NHL Power Rankings: Slow-Starters & Early Powerhouses
October 18, 2015; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Los Angeles Kings goalie
(32) blocks a shot against the Colorado Avalanche during the first period at Staples Center. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports
NHL Power Rankings early look into 2015-16: The first 12 days have been completed, and boy is great to have hockey back in action. These first 12 days of games have brought us a ton of surprises, some good, some bad. A few contenders have started off slowly, while some teams looking to make a statement are doing just that. With that being said, here are the updated rankings:
KEY: Ranking. Team Name (Record) (Differential from previous weeks ranking)
NHL Power Rankings 30th to 21st
30. Columbus Blue Jackets (0-6-0) (-7)
Not a whole lot to write about here. Tough start for Columbus. Goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky has struggled, while the team has given up four or more goals in each of their 6 games. They are struggling in every aspect of the game, which could lead to some major changes if things don’t turn around.
Recent rumors indicate that Todd Richards could be on the hot-seat in Columbus. Also hearing rumblings that GM Jarmo Kekalainen could be on the market for a top pair defenseman. Jack Johnson has the worst plus minus of any player since entering the league. Turnovers have plagued the Blue Jackets thus far, accompanied by an ineffective one-man deep type forecheck.
29. Edmonton Oilers (2-4-0) (-1)
Not the start that Edmonton fans were hoping for in the “Connor McDavid era.” The only bright side is that they’ve played close games against very tough opponents in all four of their first games (Dallas, Nashville, St. Louis twice). They’ve managed wins in their past two versus Calgary and Vancouver. Good news is that McDavid is finally settling in looking comfortable.
While the two wins are a positive sign, Edmonton still has holes to address on the back-end. The lack of a true top-pairing is something GM Peter Chiarelli will need to address at some point, via trade or draft. Good news is that Edmonton is finally getting some better goaltending. They haven’t been great, but Cam Talbot and Anders Nilsson are quality upgrades on Ben Scrivens and Viktor Fasth.
28. New Jersey Devils (1-3-1) (-3)
The Devils can’t put the puck in the net. In three of their four losses to open the season they have only tallied 1 goal. Cory Schneider has been playing well in net, but he needs some goal support from his teammates. Feeling like deja-vu for the Devils from last season.
This team is simply not good enough featuring guys like Mike Cammalleri and Travis Zajac on your top-line. Even worse when you’re depending on guys like Lee Stempniak and Jiri Tlusty to add the offense to win you games. Top prospect Auston Matthews could very well be dawning a New Jersey Devils jersey next season.
27. Anaheim Ducks (1-3-1) (-24)
Not many envisioned the Ducks starting off this poorly. Easily the biggest drop in this edition of the power rankings, Anaheim was shut out in three of their four losses to start the season. Not only are the Ducks struggling to score, but they are struggling to score while outshooting their opponents. Not a great recipe for success.
Anaheim finally got the monkey off its back in their most recent showing, but you can see the panic from Ducks management when they go calling for top prospect Shea Theodore. If the Ducks continue to have goal-scoring issues moving forward, expect the next call to be for Nick Ritchie.
26. Buffalo Sabres (1-4-0) (+1)
Oct 10, 2015; Buffalo, NY, USA; Buffalo Sabres center
(15) takes a shot on the Tampa Bay Lightning net during the third period at First Niagara Center. Lightning beat the Sabres 4-1. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Hoffman-USA TODAY Sports
Well the start hasn’t been ideal, but one thing is for sure: Jack Eichel is the real deal. Western New Yorkers are already smitten with the 18 year-old rookie, who through the first four games, leads the team with two goals. The goaltender situation took a blow when starter Robin Lehner suffered a lower body injury in the season opener. Replacement Chad Johnson has struggled in his stead.
