After being a mainstay on top of the NHL power rankings last season, the Boston Bruins overtake the Golden Knights in a season full of movement as the Blue Jackets and Predators fall.
Welcome back to the ever-popular NHL power rankings at The Hockey News. Published every Wednesday, all 32 teams will be ranked from best to worst with an emphasis on their weekly performances.
With three losses in their past four games, the Golden Knights can no longer be No. 1 in the power rankings.
It was a valiant run, a spot they held since the beginning of the season as the defending champs, but we’re having a bit of deja vu with the Bruins returning to the top spot. They’ve only lost just once in regulation, silencing critics and any talk of stumbling or faltering following the retirements of Patrice Bergeron and David Krejci.
The Knights are the only team to be ranked in the top five every single week in a season that has already seen a bunch of turnover. The Stars fell to No. 6 last week but return to No. 4 following a flawless 4-0-0 week that included a three-game road trip. The Panthers also return to the top five as their roster gets healthier, and their unbeaten streak stands at five games with only two losses in regulation since starting the season 0-2-0.
The Sharks continue to lurk at the bottom as they remain on pace for a historically poor record and goal differential. They are ranked dead last in about everything except for the use of the color teal. The Predators and Blue Jackets join them in the bottom three for the first time, no thanks to four-game and six-game losing streaks, respectively.
(All fancy stats are 5-on-5 and courtesy naturalstattrick.com. CF% stands for Corsi-for percentage and xGF% represents expected goals-for percentage.)
1. Boston Bruins (12-1-2, +21. CF% league rank: 22, xGF% league rank: 13)
It’s quite remarkable what the Bruins are doing, and all three of their losses have been by just one goal. Dating back to last season, they have 14 more wins than the Knights and have a ridiculous .830 points percentage despite only having one scorer in the top 50.
2. Vegas Golden Knights (12-3-1, +23. CF%: 20, xGF%: 15)
When you’re at the top, the only way to go is down. The only way the Knights could maintain the No. 1 spot is if they were nearly flawless, but instead, they’ve lost three of their past four, including their first-ever shutout loss to the Caps.
3. New York Rangers (11-2-1, +16. CF%: 15, xGF%: 20)
It’s been a quiet stretch for the Rangers, who played just twice over the past week and only once from last Sunday to this coming Saturday. They’re doing this without Igor Shesterkin and Adam Fox, which is even more impressive.
4. Dallas Stars (11-3-1, +13. CF%: 10, xGF%: 4)
After losing two straight, the Stars have rattled off four straight wins, including blowouts against the Jackets (5-2) and the Wild (8-3). Jake Oettinger might be the most reliable goalie out there right now.
5. Florida Panthers (10-4-1, +6. CF%: 7, xGF%: 11)
A healthy roster means more wins? Who woulda thought? After a tough start, the Panthers have only lost twice in regulation over the past month and are currently riding a five-game winning streak thanks to an excellent offense that has scored at least four goals in all five games.
6. Toronto Maple Leafs (8-5-2, +1. CF%: 13, xGF%: 25)
Their goaltending situation remains in flux, but after a tough stretch with four losses, they managed to win their final two games on home ice, including an emphatic win over the red-hot Canucks, before heading to Sweden.
7. Vancouver Canucks (11-3-1, +33. CF%: 16, xGF%: 26)
The big word on everyone’s lips for the Canucks is a capital ‘R’ regression, though it’s yet to come. The Canucks slide on the heels of a loss to the Leafs in an otherwise soft schedule, but there’s no doubt that this is a playoff team and perhaps more if they can stay healthy. Their beefed-up blueline is thin once again.
8. Los Angeles Kings (8-3-3, +14. CF%: 3, xGF%: 2)
They were on a roll before two straight losses at home to visiting Pennsylvania teams. They’re now 1-3-3 at home, which is curious for one of the best home teams last season (26-11-4). They’ve lacked high-end scorers for years but might have three players – Anze Kopitar, Adrian Kempe and Kevin Fiala – who finish with around 80 points.
9. Carolina Hurricanes (9-6-0, +2. CF%: 1, xGF%: 5)
They’re a frustrating team. One moment, they lose 3-0 to the Lightning – granted, it was the last game of a six-game roadie – and then beat them 4-0 a few weeks later. They’re undoubtedly a good team, but they also need saves. Thanks to Pyotr Kochetkov’s shutout, they’re no longer in the top five in goals allowed per game, but it’s still relatively high because they allow the fewest shots per game.
