NHL Power Rankings: Bleacher Report Experts' Week 10 Poll

It's December now, and we're through the first third of the season. And in the case of some teams, we're even beyond the first third of their schedules. 

We're at the point in the year where it's hard to dismiss surprising things just because it's early. Those teams we expected to be good that have struggled have legitimate problems. The teams we thought were bad that have played well may actually be for real.

There's still a lot of hockey left to be played, but there's plenty in the rearview mirror, too.

I'll be your host as we go through the happenings of the last week, but the rankings that follow aren't solely based on my opinion. Instead, we've assembled the usual panel of B/R hockey writers—Adrian Dater, Steve Macfarlane, Allan Mitchell, Lyle Richardson, Carol Schram and yours truly—and had everyone submit their own lists. The rankings that follow are based on the group average. 

Read on to see where your team ranks and what happened in hockey this week. 

30-26: Calgary Flames-Colorado Avalanche

David Zalubowski/Associated Press

30. Calgary Flames (last week: 30)

After losing three straight games on the road, the Flames returned to Calgary this week and rattled off wins against Dallas (in the shootout) and Boston (in overtime). Against the Stars, Calgary managed to rally from a 3-0 deficit entering the third period; against the Bruins, the team scored the critical game-tying goal with all of two seconds left in regulation.

Defenceman Dougie Hamilton had points in both games and is now a plus-five player over his last 15 games, with his plus/minus starting to come in line with his stronger underlying stats. 

29. Edmonton Oilers (last week: 29)

The Oilers enjoyed a perfect week, going 3-0-0 with wins over Boston, Dallas and Buffalo, but it's probably a good idea not to break the champagne out just yet.

Edmonton struggled against the Bruins and especially against the Stars, with goaltender Anders Nilsson making 38 and 42 saves, respectively, in those games (he stopped 32 of 34 against the Sabres). On the other hand, goaltending has been a problem for the Oilers forever, so the emergence of Nilsson is very much a bright point. 

28. Toronto Maple Leafs (last week: 27)

A Saturday win over St. Louis kept the week from being a total waste for the Leafs, who started a three-game trip through the Central Division with a 6-1 loss at the hands of the Jets and followed that up by being edged 1-0 by Minnesota. Rookie goaltender Garret Sparks allowed all six goals Winnipeg scored and sat in favour of James Reimer against the Wild. But he came back and turned aside 27 of 28 shots faced in the game against the Blues. 

27. Columbus Blue Jackets (last week: 22)

A win over Philadelphia on Saturday kept the week from being a total disaster and ended a three-game losing skid for Columbus. The win was encouraging in other ways, too. Nick Foligno scored twice, doubling his goal count on the season; it's a step in the right direction for a player who tallied 31 goals last year.

Additionally, Scott Hartnell recorded three points after being healthy-scratched by head coach John Tortorella against Florida the previous night. In classic Tortorella fashion, the agitating head coach told Aaron Portzline of the Columbus Dispatch that he hadn't "said one word" to Hartnell about putting him back in and didn't need to talk to him about it. 

26. Colorado Avalanche (last week: 28)

Colorado polished off a three-game road trip with a pair of one-goal wins over the Devils and Rangers before returning to Denver and getting shut out 3-0 by the Minnesota Wild.

Before winning those two games, the Avs were on a 2-5-0 run, so this past week certainly represents a step in the right direction. Matt Duchene scored a goal in each of the wins and now has 13 goals and 22 points in just 17 games since the start of November. His hot run more or less coincides with general manager Joe Sakic telling B/R's Adrian Dater that, outside of Nathan MacKinnon, he was "always talking with teams" about his trade options. 

25-21: Carolina Hurricanes-Philadelphia Flyers

Matt Slocum/Associated Press

25. Carolina Hurricanes (last week: 26)

After an Eddie Lack implosion against the New Jersey Devils to start the week, Carolina turned to goalie Cam Ward for both halves of back-to-back games against Montreal and Arizona. Ward was excellent against the Habs, and the Hurricanes managed to collect the win on the back of his effort. He was decidedly less good against the Coyotes, but Carolina managed five goals for just the second time this season and won anyway. 

24. Buffalo Sabres (last week: 23)

Buffalo went 1-1-1 on the week, book-ending a 5-2 win over Arizona with losses to the Red Wings and Oilers. That mediocre performance kept the Sabres from gaining any real ground as they fight to keep themselves out of the NHL basement. Only two points separate Buffalo from last place in the East; only three keep them out of 30th in the entire league. 

