NHL Power Rankings: B/R Experts' Week 3 Poll
The first of many editions of the Bleacher Report power rankings features several teams we didn't expect to have so high, no matter the edition. That's what made the first couple weeks of the NHL's season so enjoyable.
Not only were there some great individual accomplishments (Auston Matthews' four goals in his first game, Connor McDavid's six points in his first two games, Brad Marchand's five points in his first game), but several teams that were terrible last season are off to surprising starts. That's a good thing.
Among the top tier of our rankings are teams that missed the playoffs, teams such as Vancouver, Edmonton and Montreal. Some that were expected to be at or near the top are down near the bottom. It will be a surprise if these rankings remain similar at the end of the season, but you never know.
Our selection panel included yours truly, Jonathan Willis, Carol Schram and Luke Richardson. Selections are based on factors such as preseason expectations, payroll, injuries and strength of schedule.
Disagree with our rankings? Let us know in the comments section.
30-26: Arizona Coyotes-Columbus Blue Jackets
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30. Arizona Coyotes
The season is not even two weeks old, and already 34-year-old goalie Mike Smith is on the injured reserve list, with a left knee injury. Arizona can ill-afford that kind of loss in key personnel again. Smith missed much of last season to injury as well, and the Coyotes eventually plummeted.
The Coyotes won just one of their first five games, though in fairness four of the five were on the road. With Smith out, and nobody seems sure just how long that will be, the Coyotes lack the kind of quality netminder that can make up for what was always probably going to be one of the lower-scoring teams in the league.
By the way, how is Dave Tippett's job always safe? His teams have failed to make the playoffs for four straight seasons. Coaches with much better records than that have been let go, but somehow Tippett is always secure in Arizona.
29. Calgary Flames
The Flames had four of their first six games at home, but entered Monday with a dismal 1-4-1 record overall, the latest setback a 6-4 loss to the Blues. The goaltending, which was supposed to have been bolstered by the addition of free agent Brian Elliott, has been terrible.
The Flames have already allowed a league-worst 27 goals. Elliott didn't even get the start Saturday against his former team, St. Louis. Meanwhile, youngster Johnny Gaudreau hasn't exactly impressed since signing a six-year, $40.5 million contract; Gaudreau had one goal and a minus-7 in the first six games.
28. Winnipeg Jets
Rumors continue to swirl about the potential availability of defenseman Jacob Trouba and goalie Ondrej Pavelec. And those, no doubt, are major, unwanted distractions for coach Paul Maurice and general manager Kevin Cheveldayoff.
Trouba has requested a trade, and is not even with the club. Cheveldayoff, known as one of the more deliberate GMs in the league, maintains he won't deal him for anything less than his desired value in return. Well, he better not wait too long. The club's won-loss record likely will be the ultimate arbiter of how fast deals get done, but Winnipeg's start was nothing to brag about. That includes Sunday's shutout loss in the Heritage Classic to Edmonton.
27. Carolina Hurricanes
After five games, they look like the same, old mediocre Hurricanes.
Carolina dropped to 1-2-2 with a 6-3 loss to the Flyers Saturday. They got out to a nice early lead, but the defense fell apart from there. It's going to be like this all year again probably. Carolina just doesn't have enough high-end talent and/or quality reserve depth to be a factor.
26. Columbus Blue Jackets
The Jackets got a nice 3-0 win over Dallas Saturday, to even their record at 2-2-0. So why are they so low in the rankings? Because we need to see more than just a four-game sample before buying in just yet.
Coach John Tortorella's team figures to be streaky much of the year. There certainly is good talent on hand, but this is a franchise that always seems to struggle out of the gate and one which still has never won a playoff series.
25-21: Buffalo Sabres-Ottawa Senators
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25. Buffalo Sabres
The Sabres will come into Tuesday's game against Philadelphia following a five-day break, so they should be hungry to improve upon their 1-2-1 record. The Sabres will have to continue to survive while sophomore forward Jack Eichel recovers from a high ankle sprain, and Evander Kane is out with broken ribs.
That puts a lot of added pressure on Ryan O'Reilly, among others, to pick up the offensive slack. So far, the results have been mostly mediocre.
24. Toronto Maple Leafs
If only this team could hold a lead.
The Maple Leafs let another victory slip away Saturday night, this time in Chicago. They held a lead with under 90 seconds to go, but allowed a Richard Panik tying goal with 1:28 left and eventually lost 5-4 in a shootout. That dropped Toronto's record to 1-1-3. They blew a big lead and the game earlier in the week at Winnipeg. They've been in most every game, yes, and rookie Auston Matthews (eight points) looks to be a sensation.
