It’s been a season to remember for dynamic Washington Capitals forward Alexander Ovechkin. He’s emerged as perhaps the NHL’s most valuable player, tallying 52 goals in 67 games to equal a career high. He’s gotten the surging Caps within striking distance of the Southeast Division-leading Carolina Hurricanes with 15 games still to play. And then, of course, there’s the monumental contract he signed in January; at 13 years and $124 million, it’s the richest deal ever afforded to a professional hockey player.

It can be argued, and it has been in this space, that the contract was a foolish one. Ovechkin’s productivity is tied inextricably to his health, and his style of play puts him at near-constant risk of injury. But the fact remains that there is no NHL player more exciting to watch today than Ovechkin. His dynamic combination of speed and strength is truly dazzling, and in a world where it costs an average of nearly $300 to take a family of four to an NHL game, he is the rare player for whom watching is unquestionably worth the price of admission. Ovechkin’s Caps have risen to 21st with a bullet in this week’s rankings.

1. Detroit Red Wings (LW: 1): Brian Rafalski has been activated from injured reserve and Nicklas Lidstrom is due to return soon; the Wings should capture the President’s Trophy for the fourth time in six years.

G REC PTS GS GA PP% PK%
67 43–18–6 92 204 145 18.63% 85.37%

2. Dallas Stars (2): The most impressive aspect of the surging Stars’ second-half performance has been that they’ve done it without All-Star defenseman Sergei Zubov (foot surgery, out between two and three more weeks).
69 41–23–5 87 202 169 16.15% 90.20%

3. San Jose Sharks (8): Perhaps relieved that he wasn’t traded away, captain Patrick Marleau scored four points in the four games following the trade deadline.
66 37–21–8 82 172 154 15.43% 89.02%

4. New Jersey Devils (3): Of the Devils’ 38 wins, only five have come when they’ve scored fewer than three goals; when scoring three goals or more, they are 33–2–2.
67 38–23–6 82 172 154 14.44% 84.94%

5. Pittsburgh Penguins (4): Netminder Marc-Andre Fleury has returned strong following his nearly three-month absence, stopping 66 of 68 shots in consecutive victories.
68 38-23-7 83 193 181 18.77% 81.67%

6. Anaheim Ducks (7): On an 11–1 run entering last night’s game against the Blackhawks, the Ducks are serious threats to defend their Cup championship.
68 38–23–7 83 168 159 15.08% 84.30%

7. Montreal Canadiens (6): Alexei Kovalev is leading the Habs in every critical offensive statistical category, all while demonstrating newfound leadership skills.
67 36–22–9 81 209 185 24.13% 82.77%

8.Ottawa Senators (5): The defending Eastern Conference champs have been merely pedestrian in the months following their 15–2 start, and a first-round ouster looks likely.
67 37–24–6 80 214 198 16.29% 85.39%

9. Calgary Flames (9): Captain Jarome Iginla has been magnificent, leading the Flames with 40 goals while playing a stellar two-way game (team-leading plus- 26 rating).
67 35–23–9 79 184 182 13.56% 82.65%

10. Minnesota Wild (12): The deadline-day acquisition of controversial Chris Simon elicited an angst-ridden response from the fan base: Why was he the team’s only addition?
67 37–25–5 79 178 178 15.27% 85.40%

11. Boston Bruins (11): Patrice Bergeron (Grade 3 concussion) worked out on the ice for 28 minutes on Tuesday and experienced no negative consequences over the course of the workout, a good sign indeed.
66 35–24–7 77 173 178 16.41% 82.33%

12. New York Rangers (13): The Rangers are making a huge mistake by playing hardball with Sean Avery; should the catalytic fan favorite move his act to Uniondale, Newark, or Philadelphia this summer, it would be a disaster for the Blueshirts.
67 34–24–9 77 173 162 15.43% 84.29%

13. Colorado Avalanche (18): On the strength of four straight victories, the Avs have surged into seventh place in the Western Conference.
67 35–26–6 76 180 178 11.64% 81.78%

