NHL Power Rankings: Bruins Inching Closer To No. 1 Spot With Impressive Start

If there was any argument to leave the spreadsheets behind and just let the players play, it was most evident Tuesday night when the New Jersey Devils lost 4-2 to the Winnipeg Jets after making a decision to start Jake Allen over Connor Hellebuyck in his return to Canada Life Centre. 

There are a lot of factors at play and a ton of questions with no clear answers. 

Was Allen, who has lost more games in regulation to the Jets than any other team in the league, statistically the better choice than the elite starter they had acquired who was a perfect 5-0-0? 

Did they really think starting Allen twice in four nights meant a fresher Hellebuyck in an upcoming home-and-home series against the division rival Washington Capitals? Even though Hellebuyck had started three straight games with travel just before that?

And did the Devils really veto Hellebuyck's desire to play? Did their model factor in Dawson Mercer's outstanding revenge per 60 metrics? How do you quantify karma?

Whatever the reasons may be, clearly load management is becoming a thing in the NHL, and perhaps more so now with an 84-game season. We've already seen workloads for goalies decline in recent years, and other teams have made similar decisions, too. 

The Maple Leafs sat veteran Chris Tanev in the second game of a back-to-back – coincidentally against the Devils – presumably due to his lengthy injury history. The common thread is that Devils GM Sunny Mehta and Maple Leafs GM John Chayka both come from backgrounds rooted in analytics. 

Time will tell if they made the right decisions, but in sport – especially hockey where randomness is part of the game – there's something to be said about putting your best players on the ice and seeing what happens.

After all, even the unlikeliest of events can and do happen… otherwise why do we even bother playing? The power rankings would certainly be more fun with surprises every week. 

Here is this week’s power rankings. 

"Like a flower in a hurricane, I will die before I walk away." Try as they might, 31 teams stand no chance against these Hurricanes. 

We can argue the Bruins have had one of the easiest schedules so far – they've played only two games against divisional opponents and they're 1-1-0 – but kudos to them for banking points early in the season. It will really help them make the playoffs. 

It took a bad call and a Wild power play for them to win their first game in overtime. You'd think a team with Kirill Kaprizov, Matt Boldy and Quinn Hughes in open ice would be dangerous, but they're 1-4 this season with the second-most overtime losses. 

Did the Anaheim Ducks expose a weakness? Getting scored on five times will make it difficult for any team to win, but the Ducks showed if you rough up the Oilers a little bit, it can throw them off their game. Mike Babock has reportedly asked the front office to add a little size.

In my estimation, I think playing Jake Allen dropped the Devils' expected win probability in Winnipeg to zero. Prove me wrong?

The Canadiens took a tough loss after a bad call led to a Wild power play in overtime, but note they have not lost in regulation in nearly a month. 

They had a six-goal outburst against the Washington Capitals and scored three goals in the first period against the San Jose Sharks, but the Stars still shine brightest on defense. They’re allowing just 2.29 goals per game, third-lowest in the league, and 22.9 shots against per game, second-lowest in the league.

The Avalanche are still prone to the odd blowout loss, but they remain a juggernaut on offense, averaging 4.11 goals per game and the fourth-best average goal differential per game. They've outscored their opponents 12-6 over the past week.

When the rest of the league zigs, the Lightning always seem to zag. First, it was regularly dressing seven defensemen, and now they’re one of the few teams who employ two defensemen on their top power play.

It seems to be working, though; the Lightning's previously anemic power play has perked up, going 5-for-16 in November, eighth-best in the league.

If the start to this season has been any indication of what's to come, the Golden Knights' goaltending will be a wild ride. From Oct. 20-30, Adin Hill and Carter Hart were a combined 1-3-1 with a .853 save percentage. So far in November, they’re 3-0-1 with a .944 SP. 

It's been nearly a month since the Mammoth have won consecutive games, and defense and goaltending has been an issue; they’ve allowed at least five goals in four of their past six losses.

A couple of seasons from now we might have a legitimate debate: Whether Cole or Lane is the best Hutson. 

After winning three straight, the Panthers have lost three of their past five, including two against divisional opponents. 

Samuel Ersson's much-improved play has been the biggest difference-maker. He started the season 0-3-0 but since Linus Ullmark's injury has gone 3-1-2 with a .912 SP and 2.26 GAA.

Will a really good goalie please stand up? Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen and Colten Ellis have taken turns going hot and cold, but the overall body of work has not been good with a combined .880 SP. They don't allow a ton of shots but per NaturalStatTrick.com they have the eighth-worst save percentage on the PK. 

The list of teams the Predators have knocked off lately – the Lightning, Hurricanes, and Avalanche – is impressive. When Juuse Saros is in Vezina form and Roman Josi is in Norris form, they remind everyone how surprisingly good they can be.

The Ducks are banking on a potent offense to win games. While Laurent Brossoit has been a great story winning all four starts after a lengthy absence due to injury, the Ducks have also allowed 16 goals during their five-game winning streak with an atrocious penalty kill. 

Joonas Korpisalo wasn't lights-out in his first start, but he was good enough to earn the win, and the Rangers can sleep a little easier knowing they have two goalies who can at least give them a chance. The James Reimer experiment lasted only one period.

Have the Kraken finally found their offensive play driver? Berkly Catton is on an eight-game points streak and leads the team in scoring. Someone needs to convince Lane Lambert to give Catton more ice time.

Ilya Sorokin can only do so much. During the Islanders' four-game losing streak, they've allowed 38.8 shots on goal per game, registered 8.3 per cent on the power play, and averaged 2.25 goals per game. 

You cannot spell Winnipeg without 'win.' 

Still a little strange a team with so much talent is having trouble scoring. They rank 10th in expected goals at even strength but 20th in goals, per NaturalStatTrick.com. 

The Maple Leafs were always going to get scored on a lot with a fragile defense and shaky goaltending, but even with John Tavares back in the lineup they can't score; they've mustered up just seven goals in four games during their losing streak. 

A sign that the Flames can be legitimately good: They rank 11th in share of shot attempts at 5-on-5, but what may be holding them back is the lack of a good finisher. Top sniper Matt Coronato has only four goals in 18 games. 

Matthew Knies and Adam Fantilli have combined for six goals in 16 games, which isn't going to cut it when they average the third-most and most ice time per game, respectively, among Blue Jackets forwards. 

Hopefully, the Dylan Larkin and Simon Edvinsson standoffs get resolved quickly because it's pretty clear the Red Wings need more skill in the lineup to compete. Mired in a four-game losing streak, they’ve scored just five goals.

Asides from a win against the mediocre Los Angeles Kings, it's been a bad stretch for the Penguins going 1-4-1. There's also been some perplexing personnel decisions on a power play that ranks 19th, such as keeping Egor Chinakhov and Nick Robertson on the bench.

If we had a re-draft of the 2020 draft class, does Quinton Byfield even go in the top 10? Top 20? Their supposed No. 1 center has only four goals and six points in 14 games this season. 

You know it's bad when win – even if barely – in Vancouver and one of your brightest prospects absolutely loses it on a teammate on the bench. 

The Sharks needed Yaroslav Askarov to make some fantastic saves and an eight-round shootout to end their skid, so certainly some luck was involved. What’s perplexing is how the Sharks have suddenly lost all of their bite on offense.

They may not have the worst record, but based on vibes there's no team facing a bigger existential crisis than the Blackhawks. 

The Canucks have not won in regulation since their third game of the season on Oct. 3. 

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