But wins remain a challenging feat for coach Mike Babcock in Toronto.
23. Colorado Avalanche
The Avs had a 3-2-0 record after the first five, despite four of them coming on the road. Of the five opponents, two went to the final four of the NHL playoffs and two others (Washington and Dallas) won their respective conferences as far as regular-season points goes.
First-year coach Jared Bednar wants his team to improve on its dismal puck-possession numbers of recent years, and at times that seems to be happening. In others, though, including a 5-2 loss to Florida Saturday, it seems like the same old, same old.
22. Anaheim Ducks
The Ducks either seem to start out red hot or ice cold, and after five games, it was the latter for 2016-17.
Anaheim did cool off Vancouver at home Sunday, but new coach Randy Carlyle doesn't seem to be inspiring his players in his second stint with the club. Too much of Anaheim's lineup seems stale, with too much reliance still on veterans Corey Perry and Ryan Getzlaf. It's just not an inspiring team anymore.
Meanwhile, young defenseman Hampus Lindholm and the Ducks remain estranged. Lindholm is unsigned and holding out in Sweden, while his agent, Claude Lemieux, argues over money with GM Bob Murray. It all has added up to a very muddled start for Anaheim.
21. Ottawa Senators
The Sens won three of their first five games, including that opening-night 5-4 win despite allowing four goals to Toronto's Auston Matthews in his first career game.
They could have been 4-1 after five games, but got handled easily at home Saturday by Tampa Bay. The Senators have 18 goals for, 20 against. In other words, they seem like the same mediocre bunch of the last few years.
20-16: Los Angeles Kings-Chicago Blackhawks
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20. Los Angeles Kings
The Kings almost let two points get away Saturday at home against Vancouver, allowing a tying goal by Alex Edler with under a minute left in regulation. But L.A. got the win in the shootout, which got the record to 2-3-0.
Starting goalie Jonathan Quick avoided surgery for what has been reported to be something of a groin problem, but the timeline for a return has been listed as three months, at a minimum. That means veteran journeyman Peter Budaj is the top guy, for now. It is a matter of big debate among Kings fans whether GM Dean Lombardi should try to trade for a more proven veteran goalie while Quick recovers, or to go with what he has and hope a still-strong defense can make up for it.
19. New York Islanders
The Isles dropped three of their first five games entering Sunday's home contest against the Wild, but got a nice 6-3 win.
As captain John Tavares goes, so do the Islanders, and his one goal and one assist in the first five had a lot to do with a mediocre record. Andrew Ladd, my preseason pick to be the biggest bust of the season after signing a big free-agent contract, had zero points in his first five games. He finally got a point, an assist, Sunday against the Wild.
18. New Jersey Devils
Taylor Hall's overtime goal Saturday at home against Minnesota gave the Devils a 2-2-1 record through five games, despite scoring only eight goals as a team to that point. The Devils were the lowest-scoring team in the league last season (184 goals), so not much has changed.
As long as New Jersey has Cory Schneider in goal, though, the Devils will have a shot to win most every night. Hall, acquired from Edmonton, had a team-leading three goals in the first five games.
17. Nashville Predators
This isn't the kind of start pundit people picked for this team.
Losing three of their first five is not what Preds fans expected, especially after acquiring P.K. Subban from Montreal over the summer. Nashville did get a nice 5-1 win Saturday night, though, over the defending Stanley Cup champion Penguins, so we'll give the Preds a break for now. But in the brutally tough Western Conference, even a small slump like this can be deadly.
16. Chicago Blackhawks
The Blackhawks are scoring a lot of goals (23 through six games). But they're allowing a bunch too, 22 in all.
That helps explain the team's 3-3-0 start. A comeback win at home over Toronto Saturday prevented a 2-4-0 start, which would probably have started a few "What's wrong with the Blackhawks?"-type headlines.
They should get their defensive game in better order soon, though. There's too much top-end talent for it not to be that way.
15-11: Dallas Stars-San Jose Sharks
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15. Dallas Stars
A very uneven start for the defending Western Conference regular-season point winners. The Stars can get lit up one night defensively (a 6-5 opening-night loss to Colorado), then beat a good Nashville team 2-1 a few nights later.
At least Tyler Seguin appears finally healthy again, after that late-season lower-body injury. He had five points (two goals) in his first five games.
14. Philadelphia Flyers
Most of the Flyers' top guys are off to strong starts, which, even though their record may not reflect it, is the most encouraging thing.
Sophomore defenseman Shayne Gostisbehere had five points in his first five games, and Jakub Voracek had seven. Claude Giroux is still looking for his first goal, but he does have six assists. The goaltending? Well, that's been another story. Steve Mason and Michal Neuvirth both have saves percentages below .900.
