NHL Power Rankings: Golden Knights thriving after a poor start
Hey everyone, we here at Yahoo Sports are doing real power rankings for teams Nos. 1-31. Here they are, based on only how I am feeling about these teams, meaning you can’t tell me I’m wrong because these are my feelings and feelings can’t be wrong. Please enjoy the Power Feelings.
31. Chicago (Last week: 30)
These guys enter the Christmas break one point out of last place with 32 points from 39 games. Only New Jersey and Los Angeles have worse point totals, but in four and two fewer games, respectively. These guys stink.
Oh and their only good goalie might be totally done.
30. Los Angeles Kings (LW: 29)
29. Ottawa Senators (LW: 27)
Winless on the ice this week, and Eugene Melnyk continues his long tradition of taking big-time Ls off it as well.
28. Philadelphia Flyers (LW: 31)
27. Vancouver Canucks (LW: 22)
26. New York Rangers (LW: 28)
It’s gonna be something when this team sells off its talent in January and February.
25. Detroit Red Wings (LW: 26)
24. New Jersey Devils (LW: 20)
I think the only thing keeping me from putting these guys at the bottom of the Power Feelings anymore is my belief in Taylor Hall. He only has 11 goals, though. That’s weird, right?
23. New York Islanders (LW: 25)
Who on earth could have possibly foreseen this team dropping out of a playoff spot? Wow it’s almost like………………………………. they are bad.
22. Anaheim Ducks (LW: 21)
*sees the Islanders thing* Hmm, almost same.
21. St. Louis Blues (LW: 23)
20. Arizona Coyotes (LW: 24)
Unfortunately these guys don’t have the legs to weasel their way back into a real playoff conversation, so all the winning they’ve done lately (3-1-0 this week) just hurts their chances at a lottery pick.
19. Dallas Stars (LW: 19)
18. Edmonton Oilers (LW: 17)
After that strong start under Ken Hitchcock, well, they’ve lost four of their last five, and their only win was against the Flyers. Not a particularly strong recipe for success.
17. Minnesota Wild (LW: 15)
16. Montreal Canadiens (LW: 14)
Would it shock you to learn the Habs have a worse goal difference (minus-2) than the Islanders (plus-3)? They’re one of only three teams in the league that are currently holding a playoff spot with a negative goal difference. Anaheim and Edmonton are the other two.
Which is interesting to me, because the Islanders and Wild are the only two teams with positive goal differences outside the playoffs looking in. That means there are 15 teams that are on the plus side of the goal column and 16 which are not. Bad league this year overall. Bad.
15. Florida Panthers (LW: 18)
Very quietly while no one was looking, the Panthers went 4-1-0 of late. Not bad and definitely more in line with what most people expected from them, but the fact that it followed a four-game losing streak kinda puts a damper on things.
Saying “4-1-0 in the last five” is a lot better than saying “4-4-1 in the last nine.”
14. Colorado Avalanche (LW: 12)
The magic seems to be wearing off for these guys. The top line is still scoring, of course, but they’re 3-6-1 because no one else can score and they’ve conceded 42 on 325 in the last 10.
Maybe they figure it out but also: Maybe not.
13. Carolina Hurricanes (LW: 16)
12. Columbus Blue Jackets (LW: 13)
These guys just keep quietly plugging away at a perfectly good season. Not great or anything, but good. So it leads me to wonder what the endgame is here, right?
Because if you’re like second in the division but fifth or sixth in the conference at the deadline (and by the way the Penguins are charging hard), do you just trade Panarin and Bobrovsky to maximize value since your playoff chances aren’t gonna be great? That’s something you have to very seriously look at, but in the NHL, that’s not the kind of things fans or owners are gonna be happy with.
11. Pittsburgh Penguins (LW: 10)
Like I said, charging hard. They’re 8-2-1 in the last 11 with a 36-26 goal difference. Pretty good.
10. Boston Bruins (LW: 9)
9. Buffalo Sabres (LW: 11)
They’re not scoring quite like they were before but the goaltending remains solid, and I dunno. I guess I think it might last?
8. San Jose Sharks (LW: 6)
7. Washington Capitals (LW: 7)
6. Vegas Golden Knights (LW: 8)
They have points in 15 of the last 19 games. After that brutal start, to be plus-5 in goal difference and holding a playoff spot comfortably at this point is really something.
5. Toronto Maple Leafs (LW: 5)
With Willy Nylander back in the lineup, the Leafs are a 54 percent corsi team (and trending up), 5-2-2, and have 38 goals in those nine games. Amazing what adding an elite player can do for you.
Otherwise, though, not a lot of movement in the top five here. Toronto and Winnipeg both went 1-2-0 in the last week despite badly outshooting their opponents and everyone below them just continued to absolutely crush the competition.
4. Winnipeg Jets (LW: 4)
3. Calgary Flames (LW: 3)
Maybe you don’t wanna lose to St. Louis or whatever, yeah, but these guys are still putting beatings on almost everyone they play; they were plus-7 in four games this week.
2. Nashville Predators (LW: 1)
1. Tampa Bay Lightning (LW: 2)
I mentioned it in 31 Thoughts but these guys are 14-1-1 in the last month with a PLUS-33 goal difference. They’re winning by an average of more than two goals a night. Come on.
Ryan Lambert is a Yahoo! Sports columnist. His email is here and his Twitter is here.
(All stats via Corsica unless otherwise noted.)
