NHL Power Rankings: Bruins looking like contenders again; Stars keep winning

In this week’s edition of the NHL Power Rankings there are no changes in the top five with Colorado, Carolina, Tampa Bay, Calgary, and Florida holding firm in their spots. The Boston Bruins and Los Angeles Kings keep inching their way up with their recent strong play, while the Dallas Stars continue to solidify their place in the playoff race with some of their best hockey of the season.

The Bruins are the team that really stands out this week (climbing to the No. 7 spot) given their recent play. They enter the week with an 8-2-1 mark over their past 11 games. They have played four potential playoff teams during that stretch, going 3-0-1 in those games and outscoring them by an 18-5 margin. Pretty good numbers. They still have a quartet of elite players at the top of the lineup (Patrice Bergeron, Brad Marchand, David Pastrnak, and Charlie McAvoy) while Jeremy Swayman has really solidified things in goal. They are also getting some important secondary scoring from players like Jake DeBrusk, Craig Smith, and Erik Haula. Do not rule them out in the Eastern Conference.

We take a look at them and every other team in this week’s rankings.

Where does your team sit?

1. Colorado Avalanche (Last Week: 1). They did lose two games this week, but the second was a tough overtime loss to Calgary in a potential Western Conference Final preview. Colorado has lost consecutive games in regulation just once all season (Game Nos. 2-4). Even great teams lose a couple of games. Still the NHL’s best team.

2. Carolina Hurricanes (LW: 2). They are so good and so many of their top players are just entering the prime of their careers right now. They are going to be here for a long time.

3. Tampa Bay Lightning (LW: 3). Outside of that loss to