NHL Power Rankings: Bruins and Golden Knights Continue to Battle for No. 1
It's been a chaotic first month in the NHL.
Nearly every team in the league has already experienced some level of turbulence through its first 10 or so regular-season games, but no such bumpy air has been located within range of Boston or Las Vegas.
The Bruins and Golden Knights were 1-2 atop B/R's Power Rankings at this time last week and they remain in the same positions today, atop a stack of 30 other teams whose order from list to list has been, in a word, unpredictable.
No fewer than five teams experienced double-digit plummets, led by the St. Louis Blues' freefall from fifth to 26th and the Ottawa Senators' dive from sixth to 25th.
Meanwhile, another four were up at least 10 spots from last week, including the New York Islanders (from 28th to 12th) and New Jersey Devils (from 19th to third) rising 16 places apiece and the Edmonton Oilers jumping 13 from 18th to fifth.
In fact, only Boston, Vegas and the fourth-ranked Carolina Hurricanes held the same position from last week to this week.
Our panel of five voters awarded 32 points for first place and one point for 32nd in coming up with the weekly list. A team's ranking from last week and its subsequent move are listed alongside each updated placement. Scroll through to see where your favorites landed and drop a thought or two of your own in the comments.
Nos. 32-26: Sharks, Blue Jackets, Canucks, Predators, Ducks, Coyotes, Blues
32. San Jose Sharks (Last Week: 31 / Move: -1)
The Sharks went to extra time twice in three games, defeating Toronto in OT before losing to Anaheim in a shootout and finishing the week 1-1-1. Nevertheless, changes could still be on the way according to TSN’s Pierre LeBrun, who said GM Mike Grier is entertaining offers on “pretty much every player.”
31. Columbus Blue Jackets (Last Week; 26 / Move: -5)
A 3-1 stretch that included defeats of Pittsburgh and the New York Rangers has given way to ignominy for the Blue Jackets, who’ve now lost three straight by a lopsided 17-4 count. It doesn’t get any easier this week, with a home-and-home with defending champion Colorado on the agenda.
30. Vancouver Canucks (Last Week: 32 / Move: +2)
Starting with seven straight losses will make any uptick seem huge, so the Canucks going 2-1 this week while scoring 10 goals in the two wins is surely worth celebrating. “I definitely have faith in this young core,” general manager Patrik Allvin said. “We have a lot of young and good players here.”
29. Nashville Predators (Last Week: 27 / Move: -2)
The doldrums have continued for the Predators, who swept their season-opening series in Europe but have stumbled to a 1-6-1 in eight games since returning. They allowed seven goals in the opener of a western trip in Edmonton on Tuesday with Calgary, Vancouver, Seattle and Colorado still to come.
28. Anaheim Ducks (Last Week: 30 / Move: +2)
The Ducks went seven games without a win before finishing the week in style, beating visiting Toronto in OT and handling San Jose in a shootout on the road. Bad news came on the injury front, though, with word that 2020 first-rounder Jamie Drysdale will miss extended time with a left shoulder injury.
27. Arizona Coyotes (Last Week: 29 / Move: +2)
The Coyotes are three games into a four-game stand at their new Mullet Arena/Arizona State University digs and they managed three of a possible six points. Goaltender Karel Vejmelka was the hero of the initial win when he stopped 41 shots in a 3-1 triumph over Florida on Tuesday night.
26. St. Louis Blues (Last Week: 5 / Move: -21)
It suddenly seems like years ago that the Blues were off to a 3-0 start, thanks to the five-game crash and burn that’s followed since—in which they’ve been outscored 25-8. “There's always going to be a time like this where it seems like everything's going against you,” forward Robert Thomas said.
Nos. 25-21: Senators, Blackhawks, Maple Leafs, Penguins, Canadiens
25. Ottawa Senators (Last Week: 6 / Move: -19)
The first skid of the season prompted a plummet for the Senators, who lost at home to Minnesota before an unsuccessful Sunshine State trip against Florida and Tampa Bay. Off the ice, rumors are swirling an imminent sale of the team by the family of late owner Eugene Melnyk, who died in March.
