NHL power rankings: Islanders keep rising, Red Wings hit rock bottom

The New York Islanders and Detroit Red Wings are heading in opposite directions in this week’s NHL power rankings.

American Thanksgiving is quietly approaching, which means the NHL season has truly begun. Most teams know what they are and will remain what they are. Though a team like the St. Louis Blues occasionally slips through the cracks, if you’re not in a playoff spot, or at least close to one, by this point, you probably aren’t going to make the Stanley Cup Playoffs. This week’s NHL power rankings reflect that.

These rankings are based on several factors. They include overall record, underlying stats, and strength of schedule. Now, with that out of the way, let’s get started with this week’s rankings.

NHL POWER RANKINGS

They say it’s always darkest before the dawn. With one win in their last 10 games, it’s hard to see how things could get darker for the Red Wings.

The Senators would love to trade Bobby Ryan. Though that might seem impossible, keep in mind the Oilers found a way to get rid of Milan Lucic.

Through 16 games, the Sharks have only one winning streak of at least two games and two losing streaks of at least four games. Ouch.

It’s time for the Kings to move on from Jonathan Quick.

The Blue Jackets have scored the second-fewest goals in the league and are tied for fifth in most goals allowed. Is that good?

If it wasn’t for bad officiating, the Wild would have had a loss-less week.

Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane are looking mortal.

Cory Schneider is cooked. Hip injuries can be brutal.

How can a team with so much talent look so awful?

Remember when the NHL tried to promote its lack of soap operas? Well, the one between the Jets and Dustin Byfuglien is getting juicy.

Just when things were looking up for the Rangers, they got blown out by the Senators.

It’s time to have a conversation about Jakub Voracek.

Injuries certainly haven’t helped, but the Leafs have been quite underwhelming.

Good news: They’ve won six of their last seven games.

Bad news: They’re still struggling to score goals.

Matthew Tkachuk is carrying the Flames.

Other than the Islanders, I don’t think there’s a better goalie tandem in the NHL than John Gibson and Ryan Miller.

Aleksander Barkov and Jonathan Huberdeau have woken up. Watch out.

Two rough losses in their last two games, though at least they got a point against the Oilers.

The Avalanche look quite mortal without Mikko Rantanen and Gabriel Landeskog.

Victor Mete had zero goals before this season. He now has three.

The Oilers owe Mike Smith a steak dinner after Saturday’s game against the Penguins. Also, it’s been roughly a month since they’ve beaten a legit team in regulation.

Something seems off about them. They’re not as dominant as they should be. But they’re still pretty good.

Getting outscored 9-4 in consecutive games to the New Jersey Devils and Philadelphia Flyers is not ideal.

The first game of the season is the last time the Sabres have beaten a contender in regulation.

How long are the Predators going to let Matt Irwin and Yannick Weber get meaningful playing time?

The Canucks have yet to lose in regulation at home.

Alex Goligoski is one of the good guys in the NHL. Nice to see him doing well with 10 points so far.

The Blues are showing a ton of resilience right now. They’ve won six straight games despite losing star forward Vladimir Tarasenko.

Jacques Demers is the only coach in NHL history to win consecutive Jack Adams Awards. Barry Trotz might join him.

Remember when Jakub Vrana got healthy scratched in the Stanley Cup Playoffs? He has come a long way since then.

At some point, the Bruins have to do something about their scoring depth. David Pastrnak, Brad Marchand, and Patrice Bergeron are carrying way too much of the scoring load.