NHL Player Power Rankings: Penguins' 'Big 3' wreaking havoc

In the fourth running of theScore's NHL Player Power Rankings, editor Craig Hagerman orders the top players from around the league this season - with extra consideration given to their performances this month.

10. Alex Ovechkin

Previously unranked

GP	G	A	P	P/PG	5-on-5 CF%
57	34	31	65	1.14	50.42

Scoring goals is the hardest thing to do in the NHL and Ovechkin continues to prove he's among the best at it.

The Washington Capitals captain still tops the league in the category with 34 and is on pace to finish with 48, so it's not out of the question he could hit the 50-goal mark for the eighth time in his career.

Regardless, he's already matched his goal total from last season and is four points back of last season's output.

9. Phil Kessel

Previously 8th

GP	G	A	P	P/PG	5-on-5 CF%
59	24	42	66	1.14	50.12

While he might rank slightly behind his two Pittsburgh Penguins teammates on this list, Kessel's stellar season certainly shouldn't be overlooked.

The 30-year-old is having by far his most productive year since being dealt from the Toronto Maple Leafs. He's four points away from hitting last season's total of 70, and his 24 goals are just two shy of his 2016 tally.

Kessel has been arguably the team MVP this season, seeming to find great chemistry with Evgeni Malkin, and is just another reason you can't ever count out the Penguins.

8. Steven Stamkos

Previously 2nd

GP	G	A	P	P/PG	5-on-5 CF%
58	23	44	67	1.16	53.09

The NHL is a better place when Stamkos is healthy, just not for opposing goaltenders.

The Tampa Bay Lightning captain is enjoying his most productive season since the 2011-12 campaign when he put up 60 goals and 97 points. He won't hit nearly the same amount of goals this season, but with 67 points in 58 games, he is on pace for 94, the third-highest total of his career.

It pays to have the likely Art Ross Trophy winner playing on your wing, particularly when he's fully fit.

7. Pekka Rinne

Previously unranked

GP	SV%	GAA	W	SO	SA	SV
42	.925	2.36	29	5	1 315	1 217

If you're not convinced the Nashville Predators are a legitimate Stanley Cup contender, consider the facts: the club has arguably the best defense corps and one of the best netminders going.

Rinne has been a stud this season after putting up respectable numbers last year. The 35-year-old has recorded just two fewer wins in 42 games than he did in 61 appearances last term.

He's rocking a .925 save percentage - good enough for sixth league-wide - and ranks second in shutouts with five and ninth in goals-against average with a 2.36 mark.

6. Johnny Gaudreau

Previously 1st

GP	G	A	P	P/PG	5-on-5 CF%
58	19	49	68	1.17	53.16

Gaudreau may have fallen from his peak at No. 1 on this list, but you'd better believe he's still lighting it up.

With an assist against the Predators on Thursday night, Gaudreau pushed his current point streak to eight games. He's now just 10 points off his career high of 78, set back during the 2015-16 season

The Calgary Flames are hanging on to a playoff spot but will need more of this kind of production from Gaudreau if they are to stay there.

5. Sidney Crosby

Previously unranked

GP	G	A	P	P/PG	5-on-5 CF%
59	19	47	66	1.12	55.16

Crosby jumped out of the gate this season with 10 points in eight games, before hitting a slight lull between mid-October and into early November when he put up just three points in 11 outings.

Then he erupted.

Recently, Crosby's been his usual dangerous self, especially since the calendar flipped. In the New Year, Sid has gone pointless just three times in 19 games, while tallying a whopping 31 points in that span.

4. Connor McDavid

Previously 7th

GP	G	A	P	P/PG	5-on-5 CF%
56	23	43	66	1.18	53.97

While the Edmonton Oilers might not be headed anywhere quickly, McDavid has been rocketing up the ice and, subsequently, the scoring charts.

The 21-year-old has recorded at least a point in 12 of his last 15 games and totaled nine goals and 21 points overall in that span.

Given he continues to play largely with inadequate wingers, it's nothing short of astonishing McDavid has been able to produce the way he has.

3. Nikita Kucherov

Previously 3rd

GP	G	A	P	P/PG	5-on-5 CF%
58	31	45	76	1.31	53.23

Kucherov refuses to concede his lead on the NHL points race.

The Lightning sniper has held the baton for the better part of the season and with a five-game point streak that has yielded 10 points, it seems he doesn't plan on giving up his spot.

In the meantime, he is now just nine points back of the career-high 85 set last season and is on pace to conclude the year with 107.

2. Patrice Bergeron

Previously unranked

GP	G	A	P	P/PG	5-on-5 CF%
50	27	24	51	1.02	57.61

Move over Stamkos and Kucherov, as the title of "best line in hockey" has been re-awarded to the trio in Boston. Bergeron, Brad Marchand, and David Pastrnak have been electric for the better part of two months, and Bergeron has been the best of the three.

His offense has been off the chart and he remains as steady in his own end as ever, as well as one of the best faceoff men in the league.

If his current pace keeps up, he should easily surpass his career high of 32 goals and could very well become the first player since Sergei Fedorov in 1994 to win both the Selke Trophy and the Hart Trophy in the same season.

1. Evgeni Malkin

Previously unranked

GP	G	A	P	P/PG	5-on-5 CF%
55	32	34	66	1.20	51.51

Malkin vaults into first place largely thanks to a monstrous January.

The 31-year-old went off for 12 goals and 19 points in 12 games and followed that up with another six goals and eight points in three outings in the first week of February.

The scoring onslaught has pushed Malkin into a share of fourth in the Art Ross Trophy race, 10 points back of Kucherov for the league lead. His production has also helped the Penguins jump back into a playoff spot, where they will soon begin their quest for a third straight Stanley Cup.

Honorable Mentions

Taylor Hall - Hall has put up a 16-game point streak and is quietly starting to enter the Hart Trophy conversation. His 60 points in 52 games are already more than the 53 he put up all of last season, and with four more goals, he'll surpass his personal best scoring tally of 27.

Claude Giroux - Like Hall, Giroux has already eclipsed last season's production. His 66 points in 57 games have him on pace to set a new career best above the 93 set back during the 2011-12 season.

Tuukka Rask - Rask will most certainly be in the Vezina Trophy conversation at the end of the year, barring a major collapse. The 30-year-old has gone 23-9-4 in 37 games and sits comfortably with a 2.11 goals-against average and a .924 save percentage. If Bergeron wasn't playing so well, it could be argued he's been the team's MVP this season.

(Photos courtesy: Getty Images)

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