NHL Power Rankings Week 7: Blue Jackets rising, Islanders at rock bottom

For all the talk of how hard it is to make up standing points in the NHL, just look at the Los Angeles Kings. While most of their rise is due to how terrible the Pacific Division has been, perhaps they aren’t quite dead yet. Peter Budaj has been hot as of late, helping the Kings overcome the loss of Jonathan Quick. Jeff Carter and Tyler Toffoli have been leading the charge on offense. They don’t score a lot, but then again, they never give up many goals. Yup, the Kings are still the Kings. Los Angeles should be thankful for Budaj, who has been a great bandage for their goalie issues.

As bad as the bottom part of the Pacific Division has been, the top has been extremely exciting. Each of its top three teams have 21 points. The Ducks get the nod for the top team because of their overall record and how they’ve been playing. Edmonton has been slumping while Anaheim has been playing quite well. Moreover, the Ducks have been much better defensively. Sure, Randy Carlyle still has to work some bugs out of their offense. But their defense has been stepping up huge, which has taken a lot of pressure off the offense. Ducks fans are eternally thankful for Ryan Getzlaf and Corey Perry, so there’s no need to tell them to be thankful for them.