23. Vancouver Canucks (last week: 21)

The Canucks are struggling. After finishing off a four-game road trip with three straight losses, they returned home and surrendered four goals to both Boston and Dallas while scoring just two goals total in those games.

Top-heaviness is a major concern. Over the last 10 games, Henrik and Daniel Sedin have combined for 10 goals, while the rest of the lineup has only managed to equal that with 10 of its own. Given that the Sedins also combined for 16 assists, they figured in on a good chunk of that scoring, too. 

22. Arizona Coyotes (last week: 16)

It was a very bad week for the Coyotes, who are trying to hang on to the final playoff spot in the Western Conference. They played the first four games of a five-game road trip this week; they lost all of them. Not only did they lose all of them, but in each contest the team surrendered five goals.

Mike Smith's .903 save percentage is now a touch worse than it was in the disaster that was last season for him. 

21. Philadelphia Flyers (last week: 25)

The Flyers are on a modest little run right now, and while they still have a lot of early-season struggles to overcome, they're moving in the right direction.

That continued this week with wins over Ottawa and New Jersey, and though a 4-1 loss to Columbus was a step back, the team is now 5-2 over its last seven games. The one caveat here is that three of the wins came in overtime, so it's not hard to imagine a world where the Flyers went 2-5 and where we'd be here bemoaning their continued failures. 

20-16: Anaheim Ducks-Tampa Bay Lightning

Lenny Ignelzi/Associated Press

20. Anaheim Ducks (last week: 24)

A 2-1 loss to the Lightning on Wednesday was a bit of a setback, but Anaheim followed that up with wins over both San Jose and Pittsburgh. John Gibson was in net for all three games and seems to have assumed the starting role for the Ducks; he's now 4-2-1 on the season with a .944 save percentage. 

19. San Jose Sharks (last week: 7)

San Jose has been one of the most volatile teams in these rankings, and after ripping through the league in November, it didn't take much for our panel to lose confidence. After winning six consecutive games, the Sharks have now lost four of five contests (including all three this week) and are once again hovering on the edge of the playoff picture. 

18. Winnipeg Jets (last week: 20)

Winnipeg managed to win two out of three in Week 10, stomping the unimpressive Toronto Maple Leafs and squeaking by the decidedly more formidable Washington Capitals. Right after playing Washington, the team headed to Chicago for the second half of back-to-back games but lost that one in regulation.

Prospect Connor Hellebuyck was in net for both wins and now sports a perfect 3-0-0 record along with a .965 save percentage. He has yet to allow more than one goal in an NHL game. 

17. New Jersey Devils (last week: 17)

The Devils won two and lost two on the week, though the losses were by single goals (and one of those in overtime), while the wins saw New Jersey break through offensively. Mike Cammalleri is on fire; he had seven points on the week and now has 30 in 27 games. If this continues, it will be the first time since 2008-09 that he's topped the point-per-game mark. 

16. Tampa Bay Lightning (last week: 18)

Although a trip to California might be a nice way for the average human being to regroup and find some calm, that generally isn't the case for NHL teams. The Lightning, however, took the opportunity to turn the page on an often unpleasant November, dispatching the Ducks and the Sharks in their first two games of the month. Only a 3-1 loss to L.A. on Sunday took away from the success of the trip.  

15-11: Florida Panthers-Chicago Blackhawks

Nam Y. Huh/Associated Press

15. Florida Panthers (last week: 19)

The Panthers came within a single game of a perfect road trip, winning four of five before falling to the New Jersey Devils on Sunday. After holding Detroit, Nashville, St. Louis and Columbus to a single goal each in the four wins, Florida surrendered four goals on just 18 shots against New Jersey in a rare off night for Roberto Luongo. 

14. Pittsburgh Penguins (last week: 14)

The Pens continue to slump. Pittsburgh lost two out of three this week and now has just a single win in its last five games and two wins in its last seven. The good news is that Sidney Crosby is finally scoring after a tough start to the year; he has nine points in his last eight games.  

13. Boston Bruins (last week: 12)

A road swing through Western Canada went OK in the sense that Boston picked up four points in three games, though two of those points came by way of losses in overtime or the shootout. The points were enough to keep Boston in the top wild-card slot in the East, though, and with their games in hand, they stand a decent chance of passing Ottawa, Detroit or both in the near future.

Brad Marchand scored three times on the trip and now has eight goals in his last nine games. 

