NHL Power Rankings: B/R Experts' Week 11 Poll
'Tis the season to be jolly about this week's power rankings, especially if you're a fan of a Western Conference team. Five of the top seven teams this week reside in the NHL's superior home for hockey, but which five teams are in those spots this week?
We can't say, as that's the point of a teasing paragraph, as it makes you want to look through the entire slideshow.
But you can probably guess which team is at No. 1.
Or maybe you can't.
That's all part of the excitement of power rankings during the holiday season.
Our expert panel returns once again this week: Jonathan Willis, Steve Macfarlane, Allan Mitchell, Lyle Richardson, Carol Schram and myself. All of the rankings here are based both on what's happened so far, what we expect to happen in the future and will not mirror the NHL standings exactly, particularly given the amount of fluctuation we've seen lately.
Click through and see which teams are rising and which teams are falling.
All statistics via NHL.com or Stats.HockeyAnalysis.com.
30-26: Edmonton Oilers-Buffalo Sabres
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30. Edmonton Oilers (Last week: 30): This poor, poor team. Leading 5-2 late in the third period against the Stars on Sunday, the Oilers allowed three straight goals and fell in a shootout 6-5. The Oilers have lost seven straight and 17 of 18. They likely will be occupying this spot for a while.
29. Carolina Hurricanes (Last week: 29): The Hurricanes are in the scoring funk of all scoring funks. They have lost eight of nine while scoring 10 goals over that stretch. Eric Staal has one goal in his past 14 games.
28. Arizona Coyotes (Last week: 28): With two wins in 11 games, it’s been a rough stretch for the Coyotes. Compounding their embarrassment, both wins came against the Oilers. Actually, three of their past four wins (over 15 games) are against the Oilers. The Coyotes’ last regulation win against a team other than the Oilers occurred Nov. 14 in Vancouver.
27. New Jersey Devils (Last week: 26): The Devils have one win in their past seven games and have scored 10 goals over that time. They were shut out twice last week. After earning a reputation as a dominant five-on-five team that couldn’t finish the past two seasons, they are 23rd in Fenwick this season and look like a lost cause.
26. Buffalo Sabres (Last week: 27): Three straight losses by a combined score of 14-5 are simply a course correction after the Sabres won four in a row, seven of nine and 10 of 13. If the Sabres were a stock, you would have been wise to sell three games ago.
25-21: Philadelphia Flyers-Dallas Stars
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25. Philadelphia Flyers (Last week: 23): The Flyers were against the wall when December started, and they’ve responded in mostly positive fashion. They are 5-2-3 this month but are still eight points out of a playoff spot. Hope is still alive in Philadelphia, even if the team fell two spots this week.
24. Calgary Flames (Last week: 18): Well, it was fun while it lasted. The Flames have lost eight straigt—seven in regulation—to fall out of a playoff spot in the West and down six spots in this week's rankings. Their next four games are both daunting and a potential breather—two are against the Kings, two are against the Oilers.
23. Colorado Avalanche (Last week: 24): It’s been quite the pleasant five-game stretch for the Avs, who are 3-0-2 against mostly stiff competition. Yes, they bludgeoned the Sabres, but they’ve earned points against the Penguins, Red Wings, Blues and Jets, all with Calvin Pickard in net for an injured Semyon Varlamov.
22. Ottawa Senators (Last week: 25): New coach Dave Cameron is 3-2-1 since replacing the fired Paul MacLean, and his team had an impressive 6-2 win against an admittedly tired Ducks squad Friday. Despite the early-season problems, the Senators remain within spitting distance of a playoff spot.
21. Dallas Stars (Last week: 22): After spending most of the season mired in their own slop, the Stars have won four straight and five of six. They have played better defensively recently, and Tyler Seguin has seven goals in his past eight games. The Stars can be a streaky team and aren't to be written off just yet.
20-16: Columbus Blue Jackets-Toronto Maple Leafs
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20. Columbus Blue Jackets (Last week: 21): Here come the Blue Jackets. Sort of. Kind of. They are 8-0-1 in their past nine games, which is great, yet only worth moving up one spot in our poll. The last three wins came in shootouts, and they have gone to overtime in six straight games and seven of eight. Are these types of wins repeatable? Sustainable? Only time will tell.
19. Boston Bruins (Last week: 16): The Bruins have three wins this month, one in regulation (against Arizona). This is either one of two things: The Bruins need time to round into form after an injury-filled start, or this is the new normal after years of dominance. My money is on the former.
18. Minnesota Wild (Last Week: 12): Expectations were high for the Wild this season, so the fact they are plodding along can’t possibly sit well with management. They have lost three straight and four of five, which leaves them outside of a playoff spot and down six spots this week. How long can general manager Chuck Fletcher allow this to continue before making a move?
