NHL 2022-23 Season Weekly Power Rankings: Monday 10/24
28. New York Islanders (23)
New York posted a 1-3 record last week with its only win coming against the struggling San Jose Sharks. While the Isles do have a positive goal differential, they are 2-4 through two weeks in an Eastern Conference that has been extremely competitive to this point.
They move down five spots as a result of their current last-place standing.
27. Montreal Canadiens (25)
A couple of spots above the Islanders in the East standings are the Montreal Canadiens. The Habs did post a winning record last week, but a win over the Coyotes carries little value.
Overall, the Canadiens are 3-3, so it’s not all doom and gloom, but this is another team that we don’t expect to hover around .500 for very long.
26. Columbus Blue Jackets (28)
The Blue Jackets take a slight step backward in this week’s rankings, though the past week was mostly positive in Ohio’s capital. Columbus went 3-1 in the past seven days, but wins over the struggling Nashville Predators and Canucks keep the Jackets lower on our list.
If it weren’t for the impressive nature of the Eastern Conference, the Blue Jackets may have found themselves a little higher this week.
25. Winnipeg Jets (20)
A 1-3 week for the Winnipeg Jets results in a five-position drop. The Jets did manage to take down the Colorado Avalanche, but they lost each of their other three contests by three-goal margins.
After a lackluster offseason, Winnipeg is difficult to trust, and its 2-3 start to the season hasn’t done the team any favors.
24. Anaheim Ducks (15)
Week two was not kind to the Ducks. Anaheim was 0-3-1 last week, which brings its losing streak to five games. Overall, the Ducks are 1-4-1.
The hope is that this can be a playoff team, or at least a team that can contend for a postseason berth, but this start to the year does nothing to instill confidence in Anaheim’s young roster.
23. Minnesota Wild (14)
Believe it or not, this past week was actually an improvement for the Wild. Yes, they lost more games than they won, but they actually won a game, and they surrendered six goals once instead of seven goals twice.
The bar has not been set very high so far for Minnesota. It feels like it’s only a matter of time before this team figures things out, but for now, the Wild take a tumble in our rankings.
22. New Jersey Devils (29)
After going 0-2 in the season’s opening week, the Devils bounced back to go 3-0 this week. What keeps New Jersey from moving up further in these rankings is that each of the teams it beat in week two have already been revealed on this list.
We’ll use week three as a test to see which version of the Devils we should expect moving forward this year.
21. Nashville Predators (16)
The Predators are still in search of their first win in North America this season. After earning victories in both games against the Sharks overseas to start the year, Nashville is 0-4-1 since returning home.
This team has mustered only nine goals in its last five games, and no player has registered a point per game. The Preds have plenty of potential, but these last two weeks have not been pretty.
20. Washington Capitals (21)
The Caps went 2-1 last week, moving them to 3-3 on the season. As I mentioned earlier, the East has been ridiculously strong through the first two weeks of this NHL season, so Washington’s so-so start keeps them in the bottom half of our list.
Perhaps the biggest concern through six games is the lackluster play of goaltender Darcy Kuepmer (3.04 goals against average and .899 save percentage).
19. Seattle Kraken (19)
The Seattle Kraken are in the exact same position that they were one week ago. A win against the Avalanche helps offset three losses last week, which include a four-goal loss to the Carolina Hurricanes and a late loss against the Blackhawks.
At 2-3-2, it’s clear that this version of the Kraken will be more competitive than the one that we saw last year, and that keeps Seattle from falling below 19.
18. Los Angeles Kings (18)
Like Seattle, LA is in the same spot as last week. A 2-2 week in which the Kings allowed 17 goals gives us reasons to pause when it comes to this team, but it had enough bright spots to prevent it from falling.
The offense is worth getting excited about in Los Angeles, but the defense needs to tighten up before this club can rise in our power rankings.
17. Ottawa Senators (24)
The Ottawa Senators make a big jump this week after a perfect seven days. Ottawa went 3-0 last week, scoring five or more goals in each game.
This exciting young team is only 3-2 on the season, but wins over the Boston Bruins and Capitals, both of which were playoff teams last spring, have us feeling good about the Sens.
16. Philadelphia Flyers (22)
Philadelphia went 2-2 this week, which is nothing special, but its overall body of work can’t be ignored. At 4-2, the Flyers have as many wins as I would’ve projected through the entire month of October and maybe part of November as well.
The Flyers’ hot start has been slowed a bit, so we’ll see what week three brings for John Tortorella’s team.
15. Tampa Bay Lightning (5)
There might not be a team that Jim and I disagree on more based on our week two rankings. As a result, the Lighting fall fittingly right in the middle of this list.
The Bolts posted a 2-1 record last week, though a loss to the Flyers does put a damper on things for the reigning Eastern Conference champions. Overall, Tampa Bay is 3-3 through the NHL season’s opening weeks.
14. Dallas Stars (17)
Years of letdowns have made it hard to get excited about the Stars, but they are 4-0-1 this season, and that can’t be ignored.
