Aside from the mighty Bruins, two other teams went a perfect 4-0-0 over the past week in the NHL: the Avalanche and the Sabres.
For the Avs, what a difference a healthy lineup makes. It’s no coincidence that Nathan MacKinnon’s return has helped them turn a corner, and while they’re missing Cale Makar (expected to be back soon), they’ve quickly re-established themselves as a contender. With MacKinnon and Mikko Rantanen anchoring different lines, it has given them a two-pronged attack that is hard to stop.
For the Sabres, their winning streak now brings them within three points of a wild-card spot with three games in hand against the Capitals, who have suddenly lost five of their last seven after a stellar December. The Sabers and Avs make the biggest jumps in this week’s NHL power rankings, while the Knights and Wild see the biggest drops.
Here are this week’s THN Power Rankings.
(All fancy stats are 5v5 and courtesy of naturalstattrick.com. CF% stands for Corsi for percentage and xGF% represents expected goals for percentage).
1. Boston Bruins (38-5-4, +83. CF%: 9, xGF%: 3)
There are the Bruins and then everyone else.
2. Carolina Hurricanes (29-9-8, +27. CF%: 1, xGF%: 1)
It was an easy week for the Canes, and losing Max Pacioretty to another Achilles injury was devastating. On the plus side, they have won four of their last five and now have some room thanks to LTIR.
3. New Jersey Devils (31-12-4, +41. CF%: 3, xGF%: 2)
Jack Hughes is truly blossoming before our eyes. He is on pace for over 50 goals, which would be a franchise record. Another fun stat: The Devils are second in the league with 12 wins when trailing first, second only to the Bruins’ 14 wins.
4. Toronto Maple Leafs (29-11-8, +36. CF%: 13, xGF%: 5)
Ilya Samsonov has taken over the starting job, with the Leafs winning three of their last four games. We’re still waiting for Bobby McMann to score his first goal.
5. Dallas Stars (28-13-8, +42. CF%: 15, xGF%: 15)
Seriously impressive goalkeeping with three 4-0 wins, although a baffling 5-3 loss to the Sharks was sandwiched in between. Wednesday’s matchup against the Canes should shed light on how well the West’s best will fare against the East’s beast.
6. Winnipeg Jets (31-17-1, +32. CF%: 18, xGF%: 20)
It was a mixed bag for the Jets, who went 2-3-0 in their five-game road trip. They scored just three goals in total in those three defeats, ceding the top spot in the Central to the Stars. It’s also really disappointing that the Jets won’t face the Stars for the rest of the season.
7. New York Rangers (26-14-7, +26. CF%: 8, xGF%: 17)
A loss to the Bruins, but an emphatic victory over the Panthers courts. The Rangers had an easy week, and they now have a chance to close the gap between them and the Canes and Devils with a four-game homestand starting Friday, all against Pacific Division teams. Adam Fox has arguably been the most consistent defender in the league this season, but no one is talking about him for Norris and that’s a shame.
8. Tampa Bay Lightning (30-15-1, +30. CF%: 14, xGF%: 7)
They faded at the end of their five-game road trip through the Western Conference, but they still haven’t lost more than two games in a row this season. They’ve been so good they won games despite feeding Steven Stamkos every chance they could to get him to 500 goals.
9. Edmonton Oilers (27-18-3, +22. CF%: 16, xGF%: 13)
They’ve won six straight through a very soft stretch of their schedule, and — surprise — their offense is really good when Evander Kane is in the lineup. However, it won’t be a foregone conclusion the rest of the way, as Kane is expected to miss games due to his ongoing bankruptcy proceedings in San Jose.
10. Seattle Kraken (27-14-5, +22. CF%: 11, xGF%: 19)
No other team has higher highs and lower lows than the Kraken, but the only difference is that at no point did they ever look this good last season. They have lost three of their last four and haven’t won in regulation in over a week. Their team’s shooting percentage has risen to historic highs again, and stat geeks know that’s usually not a sign of sustainable play.
11. Colorado Avalanche (26-17-3, +18. CF%: 5, xGF%: 16)
As a testament to their attack, only four players have not registered a single point over the past week. Mikko Rantanen and Nathan MacKinnon combined for 10 points, and after losing seven of eight games, they’ve now won six in a row and it shouldn’t surprise anyone if they won the Central.
12. Vegas Golden Knights (29-17-3, +16. CF%: 20, xGF%: 11)
It’s been bad enough, Bruce Cassidy has done his thing again, calling his team out publicly. They’ve lost six of their last eight and are quickly losing their grip on the division lead, no thanks to a lackluster offense and suddenly inconsistent defense and goaltending. It might get a little ugly if Mark Stone misses more time.
13. Buffalo Sabers (25-19-3, +20. CF%: 6, xGF%: 21)
They have won four in a row and they were not easy opponents either. (OK, maybe it was the Ducks). Their unsung hero thus far has been Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen, whose prospect of becoming a franchise goaltender is as exciting as it is fun to say his name. I’m not backing down from my prediction that this team will back itself into a playoff spot. Problem: one of Pittsburgh or Washington must fall.
14. Los Angeles Kings (27-17-6, -7. CF%: 7, xGF%: 6)
Pheonix Copley was a good story, but they need help in the fold in a bad way. They’ve been very loyal to Jonathan Quick, but at some point they have to accept that he’s just not very good anymore. His last win was on December 1st (!) against the Coyotes.
15. Pittsburgh Penguins (24-15-8, +11. CF%: 19, xGF%: 9)
Tristan Jarry was a late scratch against the Panthers and they need him healthy in a big way. Casey DeSmith is losing games for them, and if not for Kris Letang’s heroics following the death of his father, it would have been their fifth loss in seven games after allowing two goals in the first 10 minutes.
