Changing of the Guard: NHL Power Rankings Week 2
Biggest Jump: San Jose Sharks, New York Islanders, 14
Biggest Drop: Tampa Bay Lightning, 18
1. St. Louis Blues (4–0–0) (UP 11) — Everything on this Blues team is functioning at the highest level right now. Both special teams’ units are top three in the league, St. Louis is scoring 5.5 goals a game (best in the league) and only allowing 2.75 against (13th). Having the ability to flash five goals in five minutes isn’t normal (even against Arizona). Having every single player record a point so far isn’t normal. Jordan Binnington’s .919 save percentage is right where it needs to be. St. Louis plays L.A. today.
2. Florida Panthers (5–0–0) (DOWN 1) — One of the most well-rounded teams in the league, the Panthers sit sixth in the league in goals for per game with 4.4, while they place second for goals against per game with 1.8. Florida sits just outside the top-10 penalty kills in the league, with an 84.6 percent unit. Their only flaw has been their power play, which only functions at 13.6 percent. Rookie Anton Lundell (five points) and veteran Sergei Bobrovsky (.942 save percent) have been welcome surprises.
3. Edmonton Oilers (5–0–0) (NO MOVEMENT) — If you aren’t watching Connor McDavid play, you’re missing out. McDavid has been electric through his first five contests, posting 13 points; this is a 213-point pace; absurd. Leon Draisaitl quietly has 11 points of his own for the Oilers, as the German forward dominates with his large frame. Zach Hyman has been a huge factor on special teams, as he recorded a shorthanded goal against Arizona and a power play goal against Vegas. Edmonton hosts Philly on Wednesday night.
4. Pittsburgh Penguins (3–0–2) (DOWN 2) — Pittsburgh continues their dominant start to the year even after a shootout loss to Dallas. Saturday night, the Pens came out and stomped all over the Maple Leafs. Although tied after one period, Pittsburgh dominated the second, starting with two goals 15 seconds apart, scored by Mike Matheson and Jason Zucker. Drew O’Connor double dipped for the Pens, scoring in the first and second period; O’Connor has five points so far. Pittsburgh hosts Tampa Tuesday before Calgary comes in on Thursday.
5. Carolina Hurricanes (4–0–0) (UP 2) — It’s a rivalry, it is revenge, this is a story, so stop downplaying it like it isn’t. Tom Dundon was clearly offended by the offer sheet to Sebastian Aho in the summer of 2019, and Jesperi Kotkaniemi was retribution. Jesperi’s goal against his former club was the cherry on top, as Carolina’s social team made (was probably instructed) to tweet a website “didthehabslose.com” (no longer functional) after the Canes victory over Montréal. Carolina hosts Toronto tonight before Boston comes to town Thursday.
6. Minnesota Wild (4–1–0) (DOWN 1) — Minnesota continues to stay fun and exciting, as they’ve won two of their last three games. Both victories came in OT, as the Wild won on Joel Eriksson Ek and Ryan Hartman shots. Eriksson Ek’s goal came with a man up, as the hat trick winner goal was another variation of a man up situation (5v4, 6v5, and 4v3 goals). Mats Zuccarello has been great for Minnesota, recording six points early. Minnesota heads to Vancouver tomorrow and Seattle Thursday.
7. Boston Bruins (3–1–0) (DOWN 3) — Coming off their first loss of the season against Philadelphia, the Bruins have rebounded and won two straight. Boston took care of business in Buffalo while beating San Jose during Sunday’s matinee. Brad Marchand remains the catalyst of the Bruins’ offense, as the Rat has seven points, four in his last two games. Splitting the four games in net, Linus Ullmark has provided a stout .935 save percentage. Boston heads south to Sunrise on Wednesday before playing Carolina Thursday.
8. San Jose Sharks (4–1–0) (UP 14) — San Jose’s youth movement has invigorated the lineup and the results are there. San Jose’s eastern Canada road trip was a success, as the Sharks defeated Montréal, Ottawa, and Toronto. Rookie Jonathan Dahlen notched his first two career goals against the Habs, as Adin Hill recorded a shutout. Ottawa and Toronto were closer games, however, veteran Logan Couture helped out with four points in those games. A comeback attempt was cut short by Boston yesterday. San Jose stops in Nashville before heading home.