24. Chicago Blackhawks (Last Week: 10 / Move: -14)
A 4-2 run to start the season was nice for a Chicago team most expected to be cellar-dwellers, but the Blackhawks have since gone four games without a win and allowed 17 goals while doing so. Alex Stalock left Tuesday’s game with an injury and the team is already without Petr Mrazek with a groin problem.
23. Toronto Maple Leafs (Last Week: 16 / Move: -7)
Three regulation losses and another in OT within a week entering Wednesday had Leafs Nation in a predictable tizzy and left players denying they’re playing for coach Sheldon Keefe’s job security. “We’re playing to win games. We’re a hockey team that wants to win games,” forward Mitch Marner said.
22. Pittsburgh Penguins (Last Week: 8 / Move: -14)
The Penguins had been reliable on home ice heading into Tuesday, winning all three in Pittsburgh while going 0-5-1 away. That ended Tuesday when they blew a 5-3 third-period lead in a 6-5 OT loss to visiting Boston. “That’s just learning how to win,” coach Mike Sullivan said.
21. Montréal Canadiens (Last Week: 24 / Move: +3)
One step up and one step back has been the theme of the Canadiens’ season through 10 games in which they’ve won five times and lost five times. Two of the wins came in the first three games of a four-game trip that’ll take them to Winnipeg on Friday before they return home Saturday night against Vegas.
Nos. 20-16: Avalanche, Kings, Capitals, Kraken, Wild
20. Colorado Avalanche (Last Week: 7 / Move: -13)
The Avalanche have already had three back-to-back pairs of games, and it didn’t go so well this week with a 1-0 loss in New Jersey and a 5-4 loss against the Islanders on Friday and Saturday. “It’s just the mentality,” defenseman Cale Makar said. “I don’t think it’s so much that fatigue aspect of it.”
19. Los Angeles Kings (Last Week: 21 / Move: +2)
A three-game trip that’ll wrap up Friday in Chicago started in uneven fashion for the Kings, who won 5-1 at St. Louis on Monday before dropping a 5-2 verdict in Dallas on Tuesday in which they allowed three power-play goals in four shorthanded situations. The penalty-kill unit is 23rd overall at 75.5 percent.
18. Washington Capitals (Last Week: 17 / Move: -1)
It’s been three losses (one in a shootout) in four games for the suddenly punchless Capitals, who’ve scored just seven goals in the 1-2-1 run. Injuries are suddenly a big issue, with Connor Brown down after a torn ACL and T.J. Oshie out indefinitely with a lower-body injury after leaving Saturday’s game.
17. Seattle Kraken (Last Week: 23 / Move: +6)
It’s break up the Kraken team in Seattle, where the league’s newest team is showing signs of life. The Kraken kicked off a recent hot stretch with a 5-1 defeat of Buffalo and have won two of three since, including a home victory over Pittsburgh and a successful trip to Calgary that yielded a 5-4 triumph.
16. Minnesota Wild (Last Week: 25 / Move: +9)
And just like that, an ugly 1-3-1 stretch to begin the season has been forgotten, almost, thanks to the 4-1 run the Wild have put together to right the ship. Only nine goals have been surrendered in the five games, getting Minnesota goals-against average back to a slightly more respectable 3.60.
Nos. 15-11: Panthers, Red Wings, Lightning, Islanders, Jets
15. Florida Panthers (Last Week: 9 / Move: -6)
A road trip is a welcome tonic for the Panthers, though they began a four-gamer with a 3-1 loss at Arizona on Tuesday. “The best part about it is that we have a lot of new faces here,” forward Carter Verhaeghe said. “You get on the road and can get spend a lot of time together and bond with the guys."
14. Detroit Red Wings (Last Week: 15 / Move: +1)
The scoreboard operators have been busy, and not in a good way. The Red Wings have allowed 20 goals in their four recent games while going 1-3. “I think our compete and being a little harder to play against in our own end is the most important thing,” defenseman Ben Chiarot said.
13. Tampa Bay Lightning (Last Week: 20 / Move: +7)
The Lightning looked a bit more like the Lightning this week while winning at Anaheim and San Jose before returning home to handle Ottawa. Defenseman Victor Hedman missed that win with an upper-body injury. Coach Jon Cooper said Hedman was “definitely a little bit more sore than we anticipated.”
