Power Rankings: Week 3

Power Rankings: Week 3

It’s Friday and that means it’s time for our weekly Power Rankings. Using multiple, super scientific variables we score teams out of 100 and rank them accordingly so you know who the contenders are, who the pretenders are and which way teams are trending.

#1. TAMPA BAY LIGHTNING

Score: 83

Last week: N/A

NHL Standings: 6th

Tampa Bay has only played 8 games, a couple fewer than the teams ahead of them, but its 6-1-1 so far and ranks number one in our power rankings.

#2. NASHVILLE PREDATORS

Score: 81

Last Week: N/A

NHL Standings: 1st place

The Preds are off to an 8-2-0 start and are a perfect 5-0-0 at home. All this with the reigning Vezina trophy winner out of the line-up.

#3. NEW JERSEY DEVILS

Score: 79

Last Week: N/A

NHL Standings: 20th place

Ya, quite a gap in our power rankings to where the Devils are in the standings but New Jersey has only played 7 games, fewest of any team in the league. We feel the Devils are better than their 4-2-1 record indicates and with games against the Panthers, Islanders and Red Wings in the next week, a move up the standings is coming.

#4. SAN JOSE SHARKS

Score: 78

Last Week: N/A

NHL Standings: 13th place

Again, quite a bit higher in the power rankings than the actual standings but that’s why these are power rankings. We’re here to tell you where teams are heading. The Sharks have won 3 straight, their upcoming schedule is….favorable, to put it politely. The Sharks will keep moving on up the standings in the near future.

#5. MONTREAL CANADIENS

Score: 77

Last Week: N/A

NHL Standings: 10th

I’ll be honest, I was surprised to see them this high, too but, here they are. Throw the low expectations most people (less so us – we predicted a 5th place finish in the division for the Habs) had for this team at the start of the season and evaluate them on what they’ve done this year. A 5-2-2 record, top 10 in expected goals for and against. With Carey Price in net – we think the Habs are going to be around the playoff race deep into the season. Will the Leafs and Bruins pass them in the power rankings? Maybe, as soon as next week? Probably, but for now, the Habs hold a slight edge and the 5th spot on our list.

#6. TORONTO MAPLE LEAFS

Score: 76

Last Week: N/A

NHL Standings: 2nd place

The Leafs are coming off an impressive win against the Jets. Toronto’s powerplay has been terrific, they are capable of scoring at a high rate and they will be one of the most entertaining teams to watch all season long. Losses in 2 of their last 3 and a tough schedule next week has them just below the Canadiens, for now.

#7. BOSTON BRUINS

Score: 74

Last Week: N/A

NHL Standings: 4th place

10 games in, the Bruins are 6-2-2, a perfect 4-0-0 at home at the top line of Bergeron, Marchand, and Pastrnak is buzzing every game. Boston will be a top 3 team in the Atlantic division all year and likely a top 10 team in our power rankings as well.

#8. COLORADO AVALANCHE

Score: 71

Last Week: N/A

NHL Standings: 3rd place

Another 6-2-2 team, the Avalanche have been fun to watch this season. MacKinnon, Rantanen, and Landeskog have been shooting the lights out and Semyon Varlamov has been a top 3 goalie in the league so far.

#9. PITTSBURGH PENGUINS

Score: 68

Last Week: N/A

NHL Standings: 8th place

Remember when Sidney Crosby had 0 goals in 6 games and the Pens had 3 wins in their first 6 games. Ya, well a goal of the year OT winner and a 9 spot in Calgary later and the Pens are rolling. They are a high event team, they create a lot but they also give up a lot. Fun to watch.

#10. CHICAGO BLACKHAWKS

Score: 65

Last Week: N/A

NHL Standings: 5th place

Well, well – the Hawks have won 3 in a row and scoring almost 4 goals per game. Pretty impressive through the first 10 games of the season. Corey Crawford is back in net and thank God for Hawks fans because this team is still a gongshow defensively. We’re not ready to anoint them contenders yet but credit where credit is due for the good start.

