top ten update
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Last edited by S Landreth; 02-02-2023 at 02:19 AM.
NHL Power Rankings: Hurricanes overtake Bruins for No. 1 spot before All-Star break
With the 2023 NHL All-Star break upon us, we finally have a change at the top of the power rankings. It seems like the Bruins have held down the No. 1 spot since Lord Stanley of Preston donated a trophy to the best Canadian team in 1893, but a three-game losing skid opened the door for the red hot Carolina Hurricanes.
In what is the equivalent of a catastrophe for this Bruins team, they have lost three straight games to three pretty talented teams in the last week. That ended their run atop the rest of the league because the Hurricanes just keep churning out wins, no matter what the season throws at them.
Carolina has dealt with injuries to key players like Max Pacioretty and Frederick Andersen all season, and yet it remains one of the best teams in the league. Martin Necas has emerged as a star, Brent Burns looks revitalized in a Hurricanes uniform, and usual suspects like Sebastian Aho and Jaccob Slavin have played up to their full potential. As a result, the Canes have a strong grip on the top spot in the Metro Division, and they have won six straight games.
Keep your friends close and your enemies closer.
NHL All-Stars, fans get warm welcome in sunny Florida
We have the 2023 NHL All-Star Skills presented by DraftKings Sportsbook at FLA LIVE Arena in Sunrise, Florida, on Friday (7 p.m. ET; ESPN, ESPN+, SN, TVAS) and the 2023 Honda NHL All-Star Game there on Saturday (3 p.m. ET; ABC, ESPN+, CBC, SN, TVAS).
"It feels like vacation right now," Montreal Canadiens forward Nick Suzuki said.
Florida Panthers forward Matthew Tkachuk had a pair of sunglasses perched on his forehead as he spoke to reporters.
"I think when it's in Florida, people get a little more excited to come down," he said. "It's been a great experience so far."
Whenever the NHL holds an event, it tries to capture the spirit of wherever it is.
The event could not be more Florida.
The Beach Festival is exactly that -- a festival on the beach. Right on the sand, the NHL created a scene that would be indoors in some places or on a parking lot in others.
Fans took pictures with the Stanley Cup in shorts, swimsuits and flip-flops with the ocean as the backdrop. Kids played street hockey, air hockey and bubble hockey while cruise ships and freighters sailed by. They fired hockey pucks in spots where they otherwise might throw frisbees.
"It was cool," Colorado Avalanche forward Mikko Rantanen said shortly after walking through the Beach Festival. "There were a lot of people there, and it was really, really fun. It's probably going to be even more pumped tomorrow and Saturday when things get rolling here."
'Perfect spot for hockey': NHL All-Stars speak on trip to South Florida
Bruins rolling, rest of NHL making final push for playoffs
Bruce Cassidy’s Vegas Golden Knights lost eight of 10 games going into the All-Star break after leading the Pacific Division at the midway point of the NHL season.
They’re still safely in a playoff spot in the Western Conference, but they can’t keep it up.
“We’re still in a good position — that’s the way we look at it,” Cassidy said. “There’s not too many teams that can cruise home the last 30 games in this league, and we’re certainly not one of them.”
Cassidy’s old team, the Boston Bruins, probably could. They’re atop the NHL and running away with the Atlantic Division.
With 39 wins and 83 points through 51 games, Boston is on pace to break the record for the best regular season in NHL history. The Carolina Hurricanes, who beat Boston in seven games in the first round last year, are next in the standings at 76 points.
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