NHL Power Rankings: Week 13
The first few days of every new year are always sad for me, I take down our Christmas decorations. I always do it quickly to rip the band-aid off quickly. What is keeping a smile on my face is this NHL season, which has been nothing but fun all the way through. We have seen great teams fall, bad teams overachieve, and just a plethora of news tidbits that has kept us all busy. We are just a few weeks away from the halfway point of the season. Lots of time left.
#16 Edmonton Oilers (18-15-1; 37 Pts)
Unchanged
5 straight wins, another string of wins for the Oil. They swept California with a drumming of the Sharks and Ducks, and an incredible win in a fantastic hockey game against their current rival the LA Kings. The Oilers are 4 points out from a playoff spot and control their destiny to the playoff podium. They are defending well, finding average goaltending, and scoring goals in bunches. They are officially back.
#15 Pittsburgh Penguins (18-13-4; 40 Pts)
Unchanged
Pittsburgh has shown signs of stability, winning 3 in a row and 7 of their last 10. They have been scoring a bit better as of late and they are finding ways to score on the powerplay! Still a fragile team to an extent.
#14 Arizona Coyotes (19-14-2; 40 Pts)
Previously Unranked
The Coyotes are having quite the season. They sit in the 2nd wildcard spot, but their point percentage suggests they’d have that top spot! They have found great goaltending and Clayton Keller continues to be one of the most underrated guys in the league. They have every right to make the playoffs and it is so far well deserved.
#13 Philadelphia Flyers (19-12-5; 43 Pts)
Previously #12
Coach Tortorella is now one of the top 10 winningest coaches in NHL history and coached his 1,500th game. They had a tough limp into the new year but I respect what this team has done thus far. They will be a nuisance throughout the season and could very well make the playoffs with how wide open the conference is. They head to Edmonton for a game before hosting the Blue Jacketa and Flames.
#12 New York Islanders (17-10-9; 43 Pts)
Previously #11
The Isles seemingly cannot string together wins. I think, regardless, this team has been clicking well and finding strong enough goaltending and probably can make the playoffs. They might even make the top 3 in the division, which is quite a wild assumption if made 2 months ago. The negative goal differential is an issue but if they find scoring on a consistent basis, which has actually happened, they can fix that stat.
#11 Carolina Hurricanes (20-13-4; 44 Pts)
Previously #13
Carolina seems to be stabilizing a bit. Winners of 3 straight and they miraculously have a positive goal differential, despite having the worst goaltending in the league. What I just cannot believe is that Rod Brind’amour has this team winning games and finding a playoff spot, with the worst goaltending in the league! This alone just proves he should be coach of the year.
#10 Toronto Maple Leafs (17-10-7; 41 Pts)
Previously #9
1 point in 3 games this week. They have won 3 games in their last 10 and it’s a wonder what is going on with the Leafs. They have a goaltending issue. Ilya Samsonov is going the way Jack Campbell has so far and Joseph Woll is week-to-week. This team is in a bit of a tough skid right now and I wonder how it’s going to be managed. This is not the Conference you want to be in if you have these issue. The Leafs could be out of a playoff spot by next week.
#9 Florida Panthers (22-12-2; 46 Pts)
Previously #10
4 wins in a row for the Panthers. They probably deserve a better ranking, but I look at who’s above and realize how close the top 9-10 teams are right now. The NHL continues to be a league of parity. This team is getting this done with a lousy 6.9 shooting percentage, which if they get anything going, will make this team even more dangerous. The Stanley Cup Matchup will be interesting this week.
#8 Vegas Golden Knights (22-11-5; 49 Pts)
Previously #6
A tough game for the Knights on the Mariners ball field at the Winter Classic. The Knights have dropped 6 in their last 10 games and didn’t look too inspiring throughout the entire Winter Classic on New Year’s Day. They continue to be lousy on the road. Is the hangover starting to settle in or is this just temporary? A Stanley Cup rematch is happening this week at T-Mobile Arena.
#7 Los Angeles Kings (19-7-4; 42 Pts)
Previously #3
The Kings are on a bit of skid here. 4-4-2 in their last 10 games. They lost to their rivals in Vegas and followed up with a loss to the Oilers, in what can only be described as one of the first games with that playoff feel. They dominated the first but gave the momentum away at the beginning of period 2 and never wrestled it back. They still find ways to dominate the puck and there are on the positive end of the scoring chance differential. I do expect them to right the ship quickly here.
#6 Colorado Avalanche (23-11-3; 49 Pts)
Previously #7
The Avs have looked a bit better since Devon Toews laid into the team in a very public manner. Points in all games last week and sit with a 2-game winning streak coming into the calendar year. I am a little concerned about their inconsistency. The top of the Central is up for grabs I would say they all sit around the same rank. I would like to see better goaltending to really stabilize this club.
#5 Dallas Stars (22-9-4; 48 Pts)
Previously #8
Dallas has 5 wins in 6 games and is really starting to turn things around from a little skid. They had a very strong December and it’s always good to be buzzing into the new year. After Jake Oettinger returned, he’s a winner in 6 of his last 8 starts. The Dallas Stars are a dominant team, and yet another team you don’t want to see in the playoffs.
#4 Winnipeg Jets (22-9-4; 48 Pts)
Unchanged
The Jets are the real wagon. When your top scorer goes down and you continue to find ways to win, you’re a wagon. They have technically given up the top of their division, they own the point percentage. +29 goal differential most certainly helps as well. Oh, and they have the best sv% in the league. This is not a team you want to face now, down the stretch, or in the playoffs.
#3 Vancouver Canucks (23-10-3; 49 Pts)
Previously #2
Canucks have fallen on the bad side of the scoring chance differential. What has been the key factor with this team? Thatcher Demko. Team 5on5 sv% is a white hot 93.3%, which is just below the highest in the league. Their expected goal differential vs true goal differential is the craziest part of all of this. How long can they keep this up?
#2 Boston Bruins (22-7-6; 50 Pts)
Previously #5
A perfect weekend for the B’s. 3-0. However, I do appreciate the competition played, let’s see if they can keep this up against a desperate Penguins team and an always dangerous Tampa Bay team. This team has the 2nd best SV% 5on5, which is not all surprising with this team D core and goaltending unit. Coupled with this team’s incredible special teams, this team is as dangerous as ever.
#1 New York Rangers (25-9-1; 51 Pts)
Unchanged
7-3-0 in their last 10 games and I just cannot stomach knocking them down at all. They are scoring in bunches and don’t let losses couple up, that’s a sign of a very good team. PDO is below 100 which is surprising because this team has more to give at this point, in terms of both goaltending and shooting percentage. Their advanced numbers worry me, but analytics has a tendency to be overrated and lacking in key context.
In-Season Cup
St. Louis reliquinshed the Cup to my Colorado Avalanche and I have officially tied James for 3rd, this is my first time with the cup in a very long while. Avs look to hang on against the Islanders tonight.