10. Winnipeg Jets (8-5-2, +5. CF%: 6, xGF%: 9)
The goaltending still isn’t great, but the offense has been very un-Bowness, with at least five goals scored in all four of the most recent wins. When you score that much, you have to win, and we shall see if the Jets continue to bury pucks or go back to grinding out wins. Also, obligatory #FreeEhlers, who is averaging less ice time than ever.
11. Colorado Avalanche (9-5-0, +4. CF%: 4, xGF%: 3)
They were dominant some nights, but on others, they’re barely playing on fumes. They’ve lost five of their past eight, including three shutout losses and an embarrassing stinker against the Blues, 8-2. For a supposedly great team, they’ve had some wild swings back and forth. They have to find their groove.
12. Detroit Red Wings (8-5-2, +6. CF%: 26, xGF%: 19)
It’s been a rollercoaster ride, from having a great start to flashbacks to failed parts of the Yzerplan to being competitive once again. They’re 3-4-2 in their past nine with only two regulation wins, both of which were by one goal, and nearly blew two separate two-goal leads against the Jackets. Hot take: James Reimer should be their starter.
13. Anaheim Ducks (9-6-0, +4. CF%: 28, xGF%: 27)
The Ducks keep flying, and that’s a good thing because they’re fun to watch again. They’re competitive and winning games that they should and shouldn’t win, including one-goal victories over the Bruins and Knights and beating the Sharks and Predators. Mason McTavish and Leo Carlsson is a franchise-cornerstone duo not seen since, dare I say, Paul Kariya and Teemu Selanne.
14. Washington Capitals (8-4-2, -2. CF%: 24, xGF%: 24)
The Caps are 7-1-1 after a 1-3-1 start. Somehow, they’re doing this with an offense that’s very thin and goaltending that’s been surprisingly good, and also with a negative goal differential and the worst power play in the league. They’re winning even though it’s been the anti-Spencer Carbery experience, and it’s oddly impressive.
15. Pittsburgh Penguins (8-6-0, +14. CF%: 8, xGF%: 6)
The good news is Erik Karlsson is scoring at a point-per-game pace, and the better news is they’re winning games, including two shutout wins. The Sharks have served as the pivotal turning point for multiple teams this season, for better or for worse. After beating them 10-2, it sparked a five-game winning streak.
16. St. Louis Blues (8-5-1, +6. CF%: 31, xGF%: 30)
Will the real St. Louis please stand up? The Blues have obliterated their opponents in their past six games, winning five and outscoring their opponents 25-7, even though they failed to string together wins in the first month of the season.
17. Tampa Bay Lightning (6-6-4, -6. CF%: 12, xGF%: 22)
They didn’t look great at the beginning of the season, and now they look kinda… bad? Back-to-back shutout losses are not a good look for a dangerous offensive team. It bears mentioning that, although Jonas Johansson is a big reason for this, the Lightning defense is no longer stout. Forget about LTIR shenanigans; let’s just see if Andrei Vasilevskiy’s return can get them into the playoffs.
18. Buffalo Sabres (7-8-1, -6. CF%: 18, xGF%: 23)
Not having a reliable starter hurts. Not having Tage Thompson for a period of time is definitely going to hurt. One of the most hyped teams of the season, the Sabres are going through the equivalent of the EA Sports cover curse. Good news: This is still a very young team on the upswing.
19. Arizona Coyotes (7-6-2, +6. CF%: 29, xGF%: 16)
The Coyotes are making a push up the rankings, but they’ll need to win more games consistently rather than just being competitive. That notion tells you how far the Coyotes have come in a short period of time when, in past seasons, being competitive alone was good enough.
20. New Jersey Devils (7-6-1, -4. CF%: 5, xGF%: 7)
They look lost, do they not? They’ve lost three straight and allowed nearly four goals per game. Without Jack Hughes commandeering their power play, there’s just no way they will win games consistently. Among the 53 goalies with at least five appearances, Akira Schmid and Vitek Vanecek rank 41st and 40th, respectively, in save percentage.
21. Ottawa Senators (6-7-0, +6. CF%: 23, xGF%: 29)
You wish the Sens were more consistent, but you could say that about every team this far down the list. Perhaps it starts up top with a new owner and new (interim) GM, who hinted that this group needs to work things out internally before changes are made. It doesn’t look like the Sens’ big breakout will be happening this season.
