NHL Power Rankings: Slow-Starters & Early Powerhouses
By Jake Nally
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.
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