Top 5 best and top 5 worst NHL teams following October
There are a lot of teams that can make a claim for being a top-five NHL team.
5. Edmonton Oilers
The Edmonton Oilers come in at number five. They are one of the most exciting teams in the league and they have a record of 6-3-0 following October. With players like Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl leading the way,
They proved that they can win in the playoffs last spring as they made it to the Western Conference Finals but they were defeated by the eventual Stanley Cup champions. This year, they are looking to take another step and they are off to a good start.
4. Calgary Flames
The Edmonton Oilers beat the Calgary Flames on Saturday night in the Battle of Alberta. However, Calgary played better and was just a victim of Connor McDavid having another three-point night. They almost doubled the Oilers up on shots.
The Flames are 5-2-0 as they have played two fewer games than Edmonton as well so their points percentage is better. As of right now, it is fair to say that Calgary is deeper and has better goaltending so they get a slight edge over Edmonton despite Saturday’s result.
Their dominance is in large part because of a much different look than the year prior. There is no more Matthew Tkachuk or Johnny Gaudreau anymore as they have both moved on.
Guys like Jonathan Huberdeau and Nazem Kadri lead that deep group of skaters now in front of a very solid goaltender in Jacob Markstrom.
3. Carolina Hurricanes
The Carolina Hurricanes have been one of the best teams in the league now and they still haven’t reached the Stanley Cup Final. We don’t know if this is the year that it will happen but they are certainly in that mix of teams that have a roster good enough to win big.
Sebastian Aho, Andrei Svechnikov, and Martin Necas are all leading this very deep group that is getting really good goaltending from Antti Raanta and Frederik Anderson. It is easy to see them being near the top f the Eastern Conference all season long.
2. Vegas Golden Knights
The Vegas Golden Knights missed the playoffs last year despite having one of the best rosters in the league. Health and inconsistencies all over the ice led to them missing. Since then, they have hired Bruce Cassidy to be their head coach and have a fresh attitude coming back into this season.
They also traded for Jack Eichel which was sure to enhance things but he took a minute coming back from his injury. They barely missed out on the postseason but it was still a major disappointment for a franchise that has only known winning.
Now, they are back with much more energy in their game and they are finally healthy. They are off to a blistering start as they are 8-2-0 through their first ten games. Ranking them second seems unfair until you see what is going on with team number one.
1. Boston Bruins
The Boston Bruins are the NHL’s best team right now. They are 8-1-0 through ten games which has them atop the league standings. Their record is one thing but they have mostly dominated the games that they’ve played. Things will get harder but they are making it look easy now.
They are missing Charlie McAvoy and were missing Brad Marchand until his recent return and they still have dominated. David Pastrnak is a legit game-changer up front to lead a great group of skaters and they are getting great goaltending.
A lot of people have expected the Bruins to fall off but they have done anything but that. They might not be number one all season long but you can expect to see them in the top five the rest of the way if they keep playing like this. There is no doubt that the Stanley Cup is on Boston’s mind.
Honorable mentions:
- The Colorado Avalanche
- Tampa Bay Lightning
There are a lot of teams that are near the top five because of their record but we need to see more from them. The Colorado and Tampa Bay Lightning were each in the Stanley Cup Final and both of them expect to get there again.
However, they have been a little bit slower out of the gate when compared to some of the other top teams in their conference so they are bumped out for now. We’ll see if they are able to climb back in and if any new teams emerge.