NHL Power Rankings: Week 13
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to everyone! The TLDR Podcast boys certainly took our Holiday’s to heart and took some time to be with family and friends. That included missing a week of Power Rankings. I almost missed this week as well. However, I am deciding to do a late Wk 12 update to get us up to date, and I will get back to our normal schedule next week.
Don’t expect too many changes come next week but for now, here is where I see the NHL as we turn the page on the 2024 Calendar year.
#16 Vancouver Canucks (17-11-8; 42 Points)
Previously Unranked
It is a weird time in Canuck land. Injuries, noise, etc are plaguing this team in dire need of a quiet week. It will be interesting to see if we get one.
#15 Ottawa Senators (19-15-2; 40 Points)
Previously #16
Ottawa has looked really good for awhile now. 7-3 in their last 10 and they continue to be a problem for even good teams. I am interested in seeing if the Sens can keep this up enough to break through and finally make playoffs.
#14 Boston Bruins (20-15-4; 44 Points)
Unchanged
Boston has been solid since the coaching change but hasn’t made to much progress into the division. They have had a very nice string of wins lately but they need to keep it up!
#13 Colorado Avalanche (23-15-0; 46 Points)
Unchanged
5 straight for the Avs and I am probably too harsh for them right now. They probably deserve to get a higher ranking. They are so back and don’t be surprised if they crack the top 10 next week if they have a continuation of their strong trend.
#12 Carolina Hurricanes (22-13-2; 46 Points)
Previously #10
Carolina will be fine, just things have been not moving at full speed for the Canes yet. They probably won’t win the division, but they will be a playoff team. The question will be, can they find the scoring?
#11 Dallas Stars (22-13-1; 45 Points)
Previously #12
Losing Tyler Seguin is going to hurt but losing Mason Marchment for some time could be detrimental. Matt Duchene has been amazing but is it enough?
#10 Florida Panthers (23-13-2; 48 Points)
Previously #9
Florida has been fine. Goalie Bob is not at his playoff level, but he has time to get there. In reality, the Panthers pedigree deserve more respect than ranked 10 but for now, their trend is 10th..
#9 Tampa Bay Lightning (20-12-2; 42 Points)
Previously #11
Tampa has been hot. 7-3-0 in their last 10 and while they are behind the Panthers in points and percentage, I like their trend right now. Losing Jake Guentzel even for a little bit is tough. They had a couple tough games but I just have a good feeling about this Bolts team right now.
#8 Toronto Maple Leafs (23-13-2; 48 Points)
Previously #7
.500 since their last ranking which could have led to a bigger drop, but I give the benefit for now. Their underlying numbers are very suspect, and we could see them dip a bit further in the coming weeks, unless they can figure it out. The noise around Auston Matthews is something to behold.
#7 Minnesota Wild (23-11-4; 50 Points)
Previously #3
They seem to have a little bit of reliance on Kiril, to a fault. They looked okay at best and I am not convinced they are deep enough to fully tread water. Further, the loss of Jake Middelton might be an even tougher issue on the backend…I see Minnesota could hang on, but they need to step it up.
#6 Edmonton Oilers (22-12-3; 47 Points)
Previously #8
Edmonton came back from their Christmas break with cement in their skates. They looked a little behind the Kings and let the listless Ducks into the game and ended up with just 1 point from their 2-game trip to So Cal. Not ideal. Their bounceback against Utah was a statement, however. The Oilers are fine, though I do worry about that Kings round 4…
#5 Los Angeles Kings (22-10-5; 49 Points)
Unchanged
This Oilers fan is rightfully concerned to play the Kings yet again in Round 1 of the playoffs. Methinks it will be a lot harder for the Oil. The Kings fought hard and looked like the better team in their game against the Oilers. Kings continue to roll.
#4 New Jersey Devils (24-14-3; 51 Points)
Previously #2
Devils are losers of 3 straight and I would normally push them down a bit further, but I will give them a little pass at this point. New Jersey has been a buzzsaw this year and are slated to continue. The battle for top of the division will be fun to watch especially if Carolina can find their way back into contention.
#3 Winnipeg Jets (27-11-1; 55 Points)
Previously #6
Jets have looked good again in the last couple weeks. They have moved to top of the point race, only trailing Vegas in the point percentage race. They haven’t allowed more than 3 goals in 8 straight games, which is a recipe for success.
#2 Washington Capitals (25-10-2; 52 Points)
Previously #1
Ovi is back! He broke his leg what 5 or so weeks ago? Well, he has already scored in first 2 games. The question is, does he still have enough time to do it this year? The other question is can they beat the Devils to the top of the division?
#1 Vegas Golden Knights (25-9-3; 53 Points)
Previously #4
8-2-0 in their last 10 and only 1 loss since our last rankings. The Big Bad Knights are back atop of the league standings. They get a pass for their loss to the Habs. 13-2-1 record against other Pacific Division teams…woof.
In-Season Cup
Alex leads but the race is closer than its ever been among all of us.