Nashville Predators are starting to look like Stanley Cup favorites as the wide-open MVP race winds down to the last two weeks.
Who is going to win the Hart Trophy as the NHL’s most valuable player? If you know, please pass it along because I don’t.
This isn’t about not knowing who the candidates are, but about the many players for whom legitimate arguments can be made in what is a wide-open race. There is no clear-cut leader in the clubhouse and that is going to make the regular season’s final two weeks all the more interesting.
Should Tampa Bay’s Nikita Kucherov, the league’s scoring leader, be the MVP? What about Nathan MacKinnon powering Colorado to an unexpected shot at the playoffs? Is it Pittsburgh’s Evgeni Malkin of the reigning two-time Stanley Cup champions?
That only scratches the surface. Anze Kopitar’s massive comeback season kept the Kings afloat without Jeff Carter. Taylor Hall has been one-man gang at times for New Jersey. And should we penalize Connor McDavid, who has been better than last year’s Hart-winning season even if Edmonton is worse?
Don’t worry, we aren’t ignoring Washington superstar Alex Ovechkin or Winnipeg’s Blake Wheeler. But the Professional Hockey Writers Assn., which votes for the Hart, is going to formally release its members’ ballots for the first time in the name of transparency. And there’s no shortage of worthy winners.
This will be more grist for the Twitter mill because this vote is going to be a tough one. Let the arguments begin. (Records in parentheses as of Sunday’s games):
1. Predators (47-14-10). The record over the past 14 games is 13-0-1. Seven of those wins have come on the road. Are they the Stanley Cup favorite? (2)
2. Bruins (45-17-8). Can banged-up Boston actually catch Tampa Bay for the Atlantic title? Handing the Lightning its first shutout of the season helps there. (3)
3. Lightning (49-19-4). Kucherov scores twice Sunday against Edmonton to help Tampa Bay respond after consecutive home losses. (1)
4. Jets (43-19-10). Patrik Laine’s second-half scoring tear now has him at 43 to catch Alex Ovechkin for the NHL lead. (4)
5. Maple Leafs (43-22-7). Journeyman goalie Curtis McElhinney got one of the NHL’s Three Stars for last week, stopping 81 of 88 shots in winning three games. (6)
6. Wild (41-24-7). Special night for Las Vegas-raised Jason Zucker as Nevada’s first NHL product scored a goal and assisted on another in winning his first game in his hometown. (7)
7. Golden Knights (46-21-5). Worked over pretty good by New Jersey and Minnesota at home but William Karlsson’s improbable season continues. Natural hat trick Sunday has him at 39 goals. (5)
8. Sharks (40-23-9). All the right notes are being struck. Timo Meier and Tomas Hertl hit the 20-goal mark and deadline acquisition Evander Kane gets four against Calgary. Huge. (10)
9. Capitals (41-24-7). Lost amid “The Great 8” getting his 600th goal is T. J. Oshie regaining his scoring touch. Winger went 19 games without one but got three in back-to-back wins over the Islanders. (9)
10. Penguins (41-26-5). Does Malkin get the bookend to his 2012 Hart? He has been spectacular with only three pointless games over his past 22. Nineteen goals and 21 assists over that span. (8)
11. Ducks (37-24-12). The foursome of Cam Fowler, Hampus Lindholm, Josh Manson and Brandon Montour is playing big minutes on an increasingly stingy defense. As they should. Lean on them. (12)
12. Avalanche (39-25-8). Lost amid the nightly brilliance that has been MacKinnon is point-producing defenseman Tyson Barrie getting at least one in 10 straight. (14)
13. Blue Jackets (39-28-5). Cam Atkinson and Boone Jenner have struggled mightily at times but both are playing their best hockey right now in their huge seven-game win streak. (15)
14. Kings (39-27-6). A gigantic four-game road trip begins Monday at Minnesota. On deck: Winnipeg, Colorado, Edmonton. Six points out of the eight possible might be a must. (13)
15. Blues (39-28-5). If there is criticism about Alex Pietrangelo’s leadership abilities, it’s unwarranted. The captain stepped up with a massive week to lead St. Louis back into playoff contention. (19)
16. Flyers (37-25-11). Took the season series with Washington with the third win in four matchups Sunday. They could be a dangerous foe the Capitals want to avoid in the first round. (17)
17. Devils (37-27-8). A little stumble Sunday in Anaheim, but three wins to open a big road trip were critical. Hall’s 77 points are 31 more than his next closest teammate. (18)
18. Stars (38-27-8). Penalty kill has allowed seven goals in five-game losing streak and now Ben Bishop is hurt again. Wins are needed fast, but it might be on Kari Lehtonen to save the season. (11)
19. Panthers (35-27-7). Great late-season run is losing steam. Failure to score on six power plays in home loss to Edmonton proves damaging to playoff hopes. (16)
20. Rangers (32-32-8). Michael Grabner leads them with 25 goals. Winger was traded to New Jersey three weeks ago. It kind of says a lot, doesn’t it? (23)
21. Flames (35-28-10). It doesn’t get any more must-win than Monday at Arizona and then Anaheim at home Wednesday. Or even every other game after as well. (21)
22. Hurricanes (31-30-11). Sebastian Aho and Teuvo Teravainen are big parts of their future but they’re in dire need of a legitimate No. 1 center. So are about 15 other teams. (20)
23. Islanders (30-32-10). Few are better in front of the net than Anders Lee, who established a career high with 35 goals. (22)
24. Oilers (31-36-5). Among their many issues is the lack of scoring on the wing. With Patrick Maroon dealt away, Milan Lucic is their top full-time producer with 10 goals and 32 points. Yikes. (24)
25. Senators (26-34-11). Won three out of four last week, but you’re not going far when your goals against is second worst in a 31-team league. (28)
26. Blackhawks (30-34-9). Alex DeBrincat has been one of the few bright spots of a sideways year for Chicago. Rookie sniper got his third hat trick of the season Sunday. (25)
27. Canadiens (26-34-12). Still think Alex Galchenyuk (16 goals, 28 assists) is in need of another start somewhere else as a complementary scoring forward on a strong defensive team. (26)
28. Coyotes (23-37-11). Adin Hill’s reward for collecting his first win as an NHL goalie is a ticket back to the American Hockey League.
