NHL Power Rankings: Kings look great; Avalanche, Flames, Blues still rolling

In this week’s edition of the NHL Power Rankings the Los Angeles Kings make another big climb as they inch closer to the top-10 of the league. They are one of the hottest teams right now with a 9-1-2 mark over their past 12 games that has pushed them to second place in the Pacific Division. Some smart offseason additions, a strong young core, and some of their star veterans (specifically Anze Kopitar) have helped this team become a playoff contender much sooner than expected.

They have good center depth, they defend well, and some bounce-back seasons from Drew Doughty and Jonathan Quick have been just what they needed. If some of their young players can take a step forward during the stretch run (Quinton Byfield, Arthur Kaliyev) they could be a tough team to knock out in the playoffs.

Also this week the Colorado Avalanche maintain their top spot, while the Calgary Flames move into the top-five for the first time this season. The St. Louis Blues also sit in the top-10 for this week.

We take a look at all of that and more in this week’s rankings.

Where does your team sit?

1. Colorado Avalanche (Last Week: 1). This offense is incredible, but the defense is what really separates them from everybody else in the league. It probably deserves more attention than it gets (and thanks to Cale Makar it gets a lot of attention around the league).

2. Carolina Hurricanes (LW: 3). They do everything well at forward and defense and are also getting a Vezina-worthy goalie performance from Frederik Andersen. That is a winning combination.

3. Tampa Bay Lightning (LW: 5). They have very quietly moved ahead of Florida in the Atlantic Division based on points percentage. Do not rule out the three-peat for this team. If anybody can win three