NHL Eastern Conference Power Rankings, V.3

Mar 16, 2015; Tampa, FL, USA; Tampa Bay Lightning defenseman Jason Garrison (5) defends Montreal Canadiens center Alex Galchenyuk (27) during the third period at Amalie Arena. Tampa Bay Lightning defeated the Montreal Canadiens 4-2. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

The schedule was a bit kinder to the Isles this week as they played just two games, losing to the Blackhawks and defeating the Devils. Up this week for the Isles is an important homestand against the Wild, Ducks, Kings and Red Wings.

After losing a crucial game on Monday in Tampa Bay by a score of 4-2, the Canadiens followed up by beating the Panthers and shutting out both the Sharks and Hurricanes. Carey Price continues to make a push for the Vezina Tropby and possibly even the Hart Trophy as he now sits atop the NHL’s goaltending leaderboard in wins, save percentage, goals against average and shutouts.

This week the Rangers have fallen back on my board to number two based a little bit on their performances and a lot on the performance of the Tampa Bay Lightning. This week, the Rangers were shutout at home by Scott Darling and the Chicago Blackhawks and then defeated the Hurricanes in overtime and also the Ducks by a 7-2 score. As impressive as the win over the Ducks was, the other two games were not very impressive. However, the Rangers still sit atop the East and oh, yea, that Henrik Lundqvist guy may be back this week.

This week was a very impressive one for Tampa Bay in which they cleaned up against the rival Canadiens, Red Wings and Bruins. Ben Bishop had an outstanding week and was recognized for it as he was named third star of the week. This week Tampa Bay will look to keep their streak alive as they take on the Panthers, Predators and Red Wings.

Next: Isles Should Look to Make an Offseason Splash

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