Rumors broke that GM Tim Murray has actively been talking to Anaheim concerning the availability of G John Gibson, but Ducks management has deemed him near untouchable for the time-being. With Lehner’s timetable set at six to ten weeks initially, Buffalo could still be actively seeking a replacement goaltender.
25. Toronto Maple Leafs (1-3-1) (+4)
The Mike Babcock era has begun, and the Maple Leafs have shown signs of improvement. They struggled to score in the first two games, but earned a point in a shootout loss to Ottawa, followed by a 6-3 victory against Columbus. Nazem Kadri seems to be the go-to-forward without Phil Kessel, and Dion Phaneuf has had a great start to the year as well.
Jonathan Bernier has been a man of two tales this season. The tale always begins with early goals being let in, followed by a strong performance while the team in front of him battles to get back in the game. It’s pretty clear that Bernier has the talent to carry the load, but he needs to be focused and ready to play at puck drop.
24. Carolina Hurricanes (1-4-0) (+2)
In their first four games, Carolina drew Nashville, Florida, and Detroit twice. A tough start for a team looking to start the year right. The uncertainty surrounding the status of captain Eric Staal certainly isn’t helping. Staal reportedly is asking for a contract extension in the area of $9 million annually. That is a steep cap hit, no matter how important Staal is to the team. With trade rumors swirling, the resolution to the Eric Staal situation is going to be vital to Carolina’s season.
Let’s not forget that Carolina also lost their prized offseason acquisition James Wisniewski at the beginning of the season, essentially tearing away Justin Faulk‘s first quality defensive partner in his career. Fortunately, 2015 first rounder Noah Hanifan has stepped up on the back-end resembling a veteran d-man who’s played for years. Canes prospect Brock McGinn finally made his NHL debut on the top-line alongside Eric Staal scoring early into his first NHL game and later adding an assist.
23. Boston Bruins (2-3-0) (-4)
Boston couldn’t have dream-pt of a worse start. In the first three games of the year, all at home, the normally defensively stout Bruins and their Vezina caliber goalie Tuukka Rask, gave up 16 goals. Inexperience coupled with costly and poorly timed mistakes on defense doomed the Bruins in all three of their losses. They were able to bounce back with a 6-2 win in their first road game at Colorado, led by a four point night from Jimmy Hayes. They looked like a completely different group, moving the puck crisply and playing soundly in their own end.
They followed up the performance against Colorado, by beating a hungry young Coyotes team 5-3 on Saturday night, looking like a much better team once against. Still lots of questions to be answered even after the two solid performances, as the voids left by Dougie Hamilton and Milan Lucic are clearly evident.
22. Calgary Flames (1-4-0) (-12)
A sexy pick to make a run to the cup this year, the Flames have been anything but flaming to start the season. Calgary was out-shot in all 3 of their games to open the season, plus their most recent 5-2 loss to Edmonton. Their biggest acquisition Dougie Hamilton has only one goal with a -3 rating through 5 games. With a shaky goaltending situation, Calgary might have some growing pains to start the year.
There should have been red flags raised day one when Kari Ramo won the starter role over Jonas Hiller. The Flames do have a couple younger guys in Joni Ortio and Jon Gillies with potential. This a team that once T.J. Brodie returns, should start creeping back in the right direction. Brodie eats up a ton of minutes on the blue-line, that are currently being distributed to Kris Russell.
21. Los Angeles Kings (2-3-0) (-3)
Another team looking for a strong start after a disappointing year, the Kings could probably not have imagined a worse start. The Kings have scored four goals in four games to start the year, which will not win many games in the long run. Newcomer Milan Lucic has only 1 point with a -3 rating to start the year. The most disappointing aspect of the Kings’ start has to be their power play which has gone 1-21 to start the 2015-2016 campaign.
Good news for Los Angeles early on is that Dustin Brown is starting to look more like a top-six forward again after being demoted last season. Struggles in the defensive zone have hampered the Kings scoring chances playing extra time in their own end. There’s a piece missing on that blue-line left by Slava Voynov‘s departure that has yet to be filled.