The young players (and Joe Pavelski) are leading the way in terms of offense for Dallas this season, but until a player like Jamie Benn regains his scoring form, the Stars have a ceiling that limits how high they can climb on this list.
13. Toronto Maple Leafs (8)
The Maple Leafs didn’t have a bad week, but a loss to the Coyotes left a bad taste in our mouths. As a result, the Leafs slip down to number 13.
Toronto is one of several four-win teams in the Eastern Conference after two weeks, and with a trip out west on the horizon, the Maple Leafs will have a few good opportunities to improve upon that mark.
12. Buffalo Sabres (27)
A 15-spot jump? Yes, the Sabres have climbed quickly after posting a 3-0 record last week. Buffalo went on the road and took down some of the NHL’s most dangerous teams in the Edmonton Oilers, Calgary Flames, and Canucks and now own a 4-1 record.
This team looks good so far, but we’ve seen it start fast in recent years, only to fall off later on. Could this be the year that the Sabres finally string together a full 82-game season?
11. Detroit Red Wings (12)
The Red Wings only won one of their three games last week, but they did pick up at least one point in every game that they played. In fact, Detroit has still not fallen in regulations, as their 3-0-2 record and +8 goal differential have them looking strong in the early going.
One of the most encouraging parts of Detroit’s start is that its offseason acquisitions are leading the way offensively through five games.
10. Edmonton Oilers (10)
Edmonton went 1-2 last week, but that one win did come against an immensely talented Carolina Hurricanes team. For that reason, the Oilers stay stagnant in our rankings.
At 2-3, it’s been a slow start for Connor McDavid’s team, but it’s far too early to read too far into a sub-.500 record for a team that reached the Western Conference Final in the spring.
9. New York Rangers (7)
The Rangers are 3-2-1 this season, but this past week was less than impressive for last year’s Eastern Conference runner-up.
New York gave the Sharks their first win of the season before being blown out by the Blue Jackets over the weekend. There’s no need to panic based on what we’ve seen so far, but the Rangers had to fall at least a couple of spots.
8. Vegas Golden Knights (9)
No Lehner, no Pacioretty, no problem for the Vegas Golden Knights. Despite some major question marks about health and depth coming into the season, Mark Stone and company are off to a 4-2 start to this season.
So far, Vegas has largely faired as you might expect, as they’ve knocked off some struggling teams while falling to the Colorado Avalanche and Calgary Flames. Still, the Golden Knights deserve credit for getting off to a good start.
7. St. Louis Blues (6)
The St. Louis Blues are one of the most difficult teams to assess to this point in the season, because they’ve barely played games.
St. Louis is a perfect 3-0 after beating the Kraken and Oilers this week, but it’s hard to totally buy into the Blues when they’ve played half as often as many of their rivals.
Still, undefeated is undefeated, so the Blues earn a favorable position here.
6. Boston Bruins (13)
Few teams made a larger jump up in this week’s rankings than the Bruins. Injuries were expected to slow the Bruins down, yet David Pastrnak and company come in at 5-1 to start the campaign.
Outside of an offensive showdown that ended in a loss to the Senators, Boston had an impressive week and gets reward in these rankings as a result.
5. Florida Panthers (4)
The Florida Panthers picked up points in three of the four games that they played last week. At 4-1-1, the Cats seem to be picking up where they left off in the regular season a year ago.
Florida did lose to a pair of division rivals in week two, but they only fall a spot in the rankings because of the play of the team that comes in at number four.
4. Pittsburgh Penguins (11)
Like the Bruins, the Penguins made a seven-spot jump in this week’s power rankings. At 4-0-1, including an impressive comeback against the Blue Jackets in Columbus over the weekend, the Pens are one of four teams in the NHL that have not yet suffered a regulation loss this year.
Captain Sidney Crosby is among the NHL’s points leaders through the first two weeks of the season, as the 35-year-old has compiled 10 points in five contests so far.
3. Colorado Avalanche (1)
The defending champion Avalanche fall out of the top spot this week after losing to the Jets and Kraken this week. Colorado is 3-2-1 in its first six games, which is actually better than the team’s start from a season ago, and that turned out just fine.
Falling two spots is less of a knock on the Avs and more of a nod to the strong starts by the two teams that come in above them in these rankings.
2. Carolina Hurricanes (2)
The Hurricanes went 1-1-1 last week but have an overall record of 3-1-1. Carolina has played its last four games on the road as part of a trip out west.
If there’s any argument to be made against the Canes so far this season, it would be that they haven’t defeated teams that are currently at the top of the standings.
With that said, they’ve gone toe-to-toe with teams like the Calgary Flames, so there are still more than enough reasons to love the Canes.
1. Calgary Flames (3)
Calgary takes over the top spot after toppling the Hurricanes and Golden Knights last week. The Flames also have victories against the Avalanche and Oilers so far this season, and their only blemish came against the Sabres.
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This is a team that many fans expect to enjoy a lot of success this season, and so far, Calgary has delivered as one of the best teams in the NHL.