13. Boston Bruins
What could have been a great start after five games for the Boston Bruins turned into only just a pretty good one, after their 4-2 home loss to rival Montreal Saturday at home.
Brad Marchand (nine points) certainly is off to a great start, as is rookie defenseman Brandon Carlo (plus-7). Boston played three of those games without Patrice Bergeron too, so coach Claude Julien has to be happy overall about a plus-.500 record.
12. New York Rangers
New York got a nice victory Saturday over the rival Capitals, upping their record to 3-2-0, then ground out a 3-2 win Sunday at home against Arizona. Rookie and Harvard boy Jimmy Vesey pretty much as been good as advertised too, which has to grate on the skeptics who criticized his off-season deliberations on a potential team. Vesey had three goals in the five games.
Chris Kreider and Mika Zibanejad (13 points combined) also led the way for New York in its reasonably good start. Still, skepticism remains as to how good this team really is. It's fast, yes, but can the defense hold up?
11. San Jose Sharks
Goalie Martin Jones has been just average so far (2-3-0, .891 saves percentage). That definitely needs to change if the defending Western Conference champs want to get back to that level. Jones has too much talent for this to be considered anything but a hiccup just yet.
Defenseman Brent Burns is certainly off to a great start, with nine points in six games.
10. Edmonton Oilers
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Record: 5-1-0, 10 points
Preseason rank: 23
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Despite coach Todd McLellan's ill-advised freakout over an early loss at home to Buffalo, which led to a practice on an otherwise scheduled off-day, the Oilers entered Sunday 4-1-0 and then shut out Winnipeg at their barn in an outdoor game. The team's fan base, which has suffered mightily in the last 10 years, has to be very happy right now.
Connor McDavid had eight points in the first five, Milan Lucic had four points. Goalie Cam Talbot (3.32 GAA in his first five starts) has been mighty shaky, but so far that dynamic offense has been able to overcome it.
By the numbers
In his first 50 games as a pro, McDavid had 56 points (20 goals). That is excellent no matter how you slice it. To realize he's only 19 and probably won't hit his prime for four or five years is...scary.
9. Detroit Red Wings
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Record: 4-2-0, eight points
Preseason rank: 18
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With three goals and seven points in his first six games as a Red Wing, it can be officially declared that 32-year-old castoff Thomas Vanek has been a pleasant surprise.
Vanek helped the Wings get out to a 4-2-0 start, a nice mark considering they lost their first two games. And, how about the start of veteran goalie Jimmy Howard? In his first two starts, Howard posted one shutout, a 0.50 GAA and .984 saves percentage. Can veterans such as Vanek and Howard keep it up over 82 games? A lot more proving to do, but so far, so good.
By the numbers
In their final year at Joe Louis Arena, the Red Wings are playing like they don't want to see it go. They are 3-0-0 so far at the Joe.
8. Vancouver Canucks
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Record: 4-1-1, nine points
Preseason rank: 30
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With nine of a possible first 12 points, the Vancouver Canucks officially are the surprise team of the first two weeks of the season. They lost a closely-played game Sunday in Anaheim, but that will happen.
The Canucks were less than a minute from losing their first regular game of the season Saturday in Los Angeles, but got an Alex Edler goal to send it into overtime. Goaltending has been Vancouver's biggest strength, with Jacob Markstrom (.923 saves percentage) having played four of the first five games.
In the first game he played, Ryan Miller allowed zero goals in 65 minutes of action. He took the loss Sunday in Anaheim, but kept the Canucks in it longer than they deserved.
By the numbers
In their first five games, identical twins Henrik and Daniel Sedin had identical scoring numbers: two points and two assists each.
7. Minnesota Wild
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Record: 3-2-1
Preseason rank: 16
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The Wild got points in four of its first five games under first-year coach Bruce Boudreau. The Wild allowed only 13 goals in those games, with Devan Dubnyk looking good in goal. Offensively, they've been OK, scoring 18 goals.
Zach Parise entered Sunday still looking for his first goal (which he got), but he did have three assists. If the Wild is to go anywhere this season, it can't afford down years again from key secondary offensive sources such as Jason Pominville and Mikaek Granlund. Granlund had just one point in his first five games.
By the numbers
Parise's first goal Sunday against the Islanders was the 300th of his career. At 32, he has played 767 games, with New Jersey and Minnesota.
6. Florida Panthers
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Record: 3-1-1, seven points
Preseason rank: 7
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Coach Gerard Gallant a finalist for the Jack Adams Award for his work last season, has the Panthers off to an encouraging start. Goalie Roberto Luongo, 37, probably should be credited most for that.