22. Calgary Flames (5-8-2, -14. CF%: 9, xGF%: 12)
There is a flicker of light for the Flames with three wins in their past five. But, like a candle in the wind (thanks, Elton), the team’s future is precarious, with enough trade rumors in the mill to make the province move away from the oil sands. Will they or won’t they is the biggest question. The biggest should they? Bringing up Dustin Wolf full-time.
23. Montreal Canadiens (7-7-2, -10. CF%: 19, xGF%: 18)
They’re streaky, but that’s a good thing because it means they can also string together some wins. Martin St-Louis has bought a lot of goodwill in a very short period of time, and every season there’s always some feel-good story. This season, it’s Sean Monahan, and if he can be their No. 2 center for the foreseeable future, they’ve just solved their problem at center, which takes other teams decades to fill.
24. Minnesota Wild (5-8-2, -14. CF%: 14, xGF%: 21)
If there’s one thing the Wild aren’t known for, it’s bad goaltending. From Manny Fernandez and Dwayne Roloson to Niklas Backstrom, the Wild have always made it work, but not this season. Based on naturalstattrick.com’s goals-saved-above-average model, Filip Gustavsson (-6.63) is the league’s worst goalie by a significant margin.
25. Edmonton Oilers (4-9-1, -13. CF%: 2, xGF%: 1)
Everyone knows the Oilers shouldn’t be this bad, and the computer boys are sweating because every model says they should be good. We saw some Kris Knoblauch bump in his Oilers debut, but this isn’t a question of talent. The Oilers made a swift and significant change to make the playoffs. Not win the playoffs, but make. Do you know what teams do that? The ones stuck in purgatory and nowhere closer to winning the Cup or the lottery, and Leon Draisaitl and Connor McDavid’s contracts are expiring soon.
26. New York Islanders (5-6-3, -11. CF%: 25, xGF%: 14)
What happens when you can’t score, and your Vezina-caliber goalie can’t bail you out? You lose a lot of games, and it shouldn’t surprise anybody that this is happening to the Isles, who constantly eschew scoring talent (look what they’re doing to Oliver Wahlstrom) and give role players expensive deals (good for Pierre Engvall). The Isles have lost five straight with one of the worst goal differentials in the league.
27. Philadelphia Flyers (7-7-1, +2. CF%: 11, xGF%: 8)
The Flyers won two straight a week after I said they’re actually not that bad, but it’s win two, lose two, win two, lose two. Carter Hart is expected to return, so perhaps they can generate some consistent momentum and move up.
28. Seattle Kraken (5-8-3, -18. CF%: 17, xGF%: 17)
They’ve lost four of their past five and can’t score any goals. The goaltending has been subpar, and I can’t emphasize enough that the Kraken need an elite scorer they can count on if they want to win right now. But I can’t tell if they really want to win right now. There’s no desperation to win now like the Knights, and maybe that’s not their plan, but it would be squandering a fantastic head start thanks to the expansion draft rules, no? Oh, right, they actually squandered that one.
29. Chicago Blackhawks (5-8-0, -11. CF%: 30, xGF%: 31)
They’re much better than expected. That’s good because it means maybe they won’t have to be bad for really long, even if adding Macklin Celebrini or Cole Eiserman is very enticing. Remember, Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane, and Sidney Crosby, too, made the playoffs in just their second NHL season. Alex Ovechkin was the laggard, making it in his third season.
30. Nashville Predators (5-10-0, -8. CF%: 21, xGF%: 10)
On just about every other team, losing a player of Tommy Novak’s caliber is not a huge deal. But it leaves a gaping hole on offense for the Preds, who have lost four straight and six of their past seven. The defense and goaltending have not been good, and they don’t have the offense to compete. As I said at the beginning of the season, it’s great they want to play offense, but with what offensive players?
31. Columbus Blue Jackets (4-8-4, -14. CF%: 27, xGF%: 28)
I am convinced that Pascal Vincent is doing the right things behind the bench, but losing six straight and 10 of their past 11 is not a good look. They’ve allowed at least four goals in five straight games, and beyond playing Boone Jenner and Adam Fantilli 1-2 down the middle, they’ve yet to really figure out their lineup.
32. San Jose Sharks (2-13-1, -51. CF%: 32, xGF%: 32)
If the Sharks had a type, it would be the mako shark, the fastest known species of shark that can swim up to 50 km/h. That’s because no one is headed to bottom of every single statistical category known to man faster than them.