14. Nashville Predators (14): The Preds signed future franchise goalie Jeremy Smith (currently starring with the OHL’s Plymouth Whalers) to an entry-level contract yesterday.
67 34–25–8 76 196 186 13.51% 87.36%

15. Vancouver Canucks (10): The Sedin twins are slumping badly, combining for one assist and a minus-6 rating during the team’s ongoing four-game losing streak.
66 32–24–10 74 167 160 16.15% 84.23%

16. Philadelphia Flyers (16): Braydon Coburn has been a revelation on the blue line, posting a team-best plus-16 rating while demonstrating surprising offensive skill.
67 33–26–8 74 204 189 20.43% 86.29%

17. Buffalo Sabres (15): Rumors are now circulating that star goalie Ryan Miller (a UFAto- be in 2009) could soon be on his way out of Buffalo, bad news indeed for the Sabres.
67 32–26–9 73 203 186 16.67% 85.92%

18. Phoenix Coyotes (17): Captain Shane Doan is finally living up to expectations, tallying 63 points in 64 games while leading the desert dogs back to respectability.
66 33–28–5 71 172 172 15.83% 85.93%

19. Carolina Hurricanes (19): With 21 points in 24 games since getting claimed off waivers by the ‘Canes, Sergei Samsonov’s career has been resurrected in Raleigh.
68 34–29–5 73 202 211 14.67% 77.46%

20. Chicago Blackhawks (23): After missing nearly three months of action, Jason Williams has returned like a house on fire, tallying nine points in his last six games.
66 32–28–6 70 187 187 13.06% 86.25%

21. Washington Capitals (24): Rookie playmaker Nicklas Backstrom has been sensational after a slow start, tallying 42 points in his last 41 games.
67 31–28–8 70 195 198 16.36% 81.69%

22. New York Islanders (22): With Rick DiPietro away from the team following his grandmother’s death, Wade Dubielewicz backstopped the Isles to a scintillating shoot-out win over the Rangers at the Garden on Tuesday night.
68 32–29–7 71 164 194 10.55% 85.76%

23. St. Louis Blues (20): Goal-scoring leader Brad Boyes has found a permanent home in St. Louis; he signed a four-year, $16 million contract extension on Saturday night.
66 29-27-10 68 162 177 10.75% 84.56%

24. Columbus Blue Jackets (21): Netminder Pascal Leclaire’s rapid ascension (a league-leading nine shutouts) has been one of this season’s great success stories.
68 30–28–10 70 161 170 14.58% 87.62%

25. Toronto Maple Leafs (25): Six points behind the eighth-place Flyers with three teams to climb, the Leafs’ playoff hopes are fading away.
68 29–29–10 68 184 209 13.68% 79.66%

26. Edmonton Oilers (26): The Oilers’ losing only makes the Ducks stronger; Anaheim has Edmonton’s first-, second-, and third-round picks as compensation for the foolhardy poaching of RFA Dustin Penner last summer.
67 31–31–5 67 169 202 12.59% 86.97%

27. Florida Panthers (27): With two consecutive shutouts (and three consecutive wins), netminder Craig Anderson is earning a place in the Panthers’ longterm plans.
69 30–31–8 68 177 191 17.87% 82.11%

28. Atlanta Thrashers (28): Seven straight losses have knocked the Thrashers out of the playoff hunt; now the team’s youngsters are auditioning for starring roles in 2008–09.
67 29–31–7 65 170 213 14.77% 84.04%

29. Tampa Bay Lightning (29): A 10-game goalless streak by Vincent Lecavalier and a seven-game point drought for Martin St. Louis explain why Tampa has fallen so precipitously in recent weeks.
66 26–33–7 59 181 214 16.67% 83.06%

30. Los Angeles Kings (30): It would be easy to blame the Kings’ woes on their goaltenders (league-worst 225 goals-against), but their porous defense is the true culprit.
68 26–37–5 57 191 225 16.88% 82.03%

Mr. Greenstein is the editor in chief of InsideHockey.com.