In this week’s NHL power rankings, I heard all the New York Islanders fans saying they should have been in first last week. They’re up in first.
The NHL season doesn’t truly begin until American Thanksgiving. Surprise surprise, that’s on Thursday! Time flies when you’re having fun watching hockey, huh? In this week’s NHL power rankings, we’re separating the contenders from the pretenders.
Before I begin, I’d like to point out 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. As always, feel free to yell at me in the comments if you think I’m wrong or say really nice things about me if I’m right.
NHL POWER RANKINGS
How much longer is Jeff Blashill going to last? Especially with a certain former Detroit Red Wings head coach who happens to have a history with general manager Steve Yzerman available?
After 23 games, the Kings have yet to have anyone with more than 10 goals. That’s not good. They’re also tied with the Red Wings for the league’s worst goaltending. That, also, is not good.
Time for the Devils to start selling and to start looking for a new head coach.
That loss to the Boston Bruins on Saturday was a heartbreaker. It’s been that kind of season for the Wild.
The Ducks have just two wins in their last 10 games.
They ended a long road shutout streak and a six-game winning streak with a win over the Philadelphia Flyers on Saturday.
The Senators are resembling a sort of competitive team. That’s surprising.
Zach Werenski is quietly having a pretty darn good season.
The Sabres have won just one game in their last 10.
Kirby Dach hasn’t looked out of place so far with 10 points in his first 17 games. Not bad for a teenager.
They had a good week until they lost to the Edmonton Oilers on Saturday.
The Maple Leafs have responded well to the firing of Mike Babcock, as Sheldon Keefe is 2-0-0 in his coaching career. Over the past two games, they’ve looked better than they have all season.
While their defense is still a work in progress, their offense is legit.
They’ve still got a lot of work to do, but they look a lot better than they did in October.
The Predators’ goaltending has been abysmal. That’s alarming because that was supposed to be one of their strengths going into this season.
One bad week knocked the Canadiens out of the top eight in the Eastern Conference. That shows you how darn tough the East is this season.
The Flyers need a lot more out of Claude Giroux and Jakob Voracek if they want to hang onto a playoff spot in the East.
A very nice week for the Canucks, though hopefully, Alex Edler won’t be out for too long. He’s been a very important piece to their otherwise wet-behind-the-ears blueline.
The Lightning are back, folks.
Two tough overtime losses to the Islanders, but still, the Penguins are treading water without Sidney Crosby.
Forget Vezina Trophy votes, Connor Hellebuyck deserves Hart Trophy votes if he drags the Jets to the playoffs.
Nathan MacKinnon, despite what many might think, can only do so much. This team is hurting without Gabriel Landeskog and Mikko Rantanen.
Jake Gardiner’s having a rough time.
Darcy Kuemper’s going to get some Vezina Trophy votes. Hockey sure is funny, ain’t it?
It should be illegal to have Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl on the same team. They’re unfairly amazing together.
My, oh my. Two four-goal comebacks in what, nine days? The Cardiac Cats are back!
What a week for the Stars, who got wins over the Canucks, Jets, and Blackhawks. Their offense is finally showing signs of life.
If the Blues can get Vladimir Tarasenko back in time for the playoffs, a two-peat isn’t out of the question.
Pretty good week considering Patrice Bergeron missed some time.
Tough week for the Capitals, but so many of their forwards are out. They need Nicklas Backstrom back.
In a league focusing on offense, the Isles are focusing on defense. Everyone else is zigging, so the Islanders decided to try zagging. And it’s working out great for them.