Next: 20th to 11th
Oct 17, 2015; Chicago, IL, USA; The Chicago Blackhawks celebrate their victory following the third period against the Columbus Blue Jackets at the United Center. Chicago won 4-1. Mandatory Credit: Dennis Wierzbicki-USA TODAY Sports
20. Pittsburgh Penguins (2-3-0) (-9)
Pittsburgh and LA have had eerily similar starts to the year. Like LA, the Penguins have had trouble putting the puck in the net. The addition of Phil Kessel will hopefully solve that issue. But the Pens have been even worse on the PP than the Kings, going 0-17 to kick off the season. Pittsburgh relies heavily on their offense to win games, and they are too talented not to right the ship.
It’s only a matter of time until Sidney Crosby gets his first point of the season. He’s now matched his career worst streak of five games, so it’s only a matter of time before Pittsburgh starts filling the net. Crosby has had numerous scoring chances, and is likely to breakout in a big way very soon.
19. Colorado Avalanche (2-3-0) (+1)
Colorado has been very up and down start to the year. One night they will struggle defensively and get blown out; the next night they will play stout, hard defense and shut their opponent down. The top line consisting of Gabriel Landeskog and Nathan MacKinnon have proven to be a dynamic duo, while Matt Duchene has broken out of his funk.
MacKinnon looks to have bounced back from a rough sophomore season, and the Avs are getting the top-line quality play they need from their stars. Francois Beauchemin has been a solid addition providing production on the score-sheet. Both Tyson Barrie and Erik Johnson have had good starts to their seasons, but Avs need to find a reliable partner for Tyson Barrie. The drop-off after these three are heavy contributors to defensive struggles early on.
18. Philadelphia Flyers (2-1-1) (+6)
The Flyers aren’t scoring much to start the year, but it hasn’t mattered. After suffering a 7-1 beat down from Florida, goalie Michal Neuvirth has posted two consecutive shutouts to help get Philly back on the right track. Can the Flyers keep playing lockdown defense in front of Neuvirth?
Do players like Yevgeny Medvedev, Mark Streit, and Michael Del Zotto have the consistency for solid play over the entirety of an 82-game season, or will this group of defense eventually hit a wall? Luckily, the Flyers are a deep offensive group with shared productivity to begin the season, which is a formula that could prove beneficial long-term.
17. New York Islanders (3-1-1) (-10)
After starting the year with back-to-back losses to defending champion Chicago, the Isles turned things around with wins against Winnipeg, Nashville, and San Jose. Captain John Tavares leads the team in goals and points to begin the year, which shouldn’t be a surprise to anyone.
They may early leaders in the Metropolitan Division, after dominating offensive performances, but haven’t looked particularly good defensively with or without Jaroslav Halak. The Islanders have a ton of potential to be a top 10 NHL power rankings team, but for now they still have something to prove.
16. Chicago Blackhawks (3-3-0) (-15)
The defending champs have had a roller coaster start to being their title defense. After an opening night loss to the Rangers, they took back-to-back games against the Isles, and then got shut out by Philly, followed by a 4-1 loss to Washington. Patrick Kane seems to be solely focused on hockey, not letting any off the ice issues disrupt him, on his way to six points to start the year.
Most 3-3 starts wouldn’t be so alarming unless you’re the defending league champs, known for coming out of the gate hot in the past. The brightest spot for this Blackhawks team early on has been KHL transfer Artemi Panarin, who’s already making a case for himself in the Calder race.
15. Arizona Coyotes (3-2-0) (+15)
Oct 17, 2015; Glendale, AZ, USA; Arizona Coyotes center
(50) and right wing
(19) and center
(24) celebrate with the bench after a goal by Chipchura in the third period against the Boston Bruins at Gila River Arena. Mandatory Credit: Matt Kartozian-USA TODAY Sports
The biggest surprise to start the year goes to the ‘Yotes. Goalie Mike Smith started the year off by allowing only two goals in the first three games to spark Arizona to a 3-0 start. Rookie Max Domi has shown signs of being an incredible talent in the league, displaying his soft hands and scoring touch.
