NHL 2022-23 Season Weekly Power Rankings: Monday 12/19
Another week of hockey is in the books, which means that it’s time for the 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 stop me if you’ve heard this before, but the Eastern Conference still owns the top spot.
Where does each team stand at this point in the NHL season?
There were a few big movers this week, especially at the top of the list, but overall, teams are beginning to settle into their positions.
The Christmas break is nearly upon us, and as teams get ready to flip the calendar to 2023, here is where they stand this week.
32. Chicago Blackhawks (Previous Rank: 32)
For the second week in a row, the Blackhawks have won zero games. To add insult to injury, they’re officially the bottom team in the NHL standings. It’s not a great time to be cheering for Chicago.
31. Anaheim Ducks (31)
This past week started terribly for the Ducks, as they lost their first two games by a combined score of 10-0. If it weren’t for a pair of wins at the end of the week, and a horrendous stretch by the Blackhawks, this team would be number 32.
30. Columbus Blue Jackets (26)
The Blue Jackets are the worst team in the Eastern Conference. They’ve been slowly losing more and more ground, and outside of a solid first year in Columbus from Johnny Gaudreau, the Jackets don’t have much going for them.
29. Arizona Coyotes (29)
Arizona won half of its games last week, and the team has pulled out a few gritty wins in the last couple of weeks. Still, it’s hard to trust the Coyotes. If they can capitalize on some games coming up at home, perhaps they’ll be worthy of a bump up the list.
28. Philadelphia Flyers (30)
Outside of a surprising win over the Metropolitan Division-leading New Jersey Devils, last week was a bust for the Flyers. They stunned everyone in the opening weeks of the season by overperforming, but now the only team worse than them in the East is Columbus.
27. San Jose Sharks (28)
The Sharks only played a pair of games last week, so there’s not a ton to say about this team. It’s still a group that is largely underwhelming, and a win over the Coyotes last week is the only thing that keeps them from moving down in these power rankings.
26. Nashville Predators (21)
The 32nd-ranked Blackhawks are not the only Central Division team to have gone two weeks without winning a game. The Predators are still several spots away from being at the bottom of the standings, but they’re coming dangerously close to full-out panic mode.
25. Montreal Canadiens (23)
The Canadiens had hung out a few spots out of the playoffs and a game or two above .500 for most of the season, but that magic has worn off a bit. At 14-15-2 and with a -21 goal differential, the Habs are beginning to drift to the bottom of the NHL leaderboard.
24. Vancouver Canucks (24)
Vancouver played two games and went 1-1 last week. As a result, they stay in the 24th position in these rankings. What could impact their position in the near future are potential trades featuring elite players, such as captain Bo Horvat.
23. Ottawa Senators (27)
The Senators had a solid showing last week, picking up wins against the Ducks, Canadiens, and Detroit Red Wings. While those teams are either poor teams, slumping teams, or both, the Sens have been in those categories recently and were in need of a winning week.
22. Buffalo Sabres (25)
Buffalo was a perfect 3-0 last week, beating the Los Angeles Kings, Colorado Avalanche, and Coyotes. Every time I think I have this team figured out, it does a full 180-degree turn. For now, this looks like a competent team, but don’t ask me to predict how long that will last.
21. Calgary Flames (19)
I keep waiting for the Flames to find their next level, but that has yet to happen. In fact, simply finding a win has been difficult for Calgary, as the Flames were 1-1-2 last week and are 1-2-3 in their last six contests.
20. Washington Capitals (20)
In December, the Capitals have become more than just Alex Ovechkin’s quest to become the NHL’s all-time leading goal scorer. A 3-1 record last week came after a 3-0 mark the week before, and all of a sudden, this team is knocking on the door of the playoff picture.
If the Caps can move into a playoff spot in the coming weeks, you can expect to see them move up in these rankings.
19. St. Louis Blues (22)
St. Louis also enjoyed a successful week, going 3-0-1 with key wins over the Flames and Edmonton Oilers. Like the Sabres, it’s impossible to predict when this team is going to go from good to bad and then to good again, but for now, it’s trying to climb back into the playoffs.
18. Edmonton Oilers (14)
The Oilers went 1-2-1 last week, with a difficult loss coming at the end of the week against the Ducks. While Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl continue to thrive, the rest of Edmonton’s lineup continues to not be good enough to make the Oilers a serious threat.
17. Florida Panthers (19)
Florida went 2-2 last week and now sits at 15-13-4 on the year. The Panthers are still on the outside of the playoff picture looking in, but they’re well within striking distance of the final wild card spot in the East. This is one team whose identity is still somewhat unknown.
