This is for all of those who thought Jaroslav Halak was only good because the St. Louis Blues play so strong defensively and Ken Hitchcock is a shot-limiting mastermind. All-star Halak stopped 40 pucks Tuesday and beat the Rangers again.
This is for all of you who assumed the Islanders were the second-best team in their own city. The Isles have defeated the Rangers in all three mettings this season, outscoring the Blueshirts by a combined score of 13-4.
This is for all of you who are sick of John Tavares not getting enough praise, for those who thought New York would lose a step with Kyle Okposo out of the lineup, and for those who were convinced coach Jack Capuano and/or GM Garth Snow should’ve been fired before 2014-15 began.
This is for those who remember the early-’80s dynasty, when Gillies and Nystrom and Bossy and Trottier and Potvin would steamroll the competition, and Billy Smith would whack them in the shins just to make sure they stayed down.
The Islanders are the best team in the East, and how refreshing is that?
So in honour of teams, like Tavares’, trending upward, we find a suitable hashtag for all 30 clubs in this week’s NHL Power Rankings: #HashtagEdition.
| Rank | Team | Previous | |
| 1 |  |
The first team to hit 70 points, the Ducks shut out Vancouver Tuesday and recorded their third six-game winning streak of the season. #Getzlaf4MVP |
1 |
| 2 |  |
Through 46 contests, the real-deal Predators have already matched the number of home wins (19) they had all last season. #Laviolettethedogsout *ducks, hides* |
2 |
| 3 |  |
Beasts of the East, the Islanders are winning games at a pace not seen since the late 1970s — even without injured top-20 scorer Kyle Okposo. #KingsOfNewYork |
4 |
| 4 |  |
Home away from home: The Atlantic-leading Red Wings have earned points in each of their last 14 games in the Panthers’ building dating back to February 1997 (10-0-4). #BabcockBluffing |
9 |
| 5 |  |
My favourite Martin Brodeur statistic. Dude has more shutouts (125) than 10 teams: Jets, Blue Jackets , Wild, Lightning, Predators, Panthers, Oilers, Ducks, Senators, Avalanche, Hurricanes. #OldGOAT |
3 |
| 6 |  |
The Rangers — fantastic against pretty much every other team — still can’t solve the Islanders, which makes us yearn for an all-New York playoff series. #Nashty |
5 |
| 7 |  |
The previously underachieving Montreal power-play is now officially on fire: 41.7% conversion rate over the Habs’ last five games. #OpportunitySeized |
8 |
| 8 |  |
The best part of Sidney Crosby missing All-Star Weekend may have been Jonathan Toews’ embracing of the spotlight. The guy was funny, relaxed and confident. #CaptainCharisma |
6 |
| 9 |  |
Alex Ovechkin is now being painted as this fun, generous guy who plays more defence, and the Caps’ blue line hasn’t looked this sturdy in years. #IWantToBeLastINeedACar |
12 |
| 10 |  |
How did Kris Letang fare in his first game since being Zac Rinaldo’d? He threw up the first five-assist game by an NHL defenceman since Dion Phaneuf did the same in December of 2007. #CouldHeBeAnyHealthier |
11 |
| 11 |  |
Too bad Tyler Johnson missed the All-Star Game. The Lightning’s leading scorer deserved time in the spotlight. #LoveThoseUndraftedSmallGuys |
7 |
| 12 |  |
Yes, the Jets’ five-game winning streak ended against a Crosby-free Penguins team, but Winnipeg could get on another roll with a relatively soft schedule the next two weeks. #BuffTuff |
10 |
| 13 |  |
How awesome is it that the Flames are still contending well past the halfway mark of the season? Calgary is willing to spend to the cap, so will a taste of a wild-card spot rush the rebuild? #BurkieBoldMoves |
13 |
| 14 |  |
Tomas Hertl was sent down to the AHL during the all-star break, an attempt to boost the sophomore’s confidence. San Jose is probably the most difficult team to wrap our head around. We see it making the playoffs, though that might not be what’s best. #BrentBurnsForever |
14 |
| 15 |  |
Struggling to find an offensive punch to match its seventh-ranked defence, for now Boston has turned to an unlikely candidate in rookie David Pastrnak. #What’sChiarelliCookingUp |
15 |
| 16 |  |
Not two years ago, GM Dean Lombardi went on record saying the Kings have no bad contracts. This week, they waived centre Mike Richards because of a cap crunch. Worse, due to the struggling Canadian dollar, the cap is unlikely to jump much next season. #UpAgainstIt |
18 |
| 17 |  |
A familiar problem is plaguing the Canucks: offensive depth. Vancouver ranks 20th in offence and 15th on the power-play as the Sedin line does the heavy lifting. #HankeringForGoals |
16 |
| 18 |  |
Seemingly oblivious to notion of tanking, the Hurricanes (7-2-1 in their last 10) are playing their best hockey of the season, without the help of Alex Semin. #InsertSeminDoubleEntendreHere |
20 |
| 19 |  |
That the best defenceman, Erik Johnson, on a team thin on great defenceman is now out three to eight weeks pretty much seals Colorado’s fate. The big question is if Ryan O’Reilly will be dealt before the deadline. #Who’sBuyin’Ryan |
17 |
| 20 |  |
Daniel Alfredsson, the key to the Senators’ best years, is now getting the key to the city. #LookingForThingsToCelebrate |
21 |
| 21 |  |
Kari Lehtonen used to be described as an under-rated goaltender. His .903 save percentage this season is his worst since ever, and Dallas needs him to steal a few games. #KariLetonein #GetIt? |
19 |
| 22 |  |
Rather quietly, Zach Parise — Third Star of the Week — is playing some his best hockey in years. #HockeyIsCathartic |
25 |
| 23 |  |
Jakub Voracek now has a four-point cushion in both the scoring and assists races, but his using Johnny Gaudreau as a toddler in the Skills Competition will go down as his most memorable goal this season. #Improvisation |
23 |
| 24 |  |
The gap between Florida and Boston for the East’s final wild-card spot is now an unlucky seven points. #FunWhileItLasted |
22 |
| 25 |  |
First star of the week and All-Star Game MVP Ryan Johansen is the only player with two point streaks of at least 10 games this season. #PayHimWhatHeWantsNextTime |
27 |
| 26 |  |
One day after the Devils announced they will celebrate the 20th anniversary of their first Stanley Cup, Martin Brodeur is being retired as a St. Louis Blue. #Awkward |
24 |
| 27 |  |
Phaneuf injured, not traded yet. #LeafsIn5Words |
26 |
| 28 |  |
Rough go for Edmonton, which even saw its All-Star Game participant, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, get picked last. #HondaGagGift |
28 |
| 29 |  |
Losers of seven straight, the Coyotes are considering bringing up prospect Max Domi for a taste of the bigs. #Spiral4Eichel |
29 |
| 30 |  |
It’s been 11 years since an NHL team (Pittsburgh) lost 12 straight games in regulation. Take a bow, Buffalo. #SaveIt4McDavid |
30 |
Statistics carefully pilfered from NHL.com and SN Stats