In the first couple games, young Tobias Reider was the unlikely star for the Yotes, while more recently in the past few we’ve seen Anthony Duclair step up in a big way. Regardless of their record at the end of the season, it’s an exciting team worth watching.
14. Florida Panthers (3-2-0) (+8)
The Panthers are looking to take the next step forward this season, and are off to a good start. Florida started the year off with a 7-1 domination of the Flyers. Jaromir Jagr looks as if he could play 10 more years, posting four goals and six points to start the season off. The penalty kill has been clutch going 15-17 to begin the season.
Young Aleksander Barkov and Jonathan Huberdeau have generated excellent chemistry with Jagr early in the season, and should learn a significant amount from this future hall-of-famer, The Panthers blue-line is underrated, lead by future Norris Trophy winner Aaron Ekblad. Dmitry Kulikov and Erik Gudbranson receive little credit for their excellent play.
13. Minnesota Wild (3-1-1) (—)
Minnesota has shown a ton of grit and determination winning each of their first three games by a one goal margin. Those type of wins are character wins and show the type of team that Minnesota has. The Wild have the will to win, so expect them to keep doing so.
Unfortunately, the Wild fell victim to a goal-starved Ducks squad this past weekend. Zach Parise is off to a hot-start with seven points in five games. Ryan Suter has five points, while Mikael Granlund, Mikko Koivu, and Jason Pominville each have four.
12. Ottawa Senators (3-2-1) (+3)
A big surprise for Ottawa to start the year has been the play of goalie Craig Anderson. When goalie Andrew Hammond went down with a groin injury, Anderson had another shot to prove he should be the starting goalie for Ottawa. He has yet to disappoint, going 3-1-0 to being his season.
Mark Stone and Mike Hoffman have both looked to avoid the sophomore slump early into the season, while Mika Zibanejad looks as if he’s taken that next step. Even better news, it seems as if Bobby Ryan has bounced back already from a down 2014-15 season. Erik Karlsson continues to build toward another Norris Trophy campaign with a terrific start.
11. Vancouver Canucks (3-1-2) (+1)
Vancouver hasn’t scored a ton to begin the year, but it hasn’t mattered much. Goalie Ryan Miller has shown he still has the skill to be an elite goalie in the NHL. He has started the first 6 games this year for the Canucks, and has allowed them to earn eight points in five games. If the offense can pick up, watch out for the Canucks.
Early fits for Vancouver have included rookie Jake Virtanen, who has shown his physical side in the first two games. Brandon Sutter has fit in as expected, looking like a different player from the one we saw in Pittsburgh. Unfortunately, there’s still a mis-identity on that top-line alongside the Sedin’s that most recently saw Jannik Hansen.
Next: 10th to 1st
Oct 16, 2015; Newark, NJ, USA; San Jose Sharks goalie
(31) makes a save against the New Jersey Devils during the second period at Prudential Center. Mandatory Credit: Ed Mulholland-USA TODAY Sports
10. Detroit Red Wings (3-2-0) (+4)
Mike Babcock is out, but the Red Wings haven’t seemed to notice. If they did notice, they certainly don’t care at this point. The biggest and most welcome surprise has been the play of 19 year-old Dylan Larkin. The youngster Larkin has proven why the Red Wings gave him a chance right out of the gate, posting a goal and four assists in his first four career games. Henrik Zetterberg has also taken a step back in time with a hot start to the year.
The Red Wings are without their star forward Pavel Datsyuk until sometime in late November-early December. Apparently Justin Abdelkader decided to step up in his absence and claim NHL first star of the week to open the season with 5 quick points. Detroit will continue to need unsung players like Teemu Pulkkinen and Riley Sheahan to step-up until the return of their Selke quality center.
