NHL Power Rankings: B/R Experts' Week 3 Poll
Welcome to the third week of NHL power rankings. Thanks for stopping by.
You will likely notice a lot volatility this week, with several top-10 squads of a week ago being jettisoned into the also-ran section of the rankings and some big moves in the opposite direction. If you're hoping poor weeks from the Sharks and Penguins didn't cause them to plummet, well, we have some bad news for you.
Connor McDavid will not be awarded to the team that finishes last in our power rankings, although the battle for the 30th spot between the Sabres and Hurricanes should be contentious every week.
To break down what's happened early and what will happen later, we welcome back our panel of experts: 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 and what we expect to happen in the future, and will not mirror the NHL standings (which currently feature the Montreal Canadiens at the top) exactly.
Read on to see where every NHL team ranks this week.
Unless otherwise noted, news and statistics are courtesy of NHL.com and are current through the start of action on October 27.
30-26: Carolina Hurricanes-Toronto Maple Leafs
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30. Carolina Hurricanes (Last week: 28). Seven games, seven losses, five in regulation. There’s not a lot of good news coming out of Carolina these days, but captain Eric Staal could return from an upper-body injury Tuesday. That can’t hurt, can it?
29. Buffalo Sabres (Last week: 30). During the offseason, the Sabres signed Matt Moulson and Brian Gionta to deals totaling eight years and $37.75 million. In a combined 18 games, Moulson and Gionta have zero goals and three assists.
28. Winnipeg Jets (Last week: 26). The Jets won two of three games last week after losing four straight. They are 1-of-25 on the power play this season.
27. Colorado Avalanche (Last week: 25). The Avs have two wins in nine games and look like they will receive their comeuppance after a 2013-14 season in which they defied possession numbers. According to Hockey Reference, the Avs have a 43.9 percent Fenwick close this season.
26. Toronto Maple Leafs (Last week: 23). Facing the Zdeno Chara-less Bruins on Saturday, the Leafs laid a big fat egg at Air Canada Centre. The Leafs are an improved possession club this season, but Jonathan Bernier (.904) hasn’t looked like he did in 2013-14.
25-21: Florida Panthers-New York Rangers
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25. Florida Panthers (Last week: 27). The Panthers are picking up points, but they’re not exactly impressing. They have points in four straight, but are only 2-0-2 over that time. They squandered a late lead Saturday to lose in OT to Arizona, but hey, points are points.
24. Edmonton Oilers (Last week: 29). After losing their first five games, the Oilers won three straight last week. Through eight games, their Fenwick close is 46.9 percent, which ranks in the bottom third of the league.
23. Arizona Coyotes (Last week: 21). A third-period rally at home against the Florida Panthers led to a 2-1 win that snapped a three-game losing streak. The Coyotes treated fans to a Gin Blossoms concert afterward. If Mike Smith doesn’t stay on top of his game, the Coyotes will follow you down to the bottom of the standings.
22. Philadelphia Flyers (Last week: 24). They are a .500 club through eight games, and considering their injuries on defense, that’s a best-case scenario. The biggest reason the Flyers are staying afloat is Ray Emery, who has a .914 save percentage in four games while Steve Mason sits at .878 behind the league’s leakiest defense.
21. New York Rangers (Last week: 20). The Rangers put together a three-game winning streak after a losing streak, but were handed a 3-1 loss in Montreal on Saturday. Considering they don’t have Derek Stepan and Dan Boyle, a 4-4-0 start is probably satisfactory to the coaching staff.
20-16: Ottawa Senators-St. Louis Blues
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20. Ottawa Senators (Last week: 16). The Sens have lost two straight during what was an emotional week in Ottawa. The Senators are 29th in Fenwick close at 40.9 percent and face Columbus, Boston and Chicago this week.
19. Vancouver Canucks (Last week: 17). The 5-3 Canucks are a tough team to gauge. After opening 3-0 against the Flames and Oilers, they are 2-3 in their past five games against stiffer competition. Backup goaltender Eddie Lack has lost his two starts.
