NHL Power Rankings: Acrostic Poem Edition

All the best plays from the week that was in the NHL, including Karri Ramo's robbery and Brayden Holtby continuing to show a flare for the highlight reel save

With less than a month remaining in the NHL regular season, the Presidents’ Trophy race couldn’t be any tighter if you stuffed it in a pair of Cooperalls and vacuum-sealed it.

Six clubs — the Rangers, Ducks, Canadiens, Blues, Lightning and Predators — hold a share of the lead with 91 points. The Islanders have 90, and the Penguins sit at 88 with a game or two in hand on most of the pack ahead.

Post-season home ice is anybody’s for the taking.

Our latest NHL Power Rankings: Acrostic Poem Edition sees the Lundqvist-less Rangers clinging to their No. 1 spot and a nice uptick from the we-think-we-can Flames and consistent Habs.

In this week’s installment, we use team nicknames to anchor an acrostic verse to each of the league’s 30 clubs — you know, the simple poetry by letters they teach you in elementary school and you later use to craft homemade signage to bring to the rink.

Rank Team Previous
1

Rick
“Astonishing”
Nash
Gathers
Energy,
Reinvigorates
Subway Series

 1
2

Backes
Loves
Unclaimed,
Endearing
Scamps

 6
3

Letting
Its
Gifted
Handlers (of puck)
Triumph.
Nasty
In
Notching
Goals

 9
4

Dangerous
Unless
Calgary
Keeps
Scrambling

 2
5

Poile’s
Reworked
Entity
Damages
All
Those
Occupying
Regular
Standings

 3
6

Carey
And
Nathan
And
Desharnais
Illustrate
Entertaining
Navigation
Skyward

 4
7

We’re
Inspired,
Leopold’s
Daughter

 10
8

Really
European
Defence

Winning
In
‘Nother
Great
Spring

 7
9

Pittsburgh
Enlists
Nutritionist
Gary,
Uses
Inventive
Nourishment
Sublimely

 5
10

Bickell
Likes
Andrew,
Carcillo
Knows
Harassment
And
Wields
Knuckles
Scandalously

 13
11

Instead of
Slamming
Last
Arena,
New
Digs
Excite
Rejuvenated
Squad

 11
12

Can
A
New,
Unified
Core
Kindle
Success?

 15
13

Frig,
Lost
A
Mark.
Expedite
Shot-blocking!

 16
14

Boston
Re-signing
Useful
Insurgents (Smith, Krug)
Nice
Scoop

 19
15

Keeping
It
Nip-and-tuck!
Got
Sekera!

 8
16

Join
Entire
Town’s
Suspense

 17
17

Caution:
Alex +
Puck
Infers
They’ll
Absorb
Less
Saves

 12
18

Shutout
Entity
Named
Andrew
Throws
Opponents’
Rebounds
Sideways

 14
19

Somewhere
Hovering
Around
Rebuild
Kinda
Stinks

 18
20

A
Vexing
Ascent
Loathed by
Analytics
Navigators
Comes
Halting
Earthward

 22
21

Seguin’s
Turnaround
Awesome,
Returns
Scoring

 20
22

Floundering,
Losing,
Youth-deprived…
Emery,
Ray
Sayonara?

 23
23

Public
Allowed
Net
Tryout,
Have
Emergency
Replacement goalie
Shot

 21
24

Defence
Equals
Victories?
Is
Lamoriello
Seething?

 24
25

Hoping to
Usurp
Ridiculous
Regular season
In
Coming
Atop
Next
Entry draft
Sweepstakes

 25
26

Malaise,
Apathy,
Piling on,
Listlessness,
Erosion…

Let’s
Erase
All
February
Shall, we?

 26
27

Bruised
Limbs
Undo
Explosiveness.

Just
Added
Clarkson’s
Karma.
Excitement
Two thousand
Sixteen!

 27
28

Only
In
Losing
Enriched by
Random
Selections

 28
29

Sarcasm:
Are
Buffalonians
Ready to
Embrace
Sweepstakes?

 29
30

Come!
Only
Young
Occupants
That’ll
Excel
Some day

 30

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