12. New York Islanders (Last Week: 28 / Move: +16)
In the final three games prior to this week, the Islanders had managed just six goals while going 0-3. But it’s been an offensive bonanza since with 17 goals translating to four straight wins and vaulting the team to a tie for sixth in the league with an average of 3.6 goals per game through its first 10.
11. Winnipeg Jets (Last Week: 22 / Move: +11)
The Jets strung together defeats of St. Louis, Los Angeles and Arizona before the run was halted by a 2-1 OT loss at Vegas. A good sign? The players aren’t content. “You’re standing here, smiling on a day where you get five of six points, but it easily could have been one out of six,” defenseman Nate Schmidt said.
Nos. 10-6: Flames, Flyers, Stars, Sabres, Rangers
10. Calgary Flames (Last Week: 3 / Move: -7)
Home losses to Edmonton on Saturday and Seattle on Tuesday took some of the shine off a 5-1 start and prompted coach Brian Sutter to take aim at offseason acquisition Jonathan Huberdeau, who has five points in eight games. “I think Jonathan has to speed his game up, that's for sure,” Sutter said.
9. Philadelphia Flyers (Last Week: 11 / Move: +2)
Where the optimist sees a better-than-.500 record after 10 games, the pessimist is concerned that the Flyers followed a 3-0 start with just two wins in their next six games—including OT losses against visiting Carolina and at Madison Square Garden against the Rangers.
8. Dallas Stars (Last Week: 14 / Move: +6)
It’s been a back-and-forth ride since the opening few days of the season for the Stars, who started 3-0 but have since gone 3-3-1. Three power-play goals in four tries helped fuel a 5-2 win against visiting Los Angeles on Tuesday. They’ll head to Arizona, Edmonton and Winnipeg in a trip starting Friday.
7. Buffalo Sabres (Last Week 12 / Move: +5)
The Sabres tripped over games at Seattle and home against Montreal for their first mini-skid of the season but showed resolve with an OT defeat of Chicago and an 8-3 ripping of Detroit. Their 4.11 goals per game is second in the league behind only Boston (4.40).
6. New York Rangers (Last Week: 13 / Move: +7)
A 3-0 loss to the rival Islanders was ugly punctuation on a 1-4-1 stretch, but the Rangers rebounded in style with a three-game streak that included road wins at Dallas and Arizona before a dramatic 1-0 OT decision over Philadelphia on Tuesday. Igor Shesterkin made 19 saves for his ninth career shutout.
Nos. 5-1: Oilers, Hurricanes, Devils, Golden Knights, Bruins
5. Edmonton Oilers (Last Week: 18 / Move: +13)
A 2-3 start to a six-game season-opening homestand had the northern Alberta faithful in full panic mode, but five straight subsequent wins have Edmonton among the NHL elite. A 7-4 defeat of Nashville on Tuesday lifted the Oilers to third overall in the league with 4.1 goals per game.
4. Carolina Hurricanes (Last Week: 4 / Move: 0)
The Hurricanes have won two of three since returning from a five-game western swing in which they were beaten in Edmonton and Calgary but won in San Jose, Seattle, and Vancouver. They went to OT to beat Philadelphia and a shootout to top Washington heading into a Friday date at Tampa Bay.
3. New Jersey Devils (Last Week: 19 / Move: +16)
Four straight wins have got the Devils in heady company, tying them for third overall in the league with 14 points after going 7-3 in their first 10 games. It’s the first time New Jersey has won four straight in three years, but the probable long-term loss of free-agent signee Ondrej Palat to groin surgery is a blow.
2. Vegas Golden Knights (Last Week: 2 / Move: 0)
A 1-2 stretch with one-goal losses to perennial elites Calgary and Colorado has been all but erased thanks to five straight wins in which the Golden Knights have allowed just six goals. Goalie Logan Thompson is fifth in goals-against average (1.73), sixth in save percentage (.938) and first in shutouts (2).
1. Boston Bruins (Last Week: 1 / Move: 0)
There’s no team in the league hotter than the fast-starting Bruins, who began the season with three straight wins before a loss at Ottawa and have since won six in a row. The first 9-1 start in the franchise’s storied history came after a 6-5 win at Pittsburgh that included a third-period comeback from a 5-3 deficit. “I just love the fight in this team,” coach Jim Montgomery said. “It’s incredible. They believe in there.”