#11. DALLAS STARS

Score: 64

Last Week: N/A

NHL Standings: 16th place

The Stars played arguably their best game of the season last night against the Ducks (bit of an asterisk against that team – we’ll get to them in a minute). Dallas has a loaded top line and a great powerplay, however, they’ve been a bit looser defensively this season. It will be interesting to see where this team is in early November after their eastern swing.

#12. WINNIPEG JETS

Score: 60

Last Week: N/A

NHL Standings: 7th place

12th for the Jets? Bulls#&*t – I’m sure that was the first thing you thought of. They might move up next week but 6 wins in 10 games, a + 3 goal differential – those are hardly elite numbers. Good numbers, above average numbers but not elite. The Jets have been leaky defensively this season and their greatest weakness was exposed by the Leafs on Wednesday – handling opposition speed. The Jets are bottom 3 allowing scoring chances and goals off the rush. They need to lock it down defensively before we move them into a top 10 spot.

#13. MINNESOTA WILD

Score: 57

Last Week: N/A

NHL Standings: 9th place

A nice win by the Wild last night and after a slow start, they’ve now won 4 straight games. This team is definitely capable of moving up our list but will have to show they are better than just ‘pretty good’, which is what they’ve been for several years.

#14. CAROLINA HURRICANES

Score: 55

Last Week: N/A

NHL Standings: 14th place

14th in the standings, 14th in the power rankings. The Hurricanes continue to dominate shot shares, create more quality chances than they allow and yet they still win about as often as they lose. A well-coached team with some very good players, no great ones….except Sebastian Aho – budding superstar.

#15. WASHINGTON CAPITALS

Score: 53

Last Week: N/A

NHL Standings: 18th place

Not a great start by the defending champs but given the bender they went on this summer, I thought the Stanley Cup hangover would actually be a lot worse. The Caps are 4-3-2, the powerplay is great, Ovie’s a stud, and they are terrible defensively. This was the case much of last season as well until they tightened things up from March through the playoffs. The Caps will struggle to get to the top of the division if they don’t tighten up defensively.

#16. EDMONTON OILERS

Score: 53

Last Week: N/A

NHL Standings: 22nd place

Connor McDavid is so good at hockey it’s ridiculous. 4 wins, 8 games, a negative goal differential. We’re not sold on the Oilers being a top 3 team in the Pacific division, even with that division looking fairly wide open so far.

#17. ARIZONA COYOTES

Score: 53

Last Week: N/A

NHL Standings: 24th place

The ‘Yotes have won a couple in a row and are doing it without start goalie Antti Raanta. This team is better than most people think and we won’t be shocked to see them move up the power rankings before long.

#18. VEGAS GOLDEN KNIGHTS

Score: 51

Last Week: N/A

NHL Standings: 23rd place

Life ain’t so easy when shots don’t go in at a ridiculously high rate. In all seriousness, Vegas is still a great defensive team in terms of the quality of the chances they allow. They’re getting lots of chances, too and we think they’ll be moving on up the list before long. Their 4-4-1 record doesn’t do this team justice but until they show us something more, they’re in the bottom half of our rankings.

#19. COLUMBUS BLUE JACKETS

Score: 49

Last Week: N/A

NHL Standings: 17th place

The Jackets are coming off a big win against the Blues, scoring 7 goals in a 7-4 win. It’s been an average start, 5-4-0 and this team is allowing a lot of goals and a lot of chances so far this season. That said, they rank pretty close to where they are in the standings.

#20. OTTAWA SENATORS

Score: 49

Last Week: N/A

NHL Standings: 21st place

21st in the standings, 20th in the power rankings. The Sens got off to a nice start and despite being ravaged by injuries, their already thin roster has been making the most out of their opportunities so far. The defense has chipped in offensively at a nice rate but this team is still destined for the bottom half of the Atlantic division standings.