9. Dallas Stars (4-1-0) (+8)
Another sexy pick to make a run at the playoffs and beyond, the Stars look like a team that has raised their play another notch. The addition of Patrick Sharp, with his skills and winning experience, has changed the attitude and culture in Dallas. This team knows they are good, and they know they can turn some heads this year. Sharp coupled with Jamie Benn and Tyler Seguin will carry this team to bigger and better things. The debate of who should start between Kari Lehtonen and Antti Niemi needs to be solved though.
Benn and Seguin each have eight points to open the season, followed by Jason Spezza with seven, and Ales Hemsky with six. The leaders on the blue-line are John Klingberg and Jason Demers with three points each, but biggest surprises this season for Dallas have been rookie Mattias Janmark and D Jyrri Jokipakka. Janmark was an off-the-radar prospect who earned his spot, and has collected four points already. Jokipakka spent 51 games with the Stars last season but has looked much better to begin the season.
8. Tampa Bay Lightning (4-2-0) (-6)
After a tough rookie year, Johnathan Drouin has shown flashes of the skill and scoring ability that Tampa Bay was looking for. Drouin leads the team with six points through the first six games this year, taking some pressure off of Steven Stamkos (four goals one assist). Ben Bishop has been solid in net posting a 2.32 GAA and .911 save percentage through six games.
Star defenseman Victor Hedman had four points in five games before going down with a concussion. Good news is that it sounds like he should be ready to go Tuesday night. Anton Stralman, Ryan Callahan, and Tyler Johnson all have four points, while Brian Boyle, Vladislav Namestnikov, Valtteri Filppula, Jason Garrison, and Alex Killorn each have three.
7. New York Rangers (3-2-1) (-1)
Another rookie making an early impact is Oscar Lindberg. Lindberg scored four goals in his first 3 games for the Rangers. Coincidentally, New York won all 3 of those games. Rick Nash has gone scoreless so far this season. Once he picks up his play, expect the Rangers to make a move up the standings.
When your starting six defenseman are named Ryan McDonagh, Dan Girardi, Dan Boyle, Keith Yandle, Marc Staal, and Kevin Klein, you’ve got a rock-solid back-end that should hold up over the course of an 82-game season. Rookie Oscar Lindberg leads the team with five points, followed by J.T. Miller and Derek Stepan each with four.
6. Nashville Predators (4-1-0) (+2)
The offense hasn’t quite been there yet for the Preds, but as usual, goalie Pekka Rinne has been. Rinne has arguably been the league’s best goalie to start the season, going 3-1-0 with a 1.51 GAA and a .944 SV%, while posting a shutout against Edmonton. The Preds are one of the most complete teams in the league and with a brick wall like Rinne in net, it’s hard to imagine them not being a top-10 team all year long.
James Neal looks to be having a bounce-back season already, while Filip Forsberg looks to avoid that dreaded sophomore slump and has looked like he can shake it off early on. A lot of credit should also be given to this blue-line featuring quite possibly the best defensive pairing in Shea Weber and Roman Josi. Look for the Preds to make a lot of noise moving forward.
5. Washington Capitals (3-1-0) (+4)
Oct 15, 2015; Washington, DC, USA; Washington Capitals right wing
(77) waves to the crowd after the Capitals
The Caps haven’t played much yet early in the season, but in their first three games they have been solid. Alex Ovechkin was benched a game for missing the morning practice due to an alarm clock issue, but Ovie has still registered a goal in the other 2 games he played in. Interestingly, the game he missed is the one the Caps lost. Who would have thought? Braden Holtby has looked excellent in net.
Nicklas Backstrom has finally returned to the lineup, which is good news for both Alex Ovechkin and new linemate T.J. Oshie who has fit in beautifully to begin the season. Evgeny Kuznetsov played well between Ovechkin and Oshie in Backstrom’s absence, so it’ll be interesting to see how they find guys like Kuznetsov and Andre Burakovsky more ice-time.