12. Nashville Predators (last week: 10)

The Predators are in a bit of trouble at the moment. They did manage to beat Arizona this week but lost games against Florida and Detroit, which means the club only has two wins in its last nine contests.

Pekka Rinne is a big part of the problem. Over his last seven games, he's recorded just one win and sports an ugly .867 save percentage. 

11. Chicago Blackhawks (last week: 6)

The Blackhawks slip outside the top 10 this week after losing two of three games. They keep picking up points, though; three of their last five losses have come after regulation, with Chicago picking up a point in each case. Even so, they are now down in wild-card country after falling to fourth in the Central. This is despite the best efforts of Patrick Kane, who extended his point-scoring streak to 22 games on Sunday. 

10. Ottawa Senators

LM Otero/Associated Press

Record: 14-8-5, 33 points

Last week: 9

Big Picture

The Sens were fine in Week 10, but no more than that. Overtime wins over the Blackhawks and Islanders were book-ended by regulation defeats at the hands of the Flyers and Rangers. Ottawa isn't in a position where it can afford any kind of slump, as the team sits just one point out of second in the Atlantic but only has a three-point buffer between itself and a pack of clubs currently outside the playoffs. 

By the Numbers

I'm torn here between ridiculous Erik Karlsson facts and ridiculous Mike Hoffman facts, but I'm going to go with Hoffman because he's slightly less famous.

Prior to Sunday's loss against New York, Hoffman had scored a ludicrous 10 goals in nine games. He's routinely playing more than 20 minutes per game and now has 26 points in 23 contests. His shooting percentage is high (19.7 percent) but not ridiculously so because he's averaging more than three shots per night.

9. St. Louis Blues

Billy Hurst-USA TODAY Sports

Record: 15-8-4, 34 points

Last week: 4

Big Picture

It's been almost a month since the Blues won consecutive games, so this week's 0-for-3 run isn't going to be prompting any smiles in St. Louis. The team got off to a hot start, so it's still in the playoffs, but now the Blues sit a full eight points back of Dallas for first in the Central and are just three points up on the Predators in fifth.

By the Numbers

Goaltender Jake Allen, who was so good early for the Blues, has cooled considerably of late. In that run since November 10, where the Blues have gone without back-to-back wins, he holds a mediocre 4-3-2 record and disappointing .888 save percentage. 

8. Detroit Red Wings

Paul Sancya/Associated Press

Record: 15-8-4, 34 points

Last week: 15

Big Picture

The Red Wings are on quite the run. They won all three games they played this week and now have points in 10 straight games, going 7-0-3. Five of their wins have been of the post-regulation variety, so this is a team gaining a familiarity with closely fought contests. With the Atlantic division pretty wide open after Montreal in first, Detroit has been able to climb the ranks rapidly and now sits in second place. 

By the Numbers

Pavel Datsyuk's scoring numbers (two goals, six points) have been pretty modest since his return in mid-November. However, his arrival in the lineup coincided with both a massive improvement in Detroit's underlying numbers and also with the current run, which started just two games after he became healthy enough to play. 

7. Minnesota Wild

Dennis Wierzbicki-USA TODAY Sports

Record: 14-7-4, 32 points

Last week: 13

Big Picture

A week of perfection has the Wild climbing back up the standings in the tough Central Division. Minnesota now sits just two points back of the Blues in second place and does so with the luxury of having two games in hand. Wins over Chicago, Toronto and Colorado, in which the team allowed just a single goal combined, have the defence and goaltending looking good.

Unfortunately, NHL.com reports that goalie Devan Dubnyk has a mild groin strain for the time being. 

By the Numbers

No other team relies on their starter to the extent that Minnesota does with Dubnyk. Darcy Kuemper replaced him on Saturday after he was hurt; it was only the fourth time this season he's seen time in the Wild crease. He's only played more than 30 minutes on two occasions. 

6. New York Rangers

Seth Wenig/Associated Press

Record: 18-7-3, 39 points

Last week: 5

Big Picture

It's been a rough patch for the Rangers, who are technically in first place in the Metropolitan but have just a one-point lead on a Washington team with three games in hand. New York has just two wins in its last seven games, securing the second of those against Ottawa on Sunday after dropping one-goal decisions to the Isles and Avs earlier in the week. 

By the Numbers

Here's a weird one: Tanner Glass is one of only two Rangers players with a Corsi rating of 50.0 percent or better. In all likelihood, that's because he's only played five games, but it's always interesting to see a player like Glass outperform expectations.

The other player who fits the bill is Keith Yandle, who has done solid work on defence for New York. 