Bobby Lou had a sterling 1.99 goals-against average his first four starts, with a 3-1-0 record. A lot of pundits pegged Luongo as over-the-hill when he returned to Florida in 2013, but he has not had a saves percentage below .921 in any season since.
By the numbers
The ageless one, 44-year-old Jaromir Jagr, scored his 750th career goal last week. With 1,871 points, Jagr needs just 16 more to tie Mark Messier for second on the all-time NHL scoring list. Keep in mind: Jagr spent three full seasons, from 2008-11, playing in the KHL.
5. Pittsburgh Penguins
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Record: 3-2-1, seven points
Preseason rank: 2
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Although he continues to skate on a regular basis, the Penguins still haven't given anything more than a day-to-day prognosis for concussed star Sidney Crosby. His absence no doubt has contributed to something of a mediocre start for coach Mike Sullivan's club.
The Pens were hammered 5-1 Saturday night on the road in Nashville, a game in which they also were missing top defenseman Kris Letang because of an upper-body injury.
Pittsburgh's goal differential (13 for, 19 against) can't be pleasing to Sullivan right now.
By the numbers
As rookie Matt Murray continues to recover from injury, veteran Marc-Andre Fleury started the first six games and the numbers were mixed. His 3.31 goals-against average and .904 saves percentage were in the lower half of the league.
4. Washington Capitals
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Record: 3-1-1, seven points
Preseason rank: 1
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It was mostly a good start for last season's President's Trophy winners, though the Caps are still looking for their first goal from a defenseman. Braden Holtby has been strong, as expected, and youngster Philipp Grubauer got a shutout over Colorado in his only start.
The Caps were beaten Saturday by the Rangers, though, and coach Barry Trotz's team has been a bit slow coming out of the gate offensively. They have 13 goals through five games.
By the numbers
The Caps were second in the league killing penalties last season (85.2 percent), but allowed four power-play goals in 14 PK attempts through five games.
"Well, we have got some new people there, but we also have a lot of the same people, so, you know, it’s just a mentality,” Trotz told The Washington Post's Isabelle Khurshudyan. “Once you start digging yourself a little bit of a hole, you get worried about it. We just need a little confidence going forward."
3. Montreal Canadiens
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Record: 4-0-1, nine points
Preseason rank: 12
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The Montreal Canadiens did not lose a regular-season contest until Game 11 last season. After their first five this year, the Habs hadn't yet either. Veteran Al Montoya performed sublimely while Carey Price missed the first few games with the flu, and now Price is back and looking good.
Price is 2-0 with a 2.01 goals-against average, including a 4-2 win in Boston Saturday. Montreal's nine goals against is the fewest in the league.
By the numbers
So, is everyone in Montreal feeling a little better about that Shea Weber-P.K. Subban deal now? While the analytics community and Subban supporters worked themselves into a lather over the alleged stupidity of the deal, Weber has been everything GM Marc Bergevin and coach Michel Therrien promised. He's averaging a point per game and leads the team with a plus-8.
Early sample size, yes, but Weber is making the old-school, "eyeball" crowd look good.
2. Tampa Bay Lightning
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Record: 4-1-0, eight points
Preseason rank: 3
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Other than a 4-0 loss at home to Colorado last week, it's been a strong start for coach Jon Cooper and the Lightning. Steven Stamkos has gotten off to a point per-game start, assuaging any worried Bolts fans about his health following the blood-clot scare that caused him to miss almost all of the playoffs.
Young goalie Andrei Vasilevskiy is 2-0 with a 1.51 GAA and .954 saves percentage. Not bad.
By the numbers
The stats of veteran goalie Ben Bishop, on the other hand, weren't nearly as good out of the gate. Bishop currently has a big 3.68 GAA and puny .861 saves percentage. An unrestricted free agent after this season, Bishop's play so far won't discourage the speculation that GM Steve Yzerman will try to unload him before next July 1, or just expose him in the expansion draft.
1. St. Louis Blues
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Record: 4-1-1, nine points
Preseason rank: 6
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In his first two seasons with the St. Louis Blues, after signing a four-year, $28 million contract, Paul Stastny averaged 47.5 points in an average of 69 games. That's OK, but certainly a bit below Blues management probably hoped.
Stastny had seven points in his first six games for St. Louis and was a big reason for another fast start for Ken Hitchcock's club. Vladimir Tarasenko also had seven points, as did Alexander Steen. So, not much to complain about offensively so far.
By the numbers
Is Jake Allen ready to grab the No. 1 job in goal? With the departure of Brian Elliott to Calgary, Allen has his best chance ever at establishing himself as the top guy. But with just an .896 saves percentage through his first five starts, there has to be some worry among Blues fans.
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