 win against the New York Islanders on Tuesday. The 35-year-old Moscow native is one of the best pure goal-scorers in NHL
In today’s NHL rumors, one report notes the Toronto Maple Leafs haven’t started negotiating with Zach Hyman yet. When they do, what will he cost on an extension? Meanwhile, there are comments from Washington Capitals’ GM on Henrik Lundqvist’s health and Alex Ovechkin’s contract extension. Plus, as the team keeps an eye on their goaltending
For most hockey players, winning the Stanley Cup is the ultimate goal. From being drafted to helping a team through the regular season, playoffs and eventually Stanley Cup Finals, hoisting the cup is always the end-goal. Along the way, however, players all seek to play the best they can for a variety of purposes. While
It has been 10 days since the Washington Capitals lost four key players to the NHL’s COVID Unavailability List. These players are Alex Ovechkin, Evgeny Kuznetsov, Dmitry Orlov and rookie netminder, Ilya Samsonov, who tested positive for COVID-19. After missing four games and having not been on the ice for those 10 days, both Ovechkin
The NHL season is around the corner and many hockey fans are more than excited for the season to start. With the start of the season comes prop bets and predictions for the upcoming season. The possible prop bets range from picking a Stanley Cup champion to picking a division winner to even betting on
A hat trick is one of the NHL’s rarest achievements with only 97 during the 2018-19 season, or roughly one in 7.6 percent of games. That’s more rare than a shutout, with 154 in 2018-19, or one in 12.1 percent of games, or a shorthanded goal, of which there were 233 last season, or one
Nov. 25 has been one heck of an eventful date in National Hockey League history. Two of the greatest goal-scorers to ever play the game had memorable hat tricks while numerous goaltenders stole the show. Also, fans and Detroit and Pittsburgh had plenty to cheer about and a hero made his emotional return to the
Since joining the NHL in 1974, the Washington Capitals have seen a roller coaster of emotions over the decades, from being the league’s all-time worst club in their first season to claiming their first Stanley Cup championship in 2018. With highs and lows, here are 10 of the most memorable Capitals teams ever, some for
In today’s NHL rumor rundown, will the New York Rangers be sellers again at the end of this coming season? If so, who will they move? Are the Boston Bruins and defenseman Zdeno Chara any closer to getting a deal done? Or, are other teams working their way into the conversation? Contracts talks between Alex
There are many skills that a hockey player can have to make them an asset in the NHL. But you cannot win games without the puck hitting the back of the net, so there’s a reason that goal scorers have almost always been the most celebrated superstars during every era. In this article, we will
In today’s NHL rumor rundown, Edmonton Oilers GM Ken Holland updates the media on the status of Oscar Klefbom, noting how much of next season he believes the defenseman will miss. In Anaheim, expect the Ducks to sign a goaltender in an effort to meet expansion draft requirements. In Boston, what might Jake DeBrusk’s next
In today’s NHL rumor rundown, Alex Ovechkin has said he doesn’t plan to finish his hockey career with the Washington Capitals. Who else would he consider playing for? Elsewhere, in efforts to cut costs, would the New York Islanders actually consider buying out Jordan Eberle? Finally, how will the Columbus Blue Jackets replace Gustav Nyquist
Washington Capitals general manager Brian MacLellan has had to make some crucial decisions during the 2020 offseason. Some additional thought went into this year’s contract offers and signings given the flat salary cap for next season. With the upper limit likely staying at or near $81.5 million for the near future, more challenges in the
Russians comprise some of the most talented, most dominant players in the NHL today. In this decade alone, they have won Vezina Trophies, “Rocket” Richards, Hart Memorials, Art Ross Trophies and Conn Smythes, and of course, the Stanley Cup. If Russia has not put forth the largest amount of superstars in the current NHL, then
Europeans are having a bigger impact in the NHL now than ever before. Of the 985 players to play in at least one game this season, 268, or 27 percent, were born in Europe. Europeans have been at the pinnacle of success in recent seasons, winning five of the past 10 Hart, Art Ross, and
In today’s NHL rumors rundown, there is news that Alex Ovechkin is representing himself during new contract talks with the Washington Capitals, while in Pittsburgh, Evgeni Malkin is going the traditional route to get a new deal done. Talks out of Winnipeg are that the Jets are very serious about trading Patrik Laine and in
Before the COVID-19 pandemic shortened the 2019-20 NHL season, David Pastrnak (48), Alex Ovechkin (48), and Auston Matthews (47) were all comfortably on their way to a 50-goal season. Two others, including eventual Hart Trophy and Ted Lindsay Award winner Leon Draisaitl (49.7 goal pace) and Mika Zibanejad (who was on a 59 goal pace