Another week, another set of NHL power rankings.
The last week has seen a handful of teams improve and stake their claim as genuine Cup contenders, including the Devils and Capitals, while the bottom dwellers remain almost the same – except for the Flyers, who have separated themselves from the Sharks and Canadiens.
1. Winnipeg Jets (15-3-0)
Last Week: 1
A 4-1 loss to the Lightning on Friday showed the Jets are indeed human. But after pummeling the Stars and Rangers earlier in the week, Winnipeg is still the best team lacing up a pair of skates. Their red-hot goal-scoring ways have quietened down over the last seven days, but that had to be expected at some point. On the flip side, the power play remains super consistent, which can also be said for Connor Hellebuyck – who still holds the best goals-against average among goalies with at least 10 starts.
2. Minnesota Wild (11-3-3)
Last Week: 4
Aside from a sloppy overtime loss to the Blackhawks, the Wild have won the games they should be winning. They’ve enjoyed a nice easy stretch against four teams under .500, but the schedule ramps up this week with away visits to St Louis, Edmonton, and Calgary after losing to the Stars on Saturday. Kirill Kaprizov is on track to win the Hart Trophy, although you could almost make a case for teammate Matt Boldy, who’s scored 10 goals himself.
3. Vegas Golden Knights (11-4-2)
Last Week: 6
After a 5-2 loss to the Hurricanes last weekend, Bruce Cassidy’s side has responded nicely with a pair of tidy wins over the Ducks and Utah. Things get pretty real in a hurry, though. Vegas has a rough back-to-back in Ontario against the Leafs and Senators, before travelling to Montreal and Philly later in the week. This is still a side averaging close to 34 shots a game over the last week however, which has helped Tomas Hertl find his groove in his second year with the team.
4. Carolina Hurricanes (12-4-0)
Last Week: 2
Things remain a little tricky in goal with Freddie Andersen still injured, although you wouldn’t know it judging by their 4-0 shutout against the Sens. Even so, Carolina’s lack of depth between the pipes has seen them drop games to Colorado and Utah over the last week, with Pyotr Kochetkov handed just his second loss of the season. The positives: Carolina leads the league in shots per game over the last seven days. The negative: they’ve scored only twice from a whopping 14 power play opportunities during that time frame.
5. Florida Panthers (11-5-1)
Last Week: 3
Back-to-back losses to the Devils last week were surprising. The fact both came by multiple goals was more of a shock. That said, a 5-0 win over Winnipeg on Saturday put any fear of a Cup hangover to rest. The fact the Panthers rank seventh in penalty minutes over the last seven days is still slightly concerning though, alongside the fact Sam Reinhart is the only player with multiple goals scored in that same span.
6. New Jersey Devils (12-7-2)
Last Week: 9
Back-to-back road wins over the defending champs is all you need to know. The fact the Devils combined to score 10 goals is the icing on the cake. This might be the most fun team to watch in the league right now, led by Nico Hischier and Jack Hughes – who has scored three times over the last week alone. Ranking third in penalty minutes during that same time frame isn’t great, but it does balance out nicely when you consider New Jersey has scored four power play goals over that same span. A three-day break follows Saturday’s disappointing shutout against the Lightning before the Hurricanes come to town.
7. Washington Capitals (11-4-1)
Last Week: 7
Last week’s overtime loss to the Leafs stung, but the Caps bounced back like all good teams should with a convincing 5-2 win in Colorado. They’ll meet the Avs again on Thursday before another must-see game against the Devils at home. Leading the league with 16 goals, there hasn’t been a better scoring side over the last seven days.
8. Dallas Stars (11-5-0)
Last Week: 5
Kinda difficult to fault a team that scored seven goals in back-to-back wins over the Penguins and Bruins. Granted, those two franchises are struggling immensely. But after having their doors blown off against the Jets early last week, it seems like there’s been a small fire lit underneath the Stars’ offense ever since. After Saturday’s trip to face the Wild, they head home for games against the Ducks and Sharks, before two tough ones against Tampa and Carolina. Just like Carolina, the Stars need to start cashing in on some power play opportunities, while they’ve also been one of the worst disciplined teams over the last seven days.
9. New York Rangers (10-4-1)
Last Week: 8
As it stands, the Rangers are in the driver’s seat for the first Wild Card seed in the East, but this is still a team yet to prove itself against many top-level opponents. New York has posted only three wins against teams currently above .500, and it’s not exactly the most impressive honor roll – Toronto, Ottawa, and the Islanders. Many still have this team earmarked as a potential pretender, and that was compounded further by last week’s blowout loss to the Jets at the Garden. With road games against the Canucks, Flames, and Oilers ahead this week, we’re about to find out what this team is truly made of.
10. Toronto Maple Leafs (11-6-2)
Last Week: 12
There were some signs of life in the fightback, overtime win over the Caps late last week. And then the Leafs doubled down with a repeat effort against Edmonton on Saturday. The shutout loss to Ottawa was ugly though, and we’re starting to see some cracks in Anthony Stolarz’s game. Auston Matthews doesn’t look any closer to a return, but the Leafs might get by with only two games against Vegas and Utah this week. This is a team that has played a ton of hockey over the last 10 days, so even though they are underperforming, it’s hard to grade them too harshly.