#21. CALGARY FLAMES

Score: 44

Last Week: N/A

NHL Standings: 19th place

Yikes. The Flames got torched by the Penguins at home last night losing 9-1. They lost to Montreal the game before that in a game that wasn’t as close as the score indicated and they beat the Rangers before that in a game where they were thoroughly outplayed. Frustration has set in with this group and now they need to dig their way out of it.

#22. BUFFALO SABRES

Score: 41

Last Week: N/A

NHL Standings: 11th place

Sorry, Sabres fans. I’m sure your team is ranked a little lower than you would like. 6 wins in 10 games is a good start for this team but a negative goal differential and expected goals totals that are less than flattering are not ideal. Buffalo’s schedule is not too tough over the next couple of weeks so they could make a leap by next weeks power rankings.

#23. ST. LOUIS BLUES

Score: 38

Last Week: N/A

NHL Standings: 28th place

We were pretty high on the Blues this year and there’s still lots of hockey left but you start the year with 2 wins in 9 games and you get buried in the power rankings. The good news, the underlying numbers suggest this team is better than they’ve shown but, then again, that’s not too tough when you have 2 wins.

#24. FLORIDA PANTHERS

Score: 35

Last Week: N/A

NHL Standings: 27th place

Another team we were high on has struggled out of the gate with 2 wins in 8 games. Losing Roberto Luongo right away hurts but this team needs to get going.

#25. NEW YORK ISLANDERS

Score: 34

Last Week: N/A

NHL Standings: 26th place

It was going to be tough for the Islanders this year no matter what and their record so far is actually better than we thought it might be. Mat Barzal is a stud and a possession monster but there isn’t much reason for optimism this year on the Island.

#26. VANCOUVER CANUCKS

Score: 28

Last Week: N/A

NHL Standings: 12th place

This one is going to sting, eh Canucks fans? I get it, the team is 12th overall but they’ve also played 11 games – no one has played more. The 6-5-0 record is far from great, the -4 goal differential is not good, ranking 28th in slot shots per game and 23rd in slot shots against – also, not ideal. As other teams make up games, the Canucks will drop in the standings and closer to where we have them in the power rankings.

#27. PHILADELPHIA FLYERS

Score: 28

Last Week: N/A

NHL Standings: 25th place

2 straight losses – allowing an average of 4 goals per game – Gritty is the best thing about the Flyers first 10 games of the season.

#28. ANAHEIM DUCKS

Score: 26

Last Week: N/A

NHL Standings: 15th place

We said it when the Ducks were 5-1-1, (click here), we’ll say it again now that they’ve lost 4 in a row and are 5-5-1….the Anaheim Ducks have been the worst defensive team in the NHL this season. They allowed 25 or more shot attempts from the slot in their first 10 games of the season. Only one team in the last 4 years has had a stretch where they allowed that many in 10 straight games. The good news, despite losing to Dallas last night, the streak is over as the Ducks allowed a mere 20 slot shots against.

#29. NEW YORK RANGERS

Score: 24

Last Week: N/A

NHL Standings: 29th place

3 wins, 10 games. Poor defensively – what you see if what you get.

#30. DETROIT RED WINGS

Score: 10

Last Week: N/A

NHL Standings: 31st place

9 games, 1 win, -19 goal differential. That’s about it. Oh, Dylan Larkin is really, really good and if you’d like to know more, click here.

#31. LOS ANGELES KINGS

Score: 10

Last Week: N/A

NHL Standings: 30th place

The LA Kings biggest issue is they are slow. That’s why they struggle to score goals. They added Ilya Kovalchuk to help score goals but he’s not fast and can’t fix the teams biggest fundamental issue, a lack of team speed. The Kings are the only team in the league averaging less than 2 goals per game and for now they are the only team in the league ranked worse than 30th in our power rankings.