17. Florida Panthers (Last week: 20): The Panthers are 3-1-1 in their past five and contending for a playoff spot thanks largely to Roberto Luongo. The 35-year-old is eighth in save percentage (.926), and only four regular starters have a better even-strength save percentage (.935) than Luongo.
16. Toronto Maple Leafs (Last week: 13): After winning six straight, the Leafs have received a healthy dose of reality while losing three straight by a combined 15-5. They have been living dangerously all season at five-on-five and finally paid for it last week. With six more games on a seven-game road trip, this portion of the schedule could define their season.
15-11: Vancouver Canucks-Detroit Red Wings
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15. Vancouver Canucks (Last Week: 14): The Canucks snapped a five-game losing streak by beating Calgary on Saturday, but it remains to be seen if the bleeding will stop. The Canucks have a home date with lowly Arizona on Monday, but their five games following that one are against Anaheim, San Jose, Los Angeles, Detroit and the Islanders.
14. Washington Capitals (Last week: 17): For a while, the Capitals were that quality possession team that kept finding ways to lose. As it usually does, their solid five-on-five play has started to lead to wins, as the Caps are 6-0-2 in their past eight. It’s not a coincidence that Braden Holtby has a .927 save percentage in his past seven starts.
13. New York Rangers (Last week: 19): The Rangers are the NHL’s hottest team with six straight wins, but just how impressive is this streak? The run started with a win against Pittsburgh, but the next five wins were against fledgling Vancouver, lowly Calgary, even lowlier Edmonton and Carolina twice. Wins are wins and you can only beat who’s on the schedule, but these aren’t exactly noteworthy victories.
12. Winnipeg Jets (Last week: 15): The Jets were 3:14 away from a third straight win Sunday before Vinny Lecavalier pulled the Flyers into a 3-3 tie and Jakub Voracek won it 10 seconds into overtime. The Jets' next four games against Chicago, Minnesota twice and the Islanders will let us know a lot about just how good they are.
11. Detroit Red Wings (Last week: 7): The Red Wings have lost six in a row, but this is the NHL, where losing six in a row doesn't mean the same thing it does in other sports. Four of the games have gone to shootouts, which means the Red Wings have two wins' worth of points during this slump. One thing that can't be sugarcoated—the Red Wings have just six goals over that stretch, which includes 20 minutes of overtime hockey.
10. Los Angeles Kings
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Last Week: 10
Recent Trend: After getting throttled in St. Louis 5-2 on Tuesday, the Kings seemed to awaken. They defeated the Blues in Thursday's rematch in Los Angeles and then handled Arizona at home on Saturday. The Kings had a 72-45 shot advantage in those two wins.
Big Picture: The Kings are 17-11-6 and hovering around the playoff line of demarcation. But if we learned anything last year, when the Kings were 30-22-6 before taking off after the Olympic break, it's that what the Kings are doing in December does not matter.
By the Numbers: Marian Gaborik's goals are like bananas: They come in bunches. That's terrible writing, but the point remains that Gaborik has five goals in three games after four goals in his first 18 games.
9. Montreal Canadiens
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Last Week: 11
Recent Trend: The Canadiens erased a three-game losing streak by winning four of five and two of three last week. They have 18 goals in their past five games, including four from Alex Galchenyuk.
Big Picture: With the Lightning wavering and the Bruins still finding themselves, the Atlantic is there for the taking. The Canadiens embark on a five-game road trip starting Tuesday that includes matchups with Pittsburgh and the Islanders.
By the Numbers: Carey Price has started all nine games in net this month for the Canadiens, going just 5-4-0 but with a sparkling .928 save percentage.
8. Tampa Bay Lightning
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Last Week: 6
Recent Trend: Very quietly, the Lightning have hit their first significant skid of the season; they have lost four of five and six of eight. The Islanders pumped 48 shots at the Tampa Bay net on Saturday, easily a season-high for shots allowed by the Lightning.
Big Picture: Thanks to a hot start, the Lightning are still in position to win the conference. They are tied atop the Atlantic with Montreal, although the Habs have played one fewer game. If the Lightning fancy themselves among the elite, they need to get out of this slump immediately.
By the Numbers: Steven Stamkos is averaging 0.57 goals per game for his career, the 10th-best mark in NHL history. If Stamkos maintains that pace over 1,200 career games, he would finish with 684 goals, which is 210 fewer than Wayne Gretzky.
7. San Jose Sharks
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Last Week: 9
Recent Trend: Much like Santa Claus and commercials for diamond rings, the Sharks have owned December. They have won five straight and eight of nine this month.