11. Tampa Bay Lightning (9-6-1)
Last Week: 13
The Lightning are one of only three teams that can claim they’ve beat the Jets, so that has to count for something. Nikita Kucherov has had something of a quiet week, but Victor Hedman and Jake Guntzel have helped Tampa switch up a gear. They’ve got a cruisy road trip ahead of them this week in Pittsburgh and Columbus before a home stand kicks off with Dallas and Colorado.
12. Vancouver Canucks (8-4-3)
Last Week: 10
Quinn Hughes, who might be the best defenseman in the league right now, has helped cover up a rough stretch that features blowout losses to the Oilers and Islanders. The week ahead is very kind with only two games against the Rangers and Senators, which should come as a relief for a team that has allowed 13 goals over the last week. With scoring still proving hot and cold, Brock Boeser’s return couldn’t come quick enough.
13. Edmonton Oilers (9-7-2)
Last Week: 15
Regular programming has officially resumed. Three straight wins over the Canucks, Islanders, and Preds led up to Saturday’s thrilling overtime loss to the Leafs. Connor McDavid is back making the impossible seem easy, while Leon Draisaitl has been elite on both ends of the ice – scoring the game-tying goal against Toronto. Let’s not discredit Edmonton’s defensive efforts, either. Over their last three games, the Oilers have averaged a tick over 21 shots – making life much easier for Stuart Skinner.
14. Colorado Avalanche (9-9-0)
Last Week: 16
A 5-2 blowout loss to the Caps brought an end to what was a fun three-game winning streak. Wins and losses aside, Nathan Mackinnon has put this team on his back over the last two weeks and is currently on pace to rack up something close to 160 points. With Gabriel Landeskog still out, this sudden burst of production from Mikko Rantanen (six goals over his last four games) has been out of this world. The week ahead features four East Coast road games against Philly, Washington, Florida, and Tampa.
15. Ottawa Senators (8-8-1)
Last Week: 21
The Sens are the biggest improvers over the last week, helped in large part by Linus Ullmark’s first shutout of the year against the Leafs. Brady Tkachuk leads the team in goals and Tim Stutzle is beginning to look like the player the Sens were promised when they drafted him third overall. As of Saturday, the 22-year-old has 21 points in 16 games, while Josh Norris has also chipped in with three goals over his last three games. Only one team, the Minnesota Wild, have posted fewer shots against over the last seven days, meaning Ottawa’s defensive efforts have matched their superb play on offense. Games against Edmonton, Vegas, and Vancouver over the next week should be plenty of fun.
16. Los Angeles Kings (9-6-3)
Last Week: 11
Three losses from the Kings’ last four games makes for tough reading. So too does the fact all three have come by multiple goals. The week ahead is a chance to regroup with only two home games against Buffalo and Seattle, and with only one power play goal from six opportunities over the last week, it’s safe to say that might be an area of focus for Jim Hiller at practice.
17. New York Islanders (7-7-4)
Last Week: 14
Injuries and blown leads are still the main storyline with the Isles. Matthew Barzal and Anthony Duclair remain on the sideline, which isn’t ideal as they try and navigate this brutal five-game road trip. To their credit, the Isles pushed the Oilers to the brink in overtime late last week, but their defense on the winning Leon Draisaitl goal was questionable. Knuckling down in the third period remains a problem as the Isles allowed five goals in the third period over the last week alone.
18. Detroit Red Wings (7-8-1)
Last Week: 20
The recent West Coast road trip has highlighted more weaknesses for Derek Lalonde to address. Patrick Kane looks slightly improved and Alex DeBrincat continues to play well, but the offense is still hit-and-miss depending on the night. The Wings rank dead last in shots, but at least the power play continues to produce. The upcoming week features the Islanders twice and the Bruins, making this a potential make-or-break stretch with Thanksgiving fast approaching.
19. Buffalo Sabres (8-9-1)
Last Week: 17
Tage Thompson being placed on injured reserve early last week was a massive downer for a team that seemed like it was starting to gain some momentum in the East. The Sabres still have enough pieces to keep their heads above water, but the timing couldn’t be worse with a West Coast road trip ahead this week.
20. Calgary Flames (9-6-3)
Last Week: 23
Goals have proven hard to come by over the last week, but the Flames have done well to pick up a couple of wins over the Kings and Preds. This is still a team playing well above expectations, led by defenseman Rasmus Andersson, who leads the team in points with 11. Nazem Kadri hasn’t enjoyed quite the same November he did last season when he finished with 13 points, but on the plus side, Calgary still ranks in the top half of the league in fewest goals allowed. All of that should come in handy this week with three straight home games against the Isles, Rangers, and Wild.