18. Columbus Blue Jackets (Last week: 19). The Jackets have lost three of four after winning three of four to open the season. Ryan Johansen hasn’t looked rusty after signing just before the season, as he has posted five goals and five assists in eight games.
17. Calgary Flames (Last week: 22). The Flames were handled easily by the Capitals on Saturday, but it’s been an impressive start for Calgary. Jonas Hiller and his .948 save percentage in his five starts are a big reason why the Flames are 5-4-1.
16. St. Louis Blues (Last week: 8). The Blues tumbled out of the top 10 thanks to losing two of three games last week. Once again, offense is a problem for the Blues, who rank 23rd in offense with an average of 2.29 goals per game.
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15-11: New Jersey Devils-Washington Capitals
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15. New Jersey Devils (Last week: 18). The Devils lost their 18th consecutive shootout Friday but bounced back with an overtime win in Ottawa the following day. Cory Schneider has started all eight games this season, and since the Devils don’t play back-to-backs again until Nov. 7, he may not get a day off until then.
14. San Jose Sharks (Last week: 3). The Sharks sunk like a stone after nearly holding the top spot last week. They ended a four-game losing streak, which included a home loss to Buffalo, by trouncing the red-hot Ducks on Sunday. With a Fenwick close of 45.7 percent and a 103.1 PDO, trouble could be brewing in San Jose.
13. Boston Bruins (Last week: 13). In their first game without Zdeno Chara, the Bruins turned to Dennis Seidenberg in a 4-0 win in Toronto. The 33-year-old Seidenberg played a season-high 25:59 in the win and will likely carry the load until Chara returns in four to six weeks.
12. Pittsburgh Penguins (Last week: 5). The bright spot for the Penguins during their 1-1-1 week was getting to wear the sweet jerseys seen above. Sure, a 3-0 win in Nashville two days after blowing a late 3-1 lead against the Red Wings was nice, but those jerseys trump all.
11. Washington Capitals (Last week: 11). The Capitals lost two of three on their trip through Western Canada. With 31 shots through eight games, Alex Ovechkin is on pace for 318, the second fewest in his career during an 82-game season.
10. Detroit Red Wings
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Last Week: 14
Recent Trend: The Red Wings split their three games last week down the middle, going 1-1-1. The one win was a stirring comeback against the Penguins, as the Red Wings rallied from down 3-1 late in the third period to win 4-3 in overtime.
Big Picture: Outside of Johan Franzen (groin) and Pavel Datsyuk (shoulder) missing time, the Red Wings have mostly avoided the calamitous injury bug to start the season. If they can remain somewhat healthy, they are a playoff club.
By the Numbers: Injuries limited Stephen Weiss to 26 games last season, and this season he has only appeared in one contest, sitting as a healthy scratch. Weiss is in the second year of a five-year, $24.5 million contract.
9. Dallas Stars
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Last Week: 10
Recent Trend: The Stars had a nice little 4-0-1 stretch ended Saturday with a 7-5 loss to the Islanders. To the Stars' credit, they were playing the second half of a road back-to-back and at least had the decency to play an entertaining game.
Big Picture: They were a playoff team last season and look to be just as good this year, but the defense could become an issue as the season progresses. They've allowed at least six goals in three of their past four games.
By the Numbers: Since leaving Nashville before the 2013 season, Anders Lindback has an .897 save percentage, which ranks 55th of 60 goalies to play in at least 30 games.
8. Minnesota Wild
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Last Week: 15
Recent Trend: The Wild won both of their games in a light week by a combined score of 9-2. Darcy Kuemper has been brilliant all season and has yet to allow more than two goals in a game.
Big Picture: They were thought to be a playoff team by many going into the season, but they are already looking like a dominant team capable of big things.
By the Numbers: At five-on-five, the Wild are outscoring teams 16-4, which is good because they are 0-of-20 on the power play. When they face the Rangers on Monday night in New York, the teams will be a combined a 4-of-42 with the extra man.
