NHL 2022-23 Season Weekly Power Rankings: Monday 11/21
Another week of hockey is in the books, which means that it’s time for our next round of power rankings for the 2022-2023 NHL season.
This list is a combination of my rankings and rankings done by Jim Lynch, and for the second straight week, the Eastern Conference still owns the top spot. Meanwhile, there are a variety of teams battling for last place.
Where do teams stand six weeks into the NHL season?
It’s been a crazy month and a half of the NHL season, so no team is safe from a massive drop on our list, and no team is out of the running to be bumped up several spots. Without further ado, let’s dive in with the bottom four.
32. Anaheim Ducks (Previous Rank: 32)
The Anaheim Ducks are in last place in the NHL standings. At 5-12-1, the Ducks are struggling mightily and have won only one game in the last two weeks. Their league-worst -30 goal differential is proof of just how bad things have been in Anaheim.
31. Buffalo Sabres (25)
It’s crazy that the Buffalo Sabres can manage to pull off the same feat every year, yet that’s exactly what they do. They play lights out in October, then completely meltdown in November. Eight straight losses drop the Sabres to 31 in our rankings.
30. Arizona Coyotes (24)
The Coyotes haven’t been the worst team in hockey to this point, but they’re still one of the NHL’s weaker rosters. As a result, the Yotes fall to a spot more closely resembling the place we’d expect to see them.
29. Ottawa Senators (28)
For all of the offseason hype, the Senators are not a very good team. Things just have not gotten back on track for a team that many thought would make the playoffs, so here they are at number 29.
28. San Jose Sharks (27)
The Sharks did manage to win a couple of games last week, but those have been hard to come by in November. If not for the elite play of defenseman Erik Karlsson, San Jose would likely be a last-place team this season.
27. Chicago Blackhawks (26)
Like the Coyotes, the Blackhawks are returning to the bottom of the standings. Chicago is on a lengthy losing streak, and while one could argue that the Hawks are still exceeding expectations, the bar was set pretty low coming into the year.
26. Philadelphia Flyers (22)
Speaking of lengthy losing streaks, the Flyers haven’t won since November 8. In that time, Philadelphia is 0-4-2, and the hot start that caught everyone off guard in October has been completely erased, as this team is now at .500.
25. Columbus Blue Jackets (31)
The Columbus Blue Jackets had been stuck at the bottom of the league standings for quite some time, but thanks to last week’s winning record, they finally have some breathing room. By no means are the Jackets out of the hole they dug for themselves, but they do seem to have some life.
24. Vancouver Canucks (29)
Vancouver moves up several spots by virtue of some truly terrible weeks for the teams already revealed on this list. The Canucks did win a pair of games, including one over a solid Los Angeles Kings team, but at 6-9-3, there’s still not a lot to love about this team.
23. Washington Capitals (21)
Four losses in a row have the Capitals tumbling down the NHL standings. With an overall record of 7-10-3, the Caps are well out of a playoff spot in the Eastern Conference, and it’s looking like their time as a threat to win the Stanley Cup may be over.
22. Nashville Predators (23)
The Nashville Predators picked up at least one point in each of their three games last week, marking one of their better weeks this season. At 8-8-2, it’s hard to get a grasp on exactly what type of team the Predators are going to be this season.
21. Montreal Canadiens (19)
Montreal did not have a great week last week, but it still has a respectable record. The Canadiens are on the right side of .500, which we didn’t expect heading into Thanksgiving, so while they move down a couple of spots, give credit to Martin St. Louis’ team.
20. Pittsburgh Penguins (20)
Things have definitely turned around for the Penguins since their long losing streak ended a couple of weeks ago. With that said, we’re still waiting for Pittsburgh to look like the dominant team it’s looked like for the last two decades.
19. Minnesota Wild (16)
No Marc-Andre Fleury, no wins (or at least not many) for the Minnesota Wild. This team has scored more than two goals in a game only three times this month, and with injuries piled on top of a struggling offense, wins have been difficult to come by in the State of Hockey.
18. St. Louis Blues (30)
No team has been streakier this season than the St. Louis Blues. They started the year with a 3-0 record, looking like the team many expected to see after last season’s performance. The Blues followed that up with eight straight losses, bringing them to the bottom of our rankings.
Now, St. Louis has six consecutive victories and has regained a playoff position, so they take a massive step forward.
17. Calgary Flames (18)
Wins against the Kings and Panthers were good ones for the Flames to pick up last week as they try to establish themselves in 2022. We still haven’t seen Calgary at its best this season, but this is not a team to take lightly.