9. Washington Capitals (3–0–2) (NO MOVEMENT) — After a great start to the week by manhandling the Avalanche and Devils, Washington was a little slow to start against Calgary Saturday. Giving up three goals in the first, Washington battled back and stole a point before losing to the Flames in overtime. Evgeny Kuznetsov continues his rebound season, as the forward has nine points, only trailing countryman Alex Ovechkin, who sits with 10. Washington gets two young up-and-coming teams this week, as they play in Ottawa tonight and come home to Detroit Wednesday.
10. New York Rangers (4–1–1) (UP 10) — Don’t look now, but the Rangers seem to be putting it together. New York won a thrilling overtime on an Artemi Panarin shot against Toronto Monday, before taking down Nashville Thursday and coming back against Ottawa on Saturday. Igor Shestorkin has been lights out for the Rangers with his .953 save percentage. Adam Fox continues to make plays, as his takeaway led to a goal against Nashville. The Rangers will host Calgary tonight before Columbus comes to MSG Friday.
11. Philadelphia Flyers (2–1–1) (UP 7) — Ben Simmons wants out of the 76ers. Cam Atkinson was just brought in for the Flyers this year. Atkinson has done everything for Philadelphia so far, posting five points early. Simmons has looked… uninterested in playing. In either situation, management is at the core of it; Daryl Morey refused to move Simmons in the offseason while Chuck Fletcher recognized Jakub Voráček was aging and needed a change of scenery. Fletcher’s move for Ryan Ellis is paying off, the defenseman has four points. Philly plays in Edmonton Wednesday.
12. Calgary Flames (2–1–1) — After opening night jitters, the Flames have found their footing. After losing in overtime to Anaheim Monday, the Flames have managed to win two straight; a shutout of the Red Wings and an overtime victory over Washington. Elias Lindholm scored in both games for the Flames, including a hat trick against the Caps, the third being the overtime winner. Blake Coleman, a huge offseason acquisition, scored his first as a Flame Monday against Anaheim. Calgary heads to MSG tonight before crossing to the Garden State tomorrow.
13. New York Islanders (3–2–1) (UP 14) — After a terrible two games to start their opening road trip, the Isles have found their way once again. Winning three of their last four, with the lone loss coming in overtime, the Islanders are making strides in America’s southwest. Their last two victories, both shutouts from Ilya Sorokin (stopped 68 shots total), came against Arizona and Vegas. Mat Barzal’s tally in Sin City put the game out of reach for the Knights, as they couldn’t figure out Sorokin. The Isles head to Nashville Saturday.
14. Dallas Stars (3–2–0) (UP 11) — After a rough couple of games in Boston and Ottawa, Dallas handled business in Pittsburgh, winning 2–1 in a shootout against the Pens. Friday night saw the Stars play their home opener against the Kings, who took Dallas to OT, but Denis Gurianov buried a wicked backhander to send L.A. packing. Miro Heiskanen got himself involved offensively over the last two games, recording a point on every goal (four). Braden Holtby has been fantastic, posting a .950 save percent. Dallas plays in Columbus tonight.
15. Columbus Blue Jackets (3–2–0) (DOWN 5) — Not a great week for Columbus, however, the numbers for Elvis Merzlikins are still there. Merzlikins and the Jackets are undefeated in his starts, with the netminder posting a .947 save percentage. Joonas Korpisalo played well against Detroit, however, he got shelled against Carolina Saturday; three of the five goals against the Canes he allowed were on the power play. Patrik Laine sniped an OT goal for Columbus against the Isles, for their lone win in their last three. Columbus hots Dallas today.
16. Detroit Red Wings (3–2–1) (NO MOVEMENT) — Steve Yzerman set this team up for the future and some of the young talent has already arrived. Lucas Raymond, a Calder contender, potted his first career hat trick against Chicago on Sunday, leading Detroit to a win. Alex Nedeljkovic, who is likely the goalie of the future, splits time with vet Thomas Greiss; Greiss has a .914 save percent to Ned’s .897. Detroit’s .500 week should be a confidence builder. The Wings head to D.C. Wednesday before returning to Little Caesar’s Friday against Florida.