7. Tampa Bay Lightning
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Last Week: 7
Recent Trend: In their first four games without injured defenseman Victor Hedman (hand), the Lightning went to 2-2-0 in four road games. They went 3-2-0 overall on the five-game road swing.
Big Picture: The offseason moves seem to be working, as the Lightning look capable of winning the Atlantic Division and perhaps the top spot in the East. How they perform with Hedman out will go a long way toward deciding their fate.
By the Numbers: After posting a goal and 12 assists in his final year with the Rangers, defenseman Anton Stralman has a goal and six assists in nine games this season. Stralman's seven points are one fewer than the entire Rangers' defense corps in 2014-15.
6. Nashville Predators
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Last Week: 12
Recent Trend: The Predators became the final team to suffer a regulation loss Saturday, losing 3-0 at home to the Penguins. But they had an impressive 3-2 win against the Blackhawks and had been 3-0-1 in their past four games.
Big Picture: The Predators look like they are an improved team over last year's club that had 88 points, but they look like a real contender for a playoff spot. They will have doubters all season, but with Pekka Rinne healthy, they are for real.
By the Numbers: The Predators have two power-play goals this season; only Winnipeg (one), Buffalo (zero) and Minnesota (zero) have fewer.
5. New York Islanders
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Last Week: 9
Recent Trend: After a brutal 5-2 home loss to the Leafs on Tuesday, the Islanders earned a road win in Boston and a wild 7-5 home victory against the Stars.
Big Picture: With two losses in eight games, it looks like the Islanders' offseason makeover is working. They are still shaky defensively, but they have been impressive in October.
By the Numbers: To the point of the Islanders' shaky defense: The team has allowed 27 goals in eight games, putting it on pace to allow 277 goals. Last season, it allowed 261 and missed the postseason.
4. Montreal Canadiens
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Last Week: 6
Recent Trend: The Canadiens won both of their games last week and four straight overall. At 7-1-0, the Canadiens are off to their best start since 1962-63.
Big Picture: With the Bruins missing Zdeno Chara for at least a month and the Lightning dealing with their own various injuries, the door is open for the Canadiens to assert themselves in the Atlantic Division.
By the Numbers: After acting mostly as a shooter tutor in his first four appearances, Carey Price has dominated in his past three starts, stopping 93 of 98 shots.
3. Chicago Blackhawks
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Last Week: 2
Recent Trend: A two-game losing streak was snapped with a 2-1 win against the Ottawa Senators on Sunday. The Blackhawks went 2-2 last week.
Big Picture: They remain in an early-season battle with the Predators for the top spot in the Central Division and are a favorite for the Stanley Cup. Nothing has changed for them through three weeks.
By the Numbers: Brad Richards has been a quiet disappointment so far after signing a one-year, $2 million deal this summer. He has zero goals and three assists in eight games and, according to war-on-ice, has a -3.7 percent Fenwick close.
2. Anaheim Ducks
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Last Week: 4
Recent Trend: The Ducks had their seven-game winning streak snapped Sunday in a 4-1 loss to the Sharks. It's a hiccup in a season in which the Ducks have been storming through opponents.
Big Picture: Even with a somewhat inexperienced goaltending tandem, the Ducks look like a team to be reckoned with in the playoffs.
By the Numbers: With 12 points in nine games, Corey Perry is on pace for a career-best 109 points.
1. Los Angeles Kings
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Last Week: 2
Recent Trend: After losing their first two games, the Kings have won seven straight and allowed six goals in the process. So their recent trend has been to win in convincing fashion.
Big Picture: The regular season means nothing to to this team. They are a Stanley Cup favorite just as long as they exist. Sources confirm the Kings exist, so you do the math there.
By the Numbers: Jonathan Quick has an impressive albeit unsustainable .953 save percentage in seven games. To give you an idea of how dominant he has been, he had a .946 postseason save percentage when the Kings won the Stanley Cup in 2012. Only Minnesota's Darcy Kuemper (.966) has been better this season.
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