NHL power rankings: Rangers are red hot, Nicklas Backstrom emerging as Capitals’ best player

NHL All-Star rosters will always be received with a certain level of criticism. There are rarely (if ever) enough spots for all the deserving nominees, and some are bound to miss the cut for one reason or another.

Since the game is irrelevant, it’s probably unwise to spend much energy decrying the flawed, easily manipulated voting process. Yet it’s hard to overlook some of this year’s omissions.

Popular defensemen P.K. Subban and Erik Karlsson were left out despite their tremendous contributions. Joe Pavelski, who is fifth in goals (21), got snubbed as well.

Then there’s Washington’s Nicklas Backstrom, whose impressive year hasn’t received nearly enough praise.

Capitals head coach Barry Trotz recently said Backstrom has been the team’s best player in 2014-15 -- a difficult feat to accomplish while skating next to Alex Ovechkin. Not everyone will agree with Trotz, but it’s easy to see where he’s coming from: Backstrom is currently 15th in the NHL in points (41) and sixth in assists (28). He’s an elite play-maker by virtually any definition of the term.

If only he were born in Latvia.

Backstrom’s influence becomes even more palpable when we dig into the underlying stats. Based on data found at HockeyAnalysis.com, most Washington skaters are considerably better when he’s on the ice. He appears to help Caps defensemen in particular.

It’s worth mentioning that Backstrom is making such an impact without easy competition and an abundance of offensive zone starts. Rather, he’s driving play under some challenging circumstances.

It took a while for the Caps to settle in under Trotz, but it seems they have found their stride. With wins in seven of its last 10, Washington has moved into the seventh seed in the East, and is just six points shy of the conference lead.

Backstrom and Ovechkin have been at the forefront of this progress, racking up 10 and eight points since Dec. 1, respectively. Defenseman John Carlson is having quite a year himself with 31 points in 41 games.

The biggest difference, however, might be the play of Braden Holtby. Currently ninth in the league in save percentage (0.921), the 25-year-old has quickly evolved into a stable presence in net -- thanks in large part to the guidance of coach Mitch Korn.

If Korn, who previously molded Dominik Hasek and Pekka Rinne, can keep Holtby on the right track, Washington could make a lot of noise this season.

Also on the rise are the New York Rangers, who entered Saturday’s contest in San Jose as one of the NHL’s hottest teams.

By taking care of the Sharks 3-1, the Blueshirts not only went 3-0 on their West Coast swing, but also improved to a stunning 13-1-0 in their last 14 games. They’ve jumped three spots in the Eastern Conference during this stretch and now look like a genuine contender once again.

There are many reasons for New York’s recent success -- one being an improved defense. Since the start of December, only four teams have allowed less unblocked shot attempts at even strength.

This, of course, has been a tremendous help to Henrik Lundqvist, whose slow start is now a thing of the past: The 32-year-old has surrendered two or less goals in 10 of his last 11 starts.

The Minnesota Wild continue to plummet down the Central Division standings. After losing to Chicago on Sunday night, Mike Yeo’s group finds itself 13th in the Western Conference and dead last in the Central Division. With the Predators, Blackhawks, Blues and even the Jets playing well, it’s starting to look like the Wild could miss the playoffs entirely.

Minnesota’s puck possession numbers were a strength in the early going, but that has quickly changed. Through November, its score adjusted Corsi measurable was second in the league; it has since fallen to 12th.

The Wild is suffering from an abnormal PDO (97.7), which is lower than every team not located in Arizona, Edmonton and Carolina. Poor goaltending is undoubtedly weighing that number down: No club has a worse even strength save percentage than Minnesota, who normally thrives by keeping opposing offenses in check.

But Darcy Kuemper has been underwhelming at best, and Niklas Backstrom has been even worse. A trade may be the only way to fix this issue.

These tough times could lead to a change behind the bench. There have been rumblings that Yeo is on the hot seat, and it may not be long before the Wild send him packing. Yeo is definitely frustrated, as evident by his practice tirade last week in which he smashed his stick, fired off some expletives and left the ice early.

Switching coaches likely won’t accomplish much in the short-term, as Ottawa is coming to understand. Firing Paul MacLean has done little to mend any of the Sens’ problems, as they’ve dropped eight of 14 since ridding themselves of the veteran head coach.

Their shot differential has crept in the right direction, but that could have more to do with their schedule than anything else. In the last few weeks Ottawa has played Buffalo, Colorado, Philadelphia and Arizona -- not exactly a bunch of puck possession giants.

Now eight points out of a playoff spot and three points ahead of 13th in the East, the Sens might be destined for the draft lottery. At least Karlsson will get some rest during the All-Star break.