16. Detroit Red Wings (13)
Detroit went 0-3 last week and has only two wins in their last ten games played. As a result, this team that had been in the playoff picture, and even the top three in the Atlantic Division, will have to make up some ground if it wants to get back into the thick of things.
15. Los Angeles Kings (17)
Los Angeles continues to be underwhelming, yet in a favorable position. The Kings are second in the Pacific Division despite their -10 goal differential, though their 34 games played are the most in the NHL.
Once other teams catch up in terms of games played, it will be interesting to see where that will leave the Kings.
14. New York Islanders (12)
The Islanders have been very average in the month of December, and their 1-1-1 record last week was no different. Personally, I expect this team to eventually fall down the standings, but for now, they’re teetering on the edge of either surging ahead or taking a tumble.
13. Seattle Kraken (10)
A couple of weeks ago, Seattle was all the way up to number three in these power rankings. Unfortunately, a 2-5 record in their last seven games has sunk the Kraken to 13.
This would still be a playoff participant if the season ended today, but there’s work to do in the state of Washington if this team hopes to get things back on track.
12. Minnesota Wild (16)
The Wild have turned things around in a big way in December. Minnesota is on a five-game winning streak and it is 8-2 this month.
During the current winning streak, this team has surrendered only five goals, and that’s the type of defense that fans hope to see become more of the norm. If that turns out to be the case, the Wild will continue to move up the list.
11. Colorado Avalanche (11)
The defending champions have been banged up, but they’re weathering the storm. A 3-1 record each week, like they had this past week, will be more than enough to keep this club afloat until it returns to full strength.
10. New York Rangers (15)
The Rangers have played only one game this month in which they have not picked up at least one point in the standings. Last week, New York won all of its games to improve its winning streak to seven games.
Their hot month of December has them back in the mix for a wild card spot and even a top-three position in the Metro.
9. Dallas Stars (8)
Dallas was 2-1-1 last week, but all things considered, it was a successful week. The Stars’ losses came against the red-hot Pittsburgh Penguins and Carolina Hurricanes, but they defeated the Metro-leading Devils and the rising Capitals.
The Stars move down one spot here, but they’re still among the more impressive teams in the NHL as of today.
8. Vegas Golden Knights (7)
Vegas was 2-2 last week and has been overall unimpressive in the last several weeks. With that said, the Golden Knights’ 45 points in the standings are difficult to ignore, and for as long as they are pacing the West, they’ll stay inside the top ten here.
7. Winnipeg Jets (5)
The Jets are another team that posted an average record last week. Like the Golden Knights, though, Winnipeg is in a favorable spot within the Central Division, and its four-game winning streak entering last week keeps them high on this list.
6. New Jersey Devils (1)
Most fans probably could have predicted that the Devils would take a step backward and come back down to earth at some point. After all, their pace was unsustainable for any team, and this is not a club that has maintained success in recent years.
With that said, people probably were not ready for a drop-off this steep, as the team that held the top spot in these power rankings for the last three weeks now finds itself outside of the top five.
5. Toronto Maple Leafs (2)
Last week at this time, I was thrilled with the way the Toronto Maple Leafs were playing. After starting the week with a dominant 7-0 win, however, the Leafs dropped games against the Rangers and Capitals.
Toronto’s goal-scoring cooled off and Mitch Marner’s point streak came to an end, so they’ll look to get back on track offensively this week.
4. Pittsburgh Penguins (6)
There was a point in the season when the Penguins were playing like the oldest team in the NHL. Now, they look like a team that is more than capable of contending for the Stanley Cup yet again.
Pittsburgh stretched its winning streak all the way to seven games last week before falling to the team just ahead of them here, and if they continue at this pace, they may just be in the top slot in the Metro by the start of 2023.
3. Carolina Hurricanes (4)
One team that might have something to say about that, though, is the Hurricanes. For as good as the Pens have been, the Canes have been equally impressive, if not a little bit better.
Carolina is on an 11-game point streak (9-0-2) and has caught up to the Devils to tie them for first place in the Metropolitan Division. The Hurricanes’ point percentage is tied for second in the NHL.
2. Tampa Bay Lightning (9)
This is the highest that the three-time defending Eastern Conference champions have been on this list all season.
That’s not to say that the Bolts have been playing poorly, but with teams that had been at the top of the list faltering, leave it to the Lightning to seize the opportunity and make their move into the top two.
1. Boston Bruins (3)
It’s been a few weeks since the Bruins found themselves at the top of the power rankings, but during their three-week absence, they had not fallen out of the top three at any point. With a 3-0-1 record last week, Boston cruises back into first place.
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The Bruins lead all NHL clubs with a 24-4-2 record, good for 50 points and a five-point lead over the second-place Golden Knights.