NHL Hockey: Early Rankings
Source: The Athletic
By Kylie Rau
February 24, 2021
The Toronto Maple Leafs are currently running the ice as the leading team in the National Hockey League with a 14-4 record, posting 30 total points going into Week 7 of the season. Austin Matthews has been lighting up the NHL, scoring 18 goals and making 11 assists for 29 points so far this season.
The Florida Panthers are trailing close behind the Maple Leafs with a 12-3 record after a big win against the Dallas Stars on Monday night.
Source: Canes Country
The Carolina Hurricanes still have time to come back, as they are just short of the No.2 seed, with a 12-4 record. Nino Niederreiter and Vincent Trocheck are having record-setting season’s and do not plan to stop now. Niederreiter has posted 9 goals and 3 assists for 12 points, and Trocheck has posted 9 goals and 7 assists for 16 points so far this season.
The Boston Bruins currently hold the No.4 seed, the Edmonton Oilers hold the No. 5 seed and the Tampa Bay Lighting hold the No. 6 seed. The rankings are far from set, as the regular season does not conclude until May 8.
Source: NHL
The league was able to host outdoor games this season amidst the COVID-19 pandemic. The series, NHL Outdoors at Lake Tahoe, consisted of two outdoor regular season games and was held on Feb. 21-22. The Colorado Avalanche beat the Vegas Golden Knights 3-2, in Saturday’s game that was delayed over eight hours due to unsafe ice conditions. On Sunday, the Boston Bruins took control early on and beat the Philadelphia Flyers 7-3.
This year’s unprecedented season will include a Stanley Cup tournament that will feature a 16-team, best-of-seven, four-round playoff run. It will begin on Tuesday, May 11 and the top four teams in each division will qualify for a chance to take the 2020-21 NHL Stanley Cup title.