NHL Power Rankings: Week 5
Happy Valentine’s Day! My rankings are coming little earlier than normal, but this is the new norm. I will try and get you the rankings every Sunday. Another week has gone and many changes to be made. This is such a roller coaster of a season so far. These bottom rankings are by far the hardest, let me tell you. All records are of the night of 2.14.21.
#16 Columbus Blue Jackets (7-5-4, 18 Points)
Previously outside Top 16
The Jackets have been playing not too bad and this was a tough one to decide. There are many teams that can take this spot, but they are in a playoff spot so I will give them the nod here. Patrik Laine faced a benching situation when he yelled back at a coach but seemed to have moved past it because he fought on Saturday! Interesting times in Columbus.
#15 Pittsburgh Penguins (7-5-1, 15 Points)
Previously outside Top 16
The Penguins put up 2 wins against the Capitals as of late. This team is on the outside looking in but I like them over the other option in the division which would have been the Islanders. 2 game winning streak, a 6-3-1 record in the last 10 games, and the new hires in the front office have me positive on the Pens right now. I love those hires by the way. Congrats to Brian Burke, I will miss your perspective on Hockey Central.
#14 Chicago Blackhawks (7-5-4, 18 Points)
Previously #16
I give the Chicago Blackhawks so many props, they have pulled ahead of the Stars in the Rankings, at least in my eyes. They are winning games, or losing close games, and against the better teams in the league. I am impressed by this team and are the 5th team in the Discover Central to sit in the rankings. Are they going to try and make playoffs, or should they continue to stick to the rebuild plan? I think the next 2 weeks will determine that answer.
#13 Edmonton Oilers (9-7-0, 18 Points)
Previously outside Top 16
I have been careful to not be a homer for my team while representing this podcast, but I must give credit to my guys here. They are 7-3 in the last 10 games and are on a 3-game winning streak. They have let in just 3 goals in the last 3 games, and even recorded a shut out with the returning Mike Smith. The Oilers D squad have been putting up goals like its nothing, something the Oilers haven’t seen in years. Here’s to hoping I didn’t jinx it. Oh, and btw, if you have a chance to catch the Oilers/Jets game on NBCSN this Wednesday, I highly recommend.
#12 Philadelphia Flyers (8-3-2, 18 Points)
Previously #13
Philly hasn’t played all week, but only went up because teams went down, and new teams entered the rankings. They only play 2 games this week but against some good competition. Let’s see if they learned some defense.
#11 Washington Capitals (6-4-3, 15 Points)
Previously #9
Lost another game to the Penguins on Sunday afternoon, but hadn’t played for a week due to covid protocols. They have given up too many goals as of late, but to be fair, two of the 6 were empty netters so I’ll call that a 1 goal game. They face Pitt again this week.
#10 Winnipeg Jets (8-5-1, 17 Points)
Previously #12
The Jets continue to play solidly but took a loss against the Senators. It happens though, the Senators have been getting solid goaltending at times this season. Winnipeg has the 3rd best point percentage in the Scotia North, have a fair goal differential at +9, and have Mark Scheifele playing great hockey. New guy Dubois already hurt, though we aren’t sure for how long.
#9 St. Louis Blues (9-4-2, 20 Points)
Previously #10
The Blues scored 9 goals in 2 nights against the Coyotes, who’ve been playing fairly good hockey this season thus far. 2 game winning streaks help right the ship and its good to see a team moving the right direction. They earned their +4-goal differential. Jaden Schwartz is out with a lower-body injury, that is a big loss.
#8 Montreal Canadians (9-4-2, 20 Points)
Previously #3
The bigger they are the harder they fall. Welcome back to earth Montreal. The team is losing their step on teams, they are moving away from what has worked. The scoring has dried up a bit, scoring only 8 goals over the last 5 games. They don’t seem to be playing their heavy game, as seen in their PIMs in decline, which is something they are known for. Finally, Carey Price is sitting with a .901SV%, with Allen clearly outplaying him. This has been a consistent theme for this guy.
#7 Florida Panthers (8-8-2, 18 Points)
Previously #8
The Miami Cats man. They have lost but 2 games in regulation, have a positive goal differential, and managed to put up 5 goals against the mighty Bolts this week. Granted their next game was a bit of a let-down. Let’s see how they fair against the Bolts again and then Carolina.
#6 Carolina Hurricanes (9-3-0, 18 Points)
Previously #7
Hurricanes win another 2 games this week, amounting a +10 goal differential. Those wins were against the stingy (or at least we though were stingy) Dallas Stars. They are playing great hockey right now.
#5 Colorado Avalanche (7-3-1, 15 Points)
Previously #6
Avs are finally on the ice again after a 2-week long hiatus. They face the Golden Knights 4 times in a row, one time in Lake Tahoe this Saturday. They will change spots in one way or another come next Sunday.
#4 Vegas Golden Knights (9-2-1, 19 Points)
Previously #5
The Knights have been a force, much like every other year they are in the league. They sit atop the Honda West in point percentage at .792, well aboe the next best team, the Avs at .682. They face the Avs 4 times in a row this week, which will be an ultimate test for them. On a side note, as terrible as those gold helmets are, they are “Vegas” terrible. It’s all part of the Vegas identity, and for that, I love it.
#3 Tampa Bay Lightning (10-2-1, 21 points)
Previously #4
Well, the Lightning just continue to fly up the rankings. I could have given this team even more love, but I am waiting for them to finish their series against the Panthers and Stars, but so far, I am probably not giving them the credit they deserve. +24 goal differential means they are outscoring their opponents by 2 in nearly every game, on average.
#2 Toronto Maple Leafs (11-3-1, 23 Points)
Unchanged
The Leafs split their games with Montreal this week but are playing much better defense this season. They have a healthy goal differential at +15 and are just looking like the clear best team in the Scotia North. They have the Ottawa treatment this week so they should net at least another 4-5 points over the next 3, before facing the Habs again Saturday. Auston Matthews is transcendent, accounting for nearly 21% of the teams GF this season. He’s eyeing the Hart.
#1 Boston Bruins (10-2-2, 22 Points)
Unchanged
The Bruins have been just buzzing, going 8-1-1 in the last 10 games. They are sitting with a solid +12 goal differential and against stingy defensive teams. Goals against average from their goaltenders has been very strong, indicative of a strong defensive squad. I couldn’t decide between them and Toronto at number 1, let’s just call it a 1A/1B situation.