Welcome back to NHL Power Rankings here at Full Press Hockey for this season. After the way too early edition of the rankings, we have the second edition here during the holidays.
The NHL’s regular season is back after the three-day holiday break. There are a handful of teams that are breaking away from the pack. However, most teams are close to each other in the standings and things are wide open in the Eastern and Western Conferences. We still don’t know who some of these teams are. And during the holidays, the standings are pretty much set. Not this year?
It’s time to dive into the second edition of NHL Power Rankings here during the holiday season and heading into the New Year.
NHL Power Rankings
1. New York Rangers (4)
Peter Laviolette does what Peter Laviolette does in the first year with new teams. That team performs really well. We are seeing it with the Rangers. Artemi Panarin is having another great season, along with Mika Zibanejad. The biggest surprise has been how good the defense has been, along with Jonathan Quick. Igor Shesterkin is finding his game as well. The Rangers are looking strong on both sides of the puck; that’s why they are number one in the newest NHL Power Rankings.
2. Winnipeg Jets (14)
How about the rise of the Winnipeg Jets? Head coach Rick Bowness has got them playing differently. They are also built differently. Gabriel Vilardi has stepped up in the absence of Kyle Connor. Right now, the Jets are sitting in the top three in Central. With Connor Hellebuyck between the pipes, look out for the Jets moving forward.
3. Dallas Stars (6)
The Dallas Stars are just going about their business. Again, a lot of people liked the Stars heading into this season—some new pieces with the addition of Matt Duchene. However, the same characters are upfront with Joe Pavelski, Jason Robertson, and Roope Hintz. Not to mention, Jake Oettinger has found his game again. Look out for this team in the West.
4. Colorado Avalanche (7)
Colorado is being powered by Nathan MacKinnon. The Avalanche are still not the team everyone expects them to be. Goaltending and defense are still an issue. However, the play of MacKinnon and Mikko Rantanen have kept the Avs in the race for the Central.
5. Vancouver Canucks (3)
Not sure a lot of people had the Vancouver Canucks in first place in the Pacific Division heading into the season or at this time. However, Rick Tocchet is holding his team accountable. Having Thatcher Demko back to his form, along with having Elias Pettersson, Quinn Hughes, and J.T. Miller atop the scoring race, certainly helps things.
6. Vegas Golden Knights (1)
The Vegas Golden Knights are on a mission to repeat as Stanley Cup Champions. They took it personally when they were the oddsmaker’s favourites to win it. However, this team has come back to Earth. They will have to survive injuries to their goaltenders, but they are getting reinforcements on the backend to help them get back to full strength and protect their goalies moving forward.
7. Los Angeles Kings (5)
The Kings just keep rolling along, especially on the road. They are the Kings of the Road for a reason. Quinton Byfield is turning into the player everyone thought he would be. Now Pierre-Luc Dubois has to get his act together for Los Angeles. But give him time to adjust to a new system and surroundings. LA will need him for the stretch run.
8. Boston Bruins (2)
The Boston Bruins have come back to Earth. Clearly, the Bruins need help down the middle with no Patrice Bergeron and David Krejci. Pavel Zacha is doing his best, but he is not a number-one center in the league. But the Bruins can survive because of their goalie duo of Linus Ullmark and Jeremy Swayman. Not to mention solid defense.
9. Toronto Maple Leafs (12)
The Toronto Maple Leafs are back in the top 10. Though their record would indicate they are a playoff team while the eye test says something else. Auston Matthews has 28 goals on the season, which leads the NHL. Toronto has goalie issues, but the Big Four of Matthews, Mitch Marner, William Nylander, and John Tavares are powering them.
10. Philadelphia Flