Central Division Rankings of Power: Jan 21, 2015

With the All-Star break on the horizon, the playoff picture is coming into focus. It’s kind of like looking into a murky lake. You can make out some stones, plants, and perhaps a fish at the bottom, but realize that the poor water quality may still leave some things unseen.

The Central Division is living up to its reputation as the toughest division in hockey. Not only does it house the team with the league’s highest winning percentage, the Nashville Predators, but it also doesn’t have a team below 0.500. No other division can boast that.

However, if the Central wants to send five representatives to the postseason, same as last year, the Avalanche, Stars, or Wild will need to go on a hot streak. As of right now, the final wild-card slot belongs to the Pacific. This week’s power rankings will examine a key strength and weakness of each team, which will likely determine their fate down the stretch.

151. Team goal: Win the Central Division, with an outside shot at a President’s trophy.Team Strength: The obvious strength of the Predators has been the play of Pekka Rinne. His 1.96 GAA and 0.931 save percentage make him the favorite for the Vezina, and have him in the conversation for the Hart trophy this season. However, Rinne is injured, and expected to miss a few weeks. Nasvhille has also leaned heavily on Shea Webber and Roman Josi. The duo is ranked 2nd and 3rd in relative quality of competition they are facing this season in the NHL. They will need to hold down the fort in Rinne’s absence.Team Weakness: Backup goalie. This normally isn’t a huge deal, until your starter goes down. The Preds have a huge talent discrepancy between their no. 1 and no. 2, and if Carter Hutton struggles, it could sink their aspirations of winning a division crown.. 30-10-5|65 pts. Previous: . Nashville Predators. 1. team

Previous: . St. Louis Blues. 2. team. 99. Team goal: Win the Central Division.Team Strength: The Blues are a strong forechecking team, who is cable of choking out their opponents opportunities. Once the Blues have the puck, their cycle wears down defenses, making them a heavy team to play against. It’s hard to get the puck away from St. Louis, and once you have it time and space are non-existent. The Avalanche saw this <a href=. 29-13-4|62 pts

Team goal: Secure a top-three spot in the division standings, with an eye on the division crown.Team Strength: The Jets have been road warriors this season, racking up a 14-5-5 record away from home. Consistent play has also been a strength. The Jets never get too high or too low. They have maintained an ideal cruising altitude. I have taken a long time to come around on Winnipeg, but am showing them some love in the rankings this week. A recent hot stretch as opened up a nice gap between the Jets and the teams behind them in the wild-card chase. It also has probably has infused some belief that a division crown may not be out of the question. As the Avs showed us last year, never count anyone out.Team Weakness: The Jets don’t have a bonafide star. They have balanced scoring throughout their lineup, but don’t have that player who can take over games or make a play in the clutch all by himself. This isn’t a huge deal if the team plays well together, but it is nice to have a Patrick Kane or Tyler Seguin on your side to give you that extra edge.. 25-14-8|58 pts. Previous: . Winnipeg Jets. 3. team. 107

team. 94. Team goal: Win the Central Division.Team Strength: The Blackhawks have been there and done that. They have talented players, Stanley Cup winners, and one of the more experienced coaches in the NHL. You have to figure not much can phase them at this point. Sure, the Hawks take a hit in this week’s rankings, but come playoff time, you have to figure they will be the most dangerous team coming out of the Central.Team Weakness: Lack of hunger. This may or may not be true, but with success comes complacency. The Blackhawks came up short last year in the WCF against the Kings, so maybe that upped their appetite, but you have to be starving to get to the top in this league. Time will tell if the Hawks have that hunger.. 29-15-2|60 pts. Previous: . Chicago Blackhawks. 4

21-18-7|49 pts. Previous: . Dallas Stars. 5. team. 119. Team goal: Make the playoffs.Team Strength: The Stars can score. Tyler Seguin is tied for the NHL lead with 28 goals, and the team ranks 4th overall in the NHL with 3.09 goals per game. Unfortunately for Dallas, they are the only team in the top-ten in scoring that isn’t currently in a playoff position.Team Weakness: The Stars can’t stop people from scoring on them. Dallas gives up the 4th most gals per game in the NHL, a mirror opposite of their goal scoring prowess. Allowing 3.26 goals per game isn’t ideal, and it isn’t a coincidence that it puts Dallas among the lottery teams in the NHL in that category.

103. Team goal: Make the playoffs.Team Strength: The Colorado Avalanche’s strength is their goaltending. It really isn’t close at this point. Semyon Varlamov is one of the most talented netminders in the NHL, and can steal games when he is on. Calvin Pickard has been outstanding this season when he has been called upon, and leads the NHL with a 0.936 save percentage. The only knock on these guys is they have been out-dueled a bit too often in OT and the shootout, but we’re nitpickingTeam Weakness: Everything else. This is harsh, but sometimes the truth can be a harsh reality. The Avalanche give up the 2nd most shots per game in the NHL, their young forwards aren’t scoring, and the power-play is ranked 4th worst in the NHL at a dismal 14.2%. We keep waiting for the “young guns” to heat up, but it just isn’t happening. This team seems to lack synergy or something. Frankly, they probably are just a below average squad, hoping to get carried by their goaltenders. Let’s hope it works.. 19-18-10|48 pts. Previous: . Colorado Avalanche. 6. team

Team goal: Make the playoffs. Keep Mike Yeo from having an aneurysm.Team Strength: It’s funny to watch them implode. Wait, is that a team strength?Team Weakness: It’s funny to watch them implode. . 20-20-6|46 pts. Previous: . Minnesota Wild. 7. team. 98

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