17. Buffalo Sabres (3–1–1) (UP 4) — After posting another fantastic home win Tuesday against the Canucks, the Sabres have hit a road bump. A regulation loss to Boston seemed expected while an overtime loss to New Jersey brings some promise. Jeff Skinner is trying to restore his trade value, as the forward scored a fantastic goal (turned into the game-winner) against Vancouver; the forward has three points. Craig Anderson’s performance against Boston left little to be desired, as he posted a .880 save percent. Buffalo gets Tampa tonight.
18. Vancouver Canucks (3–2–1) (DOWN 1) — Spoiling Seattle’s opening of Climate Pledge Arena Saturday night, the Canucks have found a perfect geographical rival. Conor Garland’s late game winner against the Kraken was huge for the Canucks, as they’ve now won two in a row. Garland now has points in six straight to open his Canucks tenure. Before their win against Chicago Thursday, Vancouver disappointingly lost in Buffalo. Vancouver will start a seven-game homestand this Tuesday as they welcome in Minnesota to kick things off at home.
19. New Jersey Devils (3–1–0) (NO MOVEMENT) — Jack Hughes is the x-factor for New Jersey. The question is, how can they perform without him? After scoring for the Devils Tuesday against Seattle, Hughes dislocated his left shoulder after being hit by Jeremy Lauzon. Young players like Dawson Mercer and Nico Hischier will step up in Jack’s absence. Buffalo tested the Devils Saturday, although New Jersey came away with an OT win, off the stick of Pavel Zacha. New Jersey hosts a hot Flames squad tomorrow night.
20. Colorado Avalanche (2–3–0) (DOWN 7) — After getting squashed by Washington and Florida, Colorado finally, since their first game of the year, got a win against Tampa Bay. In the win, Gabe Landeskog, Mikko Rantanen, and Nathan MacKinnon all had a goal; the trio combined for six points. MacKinnon and Rantanen lead the Avs in scoring while Landeskog is tied for second with a few players, among them J.T. Compher, who is an underrated forward playing in a stacked Avalanche forward group. Colorado hosts Vegas tomorrow, the first rematch since last year’s playoffs.
21. Winnipeg Jets (2–2–1) (UP 7) — Let’s get this out of the way: the offense has woken up in Winnipeg. After scoring four goals in their first two games, the Jets have hit the back of the net 16 times in three games. Kyle Connor leads Winnipeg in scoring, while center Pierre-Luc Dubois is rebounding as everyone expects him to; the forwards have nine and six points, respectively. If Winnipeg could raise its terrible 54.6 percent penalty kill, matches wouldn’t be close. Winnipeg starts the California road trip tomorrow.
22. Ottawa Senators (2–3–0) (DOWN 7) — Ottawa’s chippy style of play was further exaggerated Thursday night as Brady Tkachuk returned to the lineup for the Sens. Unfortunately, Ottawa has lost both games with Tkachuk in the lineup, however they were both one-goal affairs. Matches against the Sharks and Rangers saw the Sens go up, conceding the lead in both games; this is an inexperienced team. Matt Murray had been off to a great start; however, he was hurt against New York. Tim Stützle leads Ottawa against Washington tonight.
23. Anaheim Ducks (2–3–1) (UP 1) — Western Canada did not treat the California kids well. Although Jamie Drysdale scored an OT winner against Calgary, the Ducks dropped games to Edmonton and Winnipeg. Coming back to the States wasn’t any easier, as the Ducks managed to scrap out a point in Minnesota. Anaheim’s losses to Edmonton and Minnesota felt similar, as the Ducks just couldn’t keep up with two electric offenses. The loss to Winnipeg, while disappointing, is forgettable. Anaheim hosts the Jets tomorrow.
24. Tampa Bay Lightning (2–2–1) (DOWN 18) — Tampa Bay has looked competitive at times this season, however, are the signs of two Cup runs finally catching up with them? Nikita Kucherov was placed on LTIR (yes, insert your LTIR jokes here) but should be back before season’s end. Tampa could not keep up with Florida on Tuesday in one of the best rivalries of hockey, as Florida knocked off the Bolts, 4–1. Tampa got a point against Colorado Saturday, as they had to tie the game late. Andrei Vasilevskiy must be better than his .893 save percent.