16. Florida Panthers (15)
Last season’s top regular season team is not close to being on pace for the Presidents’ Trophy in 2023. In fact, the Cats would miss the playoffs if the season ended today. It’s clear that the plethora of offseason departures is taking its toll on the Panthers.
15. New York Rangers (17)
Both New York teams find themselves in the same region of our rankings this week, and they own an identical 22-point total in the standings. The Rangers have not won as many games as the Islanders, but they move up a couple of spots in pursuit of their rival.
14. New York Islanders (12)
Conversely, the Isles have dropped a couple of spots to tighten the race between them and the Rangers in our power rankings. They’ll have an opportunity to distance themselves this week with games against the Maple Leafs and Oilers.
13. Winnipeg Jets (13)
Nothing about the Jets has really been flashy this season, but they’re 10-5-1 and in a top-three spot in the Central Division. It’s safe to say that this club will go as goaltender Connor Hellebuyck goes, and so far, he’s been one of the best netminders in the NHL.
12. Edmonton Oilers (7)
The Oilers only played two games last week, so don’t read too much into their fall to number 12. In fact, Edmonton should be given some credit for picking up an important win over the Pacific Division-leading Vegas Golden Knights.
11. Los Angeles Kings (9)
While the Oilers beat the Golden Knights last week, they couldn’t defeat the Kings. However, LA’s only win last week was that game against Edmonton, as it posted a 1-2-1 record.
Overall, the Kings are a top group in the NHL based on points, but can we totally believe that this team is as good as it seems on the surface?
10. Detroit Red Wings (14)
The Red Wings are holding steady in the Eastern Conference playoff picture, and a 2-0-1 record last week helped solidify that. Detroit is 9-5-4 overall, and they’re living up to the expectations that came with a busy offseason.
9. Seattle Kraken (10)
While we’ve seen a lot of non-playoff teams from a year ago fall off in November after impressing us in October, the Seattle Kraken are hanging on. The Kraken made it a point to add some experience over the summer, and that is paying dividends so far this season.
8. Colorado Avalanche (4)
The Colorado Avalanche drop several spots this week, but that’s really not a result of the way they’ve played in the last seven days.
The defending champs posted a 2-1 record last week, but they have only one loss in November. Moving Colorado down is tricky, but several other teams earned the right to move up after having strong weeks of their own.
7. Tampa Bay Lightning (11)
One of those teams that had a strong showing last week is the team that the Avs beat in the Stanley Cup Final last spring. The Lightning posted a perfect 4-0 record in the week leading up to Thanksgiving, scoring 18 goals in those four games.
Tampa Bay is now into the top three of the Atlantic Division with its sights set on the team right above them in our rankings.
6. Toronto Maple Leafs (8)
The Maple Leafs are on a four-game point streak after going 2-0-1 last week. With an overall record of 10-5-4, Toronto is in the top five in the NHL standings, trailing only the Boston Bruins in the Atlantic.
The Leafs have four 20-point scorers already this season, making us think that this will be another successful regular season for Toronto.
5. Dallas Stars (6)
Like the Maple Leafs, the Stars are also on a four-game point streak. Dallas went 3-0-1 last week, and its only loss came in overtime against the Tampa Bay Lightning. The Stars’ 11-5-2 record is the second-best mark in the Western Conference.
Jason Robertson (27 points) is one of three Dallas forwards in the top 25 in the NHL in scoring this season. If that continues, the Stars will likely be staying in the top five of our rankings for a while.
4. Carolina Hurricanes (5)
The Carolina Hurricanes went 1-0-2 last week, which isn’t a great record, but it was a productive week for the reigning Metropolitan Division winners. As a result, the Canes once again find themselves near the top of the power rankings.
3. Vegas Golden Knights (2)
Vegas had been unbeatable for quite some time, the top team in the West was only able to muster a 1-1-1 record last week. Still, the Golden Knights stay in our top three, as their 14-4-1 record has them five points clear of the next closest Western Conference club.
2. New Jersey Devils (3)
The New Jersey Devils have won 12 contests in a row. It’s hard to explain what has happened in New Jersey this season, but history is within reach for this young Devils team, and they’re playing as well as any team in the NHL.
1. Boston Bruins (1)
Yes, the Devils have been excellent of late, but the Bruins have been as well. Boston has been in our top two for the last couple of weeks, and after owning the number one position last week, there’s no reason to strip the team with the best record (16-2) in the league of the top spot.
Detroit Red Wings Weekly Recap: Wrapping Up Week 5. light. More
It’s been a competitive race thus far to be at the top of the NHL standings, but the Bruins have earned that distinction, and they earn the top honors in our power rankings for the second week in a row.