21. Boston Bruins (8-8-3)
Last Week: 18
Jeremy Swayman, who signed an eight-year, $66 million contract last month, gave up seven goals to the Stars on Thursday – so there’s that. The Bruins continue to tread water in the East, and their play over the last week has been anything but convincing. As of Saturday, Boston hadn’t scored a power play goal from its last eight opportunities, while their overall scoring issues in the first period remain a huge problem. On the plus side, at least David Pastrnak is scoring again.
22. Seattle Kraken (9-8-1)
Last Week: 27
Jared McCann is having a better year than he did last year, just quietly. The Kraken have put together three nice wins over Vegas, Columbus, and Chicago heading into a quiet two-game week that sees them back home for Nashville before heading west to face the Kings. Ranked 22nd in shots, if Seattle starts getting the puck on net a bit more, they should hang around the .500 mark.
23. St Louis Blues (8-9-1)
Last Week: 24
The Blues had lost four in a row heading into Saturday’s away game against Boston. Jordan Binnington looked to have turned things around last month posting a 2.98 GAA, but that number has since ballooned out to 3.80 through the first couple weeks of November. The week ahead is tough, and it’s hard to know if this team truly believes they are rebuilding or just trying to maintain their spot in the middle ground. Drew Bannister’s use of Jordan Kyrou has also been puzzling.
24. Nashville Predators (5-10-3)
Last Week: 25
The Preds have dropped three in a row but still managed to pick up points in two OT losses to the Avs and Oilers. Nashville is still competing, which can’t be said for other teams, but there hasn’t been much to get excited about on the ice aside from Juuse Saros’ play (2.52 GAA). The veteran netminder leads the league in minutes at the crease and is preparing for a tough week that features the Jets on Saturday.
25. Philadelphia Flyers (8-8-2)
Last Week: 31
Matvei Michkov and Travis Konecny have featured heavily on the highlight reel over the last week with three of Philly’s last five wins coming in OT or a shootout. The road ahead gets tougher with Colorado, Carolina, and Vegas over the next seven days. With the offense scoring 11 goals over their last three games though, there’s a case to be made for Philly maybe winning at least one of those.
26. Columbus Blue Jackets (6-9-2)
Last Week: 19
A 6-2 win over the Pens helped snap a six-game skid, but the Jackets might be one of the worst teams in hockey – we just didn’t know it. On the one hand, they remain competitive on a nightly basis and are still scoring goals (12 in their last four games). On the other, Elvis Merzlikins GAA has crept above 3.00. And it’s not like they’ve played a whole bunch of opponents that are better, or even equal to them over the last 10 days.
27. Pittsburgh Penguins (7-10-3)
Last Week: 22
It’s officially panic stations following three straight losses to Dallas, Detroit, and Columbus last week. Kris Letang is still battling an unknown ailment, and as my colleague Richard Jelinek wrote, it feels like a fire sale could be imminent after Lars Eller was shipped back to Washington midweek. Allowing 19 goals over their last four games and over 35 shots on average, things are looking bleak in Pittsburgh, even if they managed a shootout win over the Sharks on Saturday.
28. Utah Hockey Club (7-7-3)
Last Week: 26
Nobody saw last week’s win over the Hurricanes coming, but that was unfortunately followed by a lousy outing against Vegas at home. Scoring third period goals has proven a challenge all year, while only one goal from their last seven power play opportunities tells you just about all you need to know.
29. Anaheim Ducks (6-8-2)
Last Week: 28
The Ducks ranked Top 10 on my Most Watchable Teams list earlier in the week. Wins have proven hard to come by, but they might be better than the standings suggest with wins over Columbus and Detroit last week. After a very hot start, Lukas Dostal has come crashing back down to earth with a 4.28 GAA this month. That said, if it wasn’t for the former third round pick, the Ducks probably have half as many wins as they currently have.
30. Chicago Blackhawks (6-10-1)
Last Week: 29
Ryan Donato has been the first-month MVP for the Blackhawks, something we didn’t think we’d be saying with Connor Bedard healthy. Their 2-1 overtime win over the Wild was one of the more surprising results over the last week, but the fact they rank at the very bottom in goals over that same time frame is quite the opposite.
31. San Jose Sharks (5-10-4)
Last Week: 30
Speaking of surprising results, no one saw San Jose’s 1-0 win over the Devils happening. They’ve followed that up with two defeats to the Flyers and Rangers, and this week gets even harder with the Stars on the schedule. The Sharks are still one of the three teams in hockey, but they have to be happy with the results they are seeing from the two-way goalie tandem of Vitek Vanacek and Mackenzie Blackwood.
32. Montreal Canadiens (6-10-2)
Last Week: 32
Elliotte Friedman summed it up well last week when he said there might be a few star players in Montreal looking for a trade to a Cup contender. The Habs snapped a six-game skid with a win over the Sabres last week, before being shut out by the Wild. They responded nicely with a surprisingly high-scoring 5-1 win over the Blue Jackets on Saturday, but the main storyline has been Sam Montembault, who leads all goalies in losses with eight.