25. Toronto Maple Leafs (2–3–1) (DOWN 17) — Let’s check in on the Leafs, and oh WHAT IS GOING ON?? After Auston Matthews debut Monday against the Rangers… the team has looked lackluster and can’t get anything going. Ondřej Kaše scores his first for Toronto and San Jose responds in under two minutes!! After Jason Spezza ties the game against Pittsburgh and the first period ends… the Leafs give up six unanswered goals! Is this just a curse Toronto must deal with? Who knows? Toronto get Frederik Andersen and the Canes tonight.
26. Nashville Predators (2–4–0) (UP 4) — An even week for the Preds saw them defeat the Kings and Wild while taking losses to the Rangers and Jets. Goaltending was only an issue against the Jets, as Winnipeg bombed Juuse Saros. Roman Josi had six points in the four games, including four against the Wild yesterday. Tanner Jeannot put the Wild out of reach as he notched the fifth goal for Nashville; this was the first time Nashville had scored more than three goals in a game this year. San Jose tomorrow.
27. Los Angeles Kings (1–3–1) (DOWN 4) — Just a no fun week for the Kings. Three losses, only one of which came in overtime, has sent the Kings into a world of hurt. Speaking of hurt, Drew Doughty is injured, as he might have a minor knee sprain. Losing to Nashville and Dallas, both games were decided by one-goal and the Kings just needed a spark of offense to win. In their latest loss, the Kings were dominated by the Blues, who dropped seven goals on them. L.A. plays St. Louis again tonight.
28. Vegas Golden Knights (1–4–0) (DOWN 14) — The house never loses, until now. With Mark Stone and Max Pacioretty both still out, the Golden Knights offense has been abysmal. In their last three games, the Golden Knights have managed four goals, including three in a loss to Edmonton. The Isles shutout the Knights despite Vegas getting 42 shots on net. St. Louis handled Vegas Wednesday night, even with Vegas recording 43 shots. Quantity over quality doesn’t always work. Vegas heads to Denver tomorrow.
29. Seattle Kraken (1–4–1) (DOWN 18) — Coming home to Climate Pledge Arena Saturday night should have been a nice fun day, however, the Kraken played a feisty Vancouver squad that put a blemish on the festivities. Vince Dunn scored the first goal in Seattle, as he wired one late in the first. The Kraken offense couldn’t keep pace with the Canucks as the game entered the third tied at one. Seattle’s road trip to open couldn’t’ve been worse as well. Seattle gets the Habs tomorrow.
30. Montréal Canadiens (1–5–0) (UP 2) — Never bet against a home team that is playing on a Saturday night at home after losing a rivalry game. Never. The Habs finally broke through Saturday night against Detroit, taking down the Red Wings 6–1. Mathieu Perrault notched a hat trick while Mike Hoffman scored his first in a Montréal uniform. This win came after starting the season winless in five games, including embarrassing home losses to San Jose and rival Carolina. The Canadiens head to Climate Pledge Arena tomorrow.
31. Arizona Coyotes (0–4–1) (NO MOVEMENT) — Not much to say here. Arizona is hot garbage. Carter Hutton has a .702 save percent through two games while Karel Vejmelka has an even .900. Arizona’s scoring is last in the league, as they only net 1.6 goals a game; Arizona also allows the most goals per game, at 4.8. A penalty kill that sits at 36.4 percent is a death sentence. The numbers speak for themselves. Arizona plays in Florida, Tampa, and D.C. this week. Should be a bloodbath.
32. Chicago Blackhawks (0–5–1) (DOWN 3) — When you have a coach handing the players a whiteboard… it’s time. Expect this bit to be outdated, as Jeremy Colliton will likely be fired soon, with Chicago starting as bad as they have. In all three games they played this week, they were outscored by three goals. The defense is Swiss cheese. Per Adam Gretz (@AGretz on Twitter), Chicago has been outscored 10–1 at 5v5 with Seth Jones on the ice. Not great, especially for an extension that hasn’t kicked in yet. Clean house.