4. St. Louis Blues (5-1-0) (—)
The “STL” line consisting of Alex Steen, Vladimir Tarasenko and Jori Lehtera is going to be a staple in STL for a while to come. Goalie Brian Elliot hasn’t faced a ton of difficult chances behind the excellent defensive play of his teammates, but when he has been called upon, he has answered. St. Louis has to be a favorite in the Western Conference this year.
St.Louis has been a dominating team in the regular season for awhile now, only to fall short come playoffs. Should fans be alarmed to see Brian Elliott getting the majority of starts to begin the season? He’s played great, like he does in the regular season, but hasn’t he proven incapable come playoff time? If the Blues want to do more than win the Western Conference and make a deep run, they’re going to have to make a shift to Jake Allen as the primary starter.
3. Winnipeg Jets (4-2-0) (+13)
One of the bigger surprises to begin this season has come from Winnipeg. Blake Wheeler has been playing like a man possessed (eight points in six games). The Jets have rotated starting goalies in each game this year between Ondrej Pavelec and Mike Hutchinson and it has resulted in four wins in five games between the two.
Two rookies made the team out of training camp up front, Nikolaj Ehlers and Nic Petan. Ehlers had always been included in the Calder race behind Eichel and McDavid and hasn’t disappointed with four points in six games. Dustin Byfuglien has been a beast on the blue-line, complimented with solid play by Jacob Trouba. Mark Schiefele looks like he could be in for a big season early into the campaign.
2. San Jose Sharks (4-1-0) (+19)
With all of the turmoil that the Sharks have endured the past few years with their personnel, it was hard pressed to imagine a start like this in San Jose. But the Sharks are playing inspired hockey. Relying heavily on veterans Patrick Marleau and Joe Thornton, the Sharks have been playing excellent defensive hockey resulting in having not one player with a “-” rating until their most recent loss.
Goalie Martin Jones has to have fans in LA and Boston both scratching their heads, wondering as to why both those teams felt the need to trade him this offseason. Jones has been almost perfect this year so far, posting a 4-0-0 record with a 0.49 GAA and a .982 SV% with 2 shutouts. That’s just plain silly.
The Sharks could be on their way down the power rankings after the recent injury of Logan Couture. Rookie Nikolay Goldobin was called up from the AHL and has since scored his first NHL goal, but fails to fill the massive void left by Couture. Other players will need to step up in his absence if the Sharks want to continue their sustained success.
Oct 13, 2015; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Montreal Canadiens goalie
(31) defends the net against the Pittsburgh Penguins during the second period at the CONSOL Energy Center. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports
1. Montreal Canadiens (6-0-0) (+4)
As a Bruins fan, it pains me to say this, but the Habs have been the most impressive team to begin this season. They have shown brilliance in every aspect of the game. It all starts with Carey Price (1.20 GAA .957 save percentage) being, well, Carey Price. There’s not much more you can say about Price. He’s the best goalie in the game.
Montreal also boasts a team where every player is a “+” or even player, which shows how complete this team is overall. With Max Pacioretty (six points) and Tomas Plekanec (5 points) leading the forward group, and P.K. Subban and Andrei Markov (both with four points) solidifying the D, it will take a big slump to knock the Habs out of the top 5 this year.
Next: Edmonton Oilers vs. 1980s Dynasty
More from Puck Prose
- Detroit Red Wings 2023 Rookie Camp Has Plenty of Ups and Downs
- This Columbus Blue Jackets rookie doesn’t want to be forgotten
- 2 trades the Boston Bruins must make to secure the Stanley Cup
- 3 reasons the Avalanche won’t win the Stanley Cup in 2024
- This is a big year for Alex Turcotte and the Los Angeles Kings