5. Los Angeles Kings

Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports

Record: 17-8-1, 35 points

Last week: 8

Big Picture

Los Angeles took full advantage of a four-game homestand, going 4-0-0 over a span of eight days. The run has solidified the Kings' hold on the impotent Pacific Division, giving the club a seven-point lead on second-place San Jose. If the Kings can maintain their current pace, they should run away with it. 

By the Numbers

After a terribly difficult start to the season, Marian Gaborik finally seems to be coming around. He was held off the score sheet on Sunday but fired seven shots and picked up an assist in Saturday's win. He now has five points in his last six games after recording just four in the previous 20 contests. 

4. New York Islanders

Anthony Gruppuso-USA TODAY Sports

Record: 15-8-5, 35 points

Last week: 11

Big Picture

The Isles now have points in seven consecutive games (5-0-2) and are climbing the Eastern Conference standings. Washington has a three-point lead on them in the Met and also have three games in hand, so that's going to be a tough team to catch, but the Islanders are keeping pace both with the Capitals and the crosstown rival Rangers, a team they beat in the shootout on Wednesday.

They won't play either team again until the New Year, but it's perhaps worth looking ahead to April, when the Isles will face both the Capitals and Rangers in two of their final three games this season; the Metropolitan may end up coming down to those contests. 

By the Numbers

The Islanders' penalty kill currently ranks fourth in the NHL at a robust 85.0 percent. Combined with a 20.0 percent scoring rate on the power play, their combined special teams effectiveness is well over 100 percent, which goes a long way toward making up for fairly normal five-on-five numbers. 

3. Montreal Canadiens

Noah K. Murray-USA TODAY Sports

Record: 19-6-3, 41 points

Last week: 3

Big Picture

Life without Carey Price is not off to a great start. A streak of six games with points (5-0-1) came to an end this week with back-to-back losses against Washington and Carolina, with fill-in starter Mike Condon posting a sub-.900 save percentage in both contests.

However, Montreal has enough of a lead in the standings that if Condon can provide even league-average play, they should be able to survive the next month-and-a-half without Price. 

By the Numbers

One of the reasons the Canadiens should be able to get by for a time without their stellar No. 1 goalie is that this isn't the team of years past. Montreal has evolved from being a middling team that relied on its superior goaltending to being a great team that also has a great goalie.

The Habs' 53.7 percent score-adjusted Corsi is the fourth-best mark in the NHL; that's hard to beat even if Price isn't minding the nets. 

2. Washington Capitals

Alex Brandon/Associated Press

Record: 18-5-2, 38 points

Last week: 1

Big Picture

Washington had a light week, but it was an important one. A regulation win over Montreal helped narrow the gap between the two teams; the Capitals are now just three points back and have three games in hand on the Price-less Habs. An overtime loss to Winnipeg was less meaningful, but it still added a point to the Capitals' total. Washington's in good shape to fight for the Presidents' Trophy. 

By the Numbers

Despite their reputation as an offensive team, the Capitals' latest run has not been primarily driven by outstanding scoring; over the last 10 games, only Nicklas Backstrom is at the point-per-game mark. Rather, it's been defence and goaltending. Braden Holtby is 10-1-1 with a .940 save percentage over his last 12 starts. 

1. Dallas Stars

Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports

Record: 20-5-2, 42 points

Last week: 2

Big Picture

Dallas picked up points in all three games it played on a swing through Western Canada this week, though the club's 1-0-2 record is less than what was originally hoped for. The only weak point was a game against the Flames on Tuesday in which the Stars blew a 3-0 lead going into the third period—that's concerning.

A win over Vancouver was good, and then a loss the next night to Edmonton was actually the result (especially in the second half of back-to-back games) of an outstanding performance from Edmonton goaltender Anders Nilsson. A little less complacency against Calgary, and this looks like a first-rate trip. 

By the Numbers

Jason Spezza scored goals against the Flames and Canucks and now has tallied six times in his last 10 contests. Impressively, he's also managed 36 shots over that span; he's not riding a crazy shooting percentage bubble. Prior to this, Spezza had scored just five times all season, and, given that he had a hat trick in the third game of the year, his contributions were decidedly infrequent.

The Stars have such a good top line that it doesn't always matter if Spezza scores, but they'll certainly need him to be a contributor over a long playoff run, and he's showing good signs now. He's now just six goals back of the 17 he managed over the entirety of last season. 

News and statistics are courtesy of NHL.com, war-on-ice.com and Hockey-Reference.com.