Big Picture: I will admit to being somewhat concerned about their first two months, but the Sharks now sit in second place in the Pacific Division. What they do in the playoffs, as always, will define them, but they look on track to get back there again.
By the Numbers: With an assist Saturday, Joe Thornton (1,281) tied Phil Esposito for 22nd on the all-time list. Thornton is now five behind Nicklas Lidstrom, 18 behind Dale Hawerchuk and 21 behind Phil Housley.
6. Nashville Predators
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Last Week: 5
Recent Trend: The Predators won both of their games last week and are 4-1-0 in their past five contests. They posted at least 40 shots in both wins, the first time they've done that in consecutive games since March 18-20, 2006.
Big Picture: With 44 points in 31 games, they are starting to get a cushion on teams just below the playoff borderline. The question becomes whether they can win the Central, perhaps the toughest division in the NHL.
By the Numbers: Quick quiz: Are the Predators scoring more goals this year than last year? OK, the answer is yes, but barely. They are averaging 2.68 goals per game, slightly more than last year's 2.61. A tale as old as time, the Preds could use a bit more offense.
5. St. Louis Blues
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Last Week: 2
Recent Trend: The Blues are 5-1-1 in their past seven games, although they let a win slip away late in an overtime loss to the Sharks on Saturday. But since Brian Elliott went down with a lower-body injury Nov. 25, the Blues are 7-3-1.
Big Picture: The Blues are just humming along, battling for the Central Division lead. With some space forming between the playoff teams and non-playoff teams in the West, it's almost time to focus on getting home-ice advantage in the first round of the playoffs.
By the Numbers: After a hot start, Jori Lehtera has one goal and four assists in his past 11 games. In his first 21 games, he had seven goals and 20 points.
4. New York Islanders
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Last Week: 8
Recent Trend: A three-game losing streak that featured the Islanders allowing 17 goals raised questions about the team's immediate future, but they have responded in an assertive, positive way. The Islanders have won four straight by a combined 11-5.
Big Picture: Stop waiting for the Islanders to fade (if you're doing that) because they should be locked in a season-long battle with the Penguins for the top spot in the Metropolitan and perhaps the conference. They are the real deal.
By the Numbers: With their win against the Lightning on Saturday, the Islanders improved to 13-3-0 at home. Last season, the Islanders' home record was 13-19-9.
3. Anaheim Ducks
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Last Week: 3
Recent Trend: After winning seven straight to start December, the Ducks lost two of three to end a five-game road trip. They lost both games by 6-2 scores to Toronto and Ottawa, making it one of the more futile trips through Ontario for a Western Conference power.
Big Picture: The Ducks have a lot of breathing room in the Pacific and are on pace for 115 points, so there's nothing to fret about in Anaheim. However, the Ducks are a middling possession team (50.8 percent Fenwick) and a ridiculous 16-0-5 in one-goal games. Those numbers mean a likely regression over the rest of the season, but nothing too devastating.
By the Numbers: Emerson Etem had two goals in 21 games before he was sent to the AHL last month. He delivered three goals in five games for Norfolk and earned his way back to Anaheim. Etem has one assist in two games since his recall and with a team-worst 95.1 PDO; goals should start coming soon.
2. Pittsburgh Penguins
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Last Week: 4
Recent Trend: Even with the mumps making its way through the team, the Penguins are still finding ways to win. They are 4-0-1 in their past five games despite playing without Sidney Crosby, Beau Bennett and Olli Maatta for parts of that stretch.
Big Picture: This is usually the time of year when we accept the fact the Penguins are winning their division and the only question is home-ice advantage in the playoffs. But the Islanders are pushing them for Metropolitan supremacy and keeping the Penguins honest.
By the Numbers: The Penguins are the only team without a regulation loss against the other division in their conference, as they are 10-0-1 against the Atlantic. Like all sports statistics, it is useless and interesting if you project the Penguins to reach the conference final.
1. Chicago Blackhawks
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Last Week: 1
Recent Trend: The Blackhawks have one regulation loss in their past 13 games and went 2-0-1 last week. Since starting 7-6-1, the Blackhawks are 16-3-1 in their past 20 games.
Big Picture: With 49 points in 38 games, the Blackhawks have the league's third-best points percentage, trailing only Pittsburgh and Nashville. But if they can keep up anything close to this torrid pace, the Blackhawks will be hoisting the Presidents' Trophy at season's end, if teams actually do that.
By the Numbers: Just how important is a goaltender behind an elite team like Chicago? Corey Crawford has a .927 save percentage in 19 games; Antti Raanta has a .938 in seven games; Scott Darling has a .937 in seven games. Crawford's cap hit is about five times greater than that of Darling and Raanta combined.
