NHL Power Rankings: Week 8
Thanksgiving has come and gone, and now we all look forward to Christmas and the rest of the holiday season. The quarter quell of the NHL season is also upon us and one thing is for certain, the East is by far stronger than the West. That fact bodes well for those teams in the West that had lousy to downright awful starts. Everyone sucks aside from the dominant 5 up on top. Some teams are starting to come back down to earth while others are coming up from the depths of hell it seems. Everything tends to balance out in the end.
#16 Pittsburgh Penguins (10-10-0; 20 Pts)
Previously #13
Tough to pick a 16 here but Sidney Crosby needs to be talked about because he’s looked fantastic statistically and via the eye test. 13 goals and 24 points in the first 20 games at this age is just a crazy feat and he’s contributing as per usual for all these years. Rakell and Carter are bad…they need to step up or get the hell out because the Penguins need depth and need it now.
#15 St. Louis Blues (11-8-1; 23 Pts)
Unchanged
St. Louis is making noise and they are the last team in the playoffs for the West with a winning point percentage. I don’t know if this team is real yet, but right now I give them the spot due to their spot in the playoffs and that’s enough for me right now. They don’t seem like a true contender for me though, but we will have to see. The West is just so weak after the top 6.
#14 Tampa Bay Lightning (10-6-5; 25 Pts)
Previously #16
The tendy came back guys. Kucherov sits first in points now with 35…in just 20 games played. He got 8 points in 3 games this week…woof. I think this team being just a team is now out the window now that Vasilevsky is back in the fold, he is just THAT good. The Bolts were treading for as long as they needed to, now its time to put the foot down and move their way into the divisional spots. Should we be scared?
#13 Philadelphia Flyers (11-9-1; 23 Pts)
Previously #12
The 5 game streak comes to an end with back to back losses. But they found a way back to the win column over the Islanders, granted the Isles can’t buy a win, or a goal for that matter. Goaltending needs to improve a bit but if the teams can find the back of the net, we could see a team contending for a spot after all, which is not part of the plan for the Flyers…
#12 Detroit Red Wings (11-6-3; 25 Pts)
Previously Unranked
They’re baaaaack! Detroit winning 3 straight pushes them back into the rankings, and by a margin. They sit in a divisional spot, though the point separation in this division and conference is incredibly tight and so the Wings will need to keep this up. Debrincat has come back to earth, but the team is still looking good! Above average goaltending always helps and an above average shooting percentage doesn’t hurt either.
#11 Toronto Maple Leafs (10-6-3; 23 Pts)
Previously #10
Tough week for the Leafs, maybe they were still recovering from jet lag. Leafs goaltending is suspect as it sits .909% on 5 on 5 play. This team gets a spot here based on their roster make up, they should be near the tops of this division but can’t seem to break away. When Willy Nylander isn’t scoring this team just doesn’t have it sometimes. They have only won 2 games in regulation in the last month and that’s a bad sign. Don’t be surprise if the Leafs see a drop in the coming weeks if they don’t fix that key stat.
#10 Carolina Hurricanes (12-8-0; 24 Pts)
Previously #9
Hurricanes roster build will always give them edge in these rankings, until they really start to look awful. They are starting to really look closer to the team we expected to see. Still with an even goal differential and one could suggest they could be lower based on that. Though they beat teams they should beat but then looked bad against the Lightning. Their depth is what gives me hope for this squad but they need to find their goaltending and fast.
#9 Winnipeg Jets (12-6-2; 26 Pts)
Previously #11
The last of the really good teams in the West at this point, as everyone below them are not so good…Winnipeg has been quietly good. 8 of their last 10 have been W’s and it seems like the Jets will be back in the playoffs if they keep this up. Hellebuyck seems to really be finding his way and Kyle Connor continues his quiet incredible goal scoring (that’s for you Alex).
#8 Florida Panthers (12-7-1; 25 Pts)
Previously #7
They have won 7 of their last 10 but they didn’t have the hottest week, losing to both the Bruins and Jets. They need to find a way to right the ship immediately if they want to keep in the mix in a tough division and conference. I do really like where the Panthers are at this point in the season, especially for missing key D men through most of the first quarter.
#7 Vancouver Canucks (14-7-1; 29 Pts)
Previously #6
It appears that the Canucks could be facing that regression that we all expected to see. No, I am not saying they are bad or that they will miss the playoffs, but I do think their descent to earth will continue from here. You cannot have a PDO like that with both ridiculous SV% and S% and expect that to continue. The luck aspect will eventually run its course. Demko is coming back to a still very strong .925 SV%. I still think he has a run for the Vezina at this point, but I am usually wrong so there’s that.
#6 Dallas Stars (12-5-2; 26 Pts)
Previously #5
Managed only 1 point in two games this week. Not ideal but this team’s construction keeps them in the top, plus the fact that most other teams in the Central is okay to bad at best. I would like to see better goaltending for Oettinger, they really need the dominant force we know. They dominate the stats most of the time, but I have to think with a little better goaltending, we’d see a very scary team to play.
#5 Colorado Avalanche (14-6-0; 28 Pts)
Previously #8
Colorado has looked really really good this week and probably could be higher than here but the jump from 8 is already quite remarkable over a week’s time. The Av’s 5 on 5 goaltending is a bit soft, but they are finding ways to outscore and out chance their opponents in most nights, especially as of late. The spread between expected goals for and against is quite wide and so it seems the dominant Avs might be back.
#4 Vegas Golden Knights (14-5-2; 30 Pts)
Previously #3
4-5-1 in their last 10 and the Golden Knights are finally seeing things start to balance out in their own way. Getting shut out at home against the Desert Dogs is a rough sight and they will (hopefully) lose the top spot in the division this week. Goaltending has been great, but things are not looking right elsewhere. Big matchup against the Oilers who’ve scored 13 goals in their last 2 games and looking to continue.
#3 Boston Bruins (14-3-3; 31 Pts)
Previously #1
A losing week for the Bs for the first time in seemingly forever. The depth is being challenged here and that could start to catch up to the Bruins. They are probably in need of another forward but when you consider the circumstances, the Bs have been quite good. They will be in a position to make a move and push for a long playoff run. The negative Scoring Chance ledger does worry me a tad but goaltending seems to be up to the task for now.
#2 New York Rangers (15-3-1; 31 Pts)
Unchanged
The Rangers were perfect this week and that brings them to 8 wins in their last 10. Zibanejad, Wheeler, and Kakko haven’t even been great yet and they are still winning games. An even crazier stat, Jonny Quick holds a 6-0-1 record with a .930 SV%...what a story that is. The expected goals for has room to improve along with the overall offense but their strong goaltending is enough to keep them winning and winning often.
#1 Los Angeles Kings (13-3-3; 29 Pts)
Previously #4
That center depth is really shining through here guys. The LA Kings are the best team in the NHL right now, no doubt. They are scoring in bunches and sit 2nd in GF as a result, but also the GA are crazy low and they are finding their goaltending, something that wasn’t there early on. The Kings outscored their problems until those problems started to work themselves out and now the sky is the limit for the Kings. They are probably the best built to take on the Knights at this point due to their depth up and down the middle and the back end.
In-Season Cup
Alex found more days but luckily Arizona took it back for Tyler, for all of our sake. Tyler and I sit tied for 2nd with 9 days, though Tyler will sit alone starting tomorrow. James had his 6 days this month early and hasn’t touched it since. Its just heating up, lets just hope Tampa can take the cup back for me tomorrow night.