16. Minnesota Wild (25-17-4, +11. CF%: 17, xGF%: 18)
They’ve been more competitive than anyone imagined, and Bill Guerin might be the Most Interesting Man in the World™ among GMs because he’s never afraid to go for it. Their goaltending has been sluggish of late, allowing 14 goals in their last three games and losing six of their last nine.
17. Calgary Flames (23-16-9, +6. CF%: 2, xGF%: 4)
You would figure from the discourse surrounding the Flames this season that they are headed for the lottery. They certainly aren’t, nor are they a great team, but it’s actually amazing how they’re seven games over .500 even though their longest streak this season was *check schedule* *double check schedule* three games.
18. Washington Capitals (25-19-6, +16. CF%: 12, xGF%: 14)
After singing their praises in December, the Caps are 4-6-1 in January and the returns of Tom Wilson and Nicklas Backstrom haven’t had the desired effect. They haven’t been able to win back-to-back games since Christmas.
19. Florida Panthers (23-21-6, -5. CF%: 4, xGF%: 8)
What an absolute mess in net, even though Spencer Knight is expected to start Friday against the Kings. It’s actually kind of amazing how poorly the big blockbuster trade hasn’t worked out for the Panthers or Flames. Neither can put together any sustainable winning streaks. Usually a trade makes one or both teams better.
20. Nashville Predators (23-18-6, -6. CF%: 22, xGF%: 22)
They have been quite impressive of late, thanks to Juuse Saros. (What else is new). They have won four of their last five, allowing just six goals in those wins. They’re still in the wild card race, but sort of Don’t look up in the Best Picture race last year, you wonder what the hell they’re doing there.
21. Philadelphia Flyers (20-21-8, -23. CF%: 25, xGF%: 26)
What an impressive run by the Flyers, who are 7-4-1 since Jan. 1, the 11th-best scoring percentage in the league. Travis Konecny and Kevin Hayes have scored 14 points each, with strong support from Scott Laughton and Morgan Frost, who have 10 points each. It’s hard to make Chuck Fletcher look good, and yet John Tortorella has done it.
22. St. Louis Blues (23-22-3, -20. CF%: 28, xGF%: 24)
It’s been bad enough — four losses in six games, injuries to key veterans — that there’s talk of the Blues being big sellers at the deadline. This has been a transition year for a new core led by Jordan Kyrou and Robert Thomas, but the biggest headache (headache?) remains in net.
23. Vancouver Canucks (19-25-3, -26. CF%: 24, xGF%: 25)
The Rick Tocchet bulge was real – in fact, it might be the skate jersey effect – and the Canucks looked excellent, even if it was against the Hawks. Is there… could there… be any hope on the horizon? Nah, this is the Canucks we’re talking about. Tocchet has an uphill battle as the new stepfather of a fan base that loved Bruce Boudreau.
24. New York Islanders (23-21-5, +2. CF%: 23, xGF%: 23)
They have lost nine (!) of their last 10 games in a huge free fall. The Isles’ Power Rankings chart looks like a roller coaster, starting from 19th in the pre-season rankings and reaching as high as sixth in November before crashing. Actually it’s more like in Roller Coaster Tycoon when you don’t complete the loop.
25. Detroit Red Wings (20-18-8, -14. CF%: 27, xGF%: 27)
Wins against Vegas and San Jose were good signs, but overall they’ve won just three times in regulation since the calendar turned and really missed a chance to pick up some important points in a very tough Atlantic Division with losses to Arizona and Columbus. Key question: do we still believe in Yzerplan?
26. Chicago Blackhawks (14-28-4, -58. CF%: 32, xGF%: 31)
It’s been an impressive run of six wins in seven games, but Petr Mrazek is back in net, which means we should all throw up our arms in disgust. Any team that plays Jack Johnson 18 minutes every night is in big trouble.
27. Montreal Canadiens (20-25-3, -48. CF%: 26, xGF%: 29)
Maybe PK Subban should consider building an extra hospital just for the Habs’ injured. It is so ironic that they are playing with seven defensemen when half of their defense was made up of rookies at the beginning of the season. If Martin St-Louis played, he might still be better than half the roster.
28. Ottawa Senators (20-23-3, -19. CF%: 10, xGF%: 12)
Funny that Pierre Dorion has carried the weight of the franchise for years, yet his shoulders remain intact. Their goaltending has fallen apart a bit lately, losing six of their last eight. You gotta believe DJ Smith’s seat is getting pretty hot.
29. Anaheim Ducks (14-29-5, -83. CF%: 31, xGF%: 32)
OK, at least they can beat the Jackets, Coyotes and Sharks. The Ducks play them three more times combined (Jackets once, Coyotes twice) the rest of the season, which is great for increasing their chances of getting Connor Bedard. That’s what they do, isn’t it, because I can’t tell what sport they’re trying to play most nights.
30. Columbus Blue Jackets (14-30-3, -62. CF%: 29, xGF%: 28)
The Jackets have just 10 wins in regulation so far this season. The franchise record is 19 wins in an 82-game season, set in 2003-04. The good news is that it’s still nowhere near the worst of the cap era. I hear Columbus is a nice place to live though.
31. Arizona Coyotes (15-28-5, -50. CF%: 30, xGF%: 30)
Their game is about as bland as their new alternate jerseys. The Coyotes are 2-12-0 since Dec. 31, but amazingly — really, not just being sarcastic here — they still have a winning record at home (9-8-2).
32. San Jose Sharks (14-25-10, -40. CF%: 21, xGF%: 10)
“Hey guys, if you want to go away and play for a better team, it’s in your best interest to play really well.” Erik Karlsson and Timo Meier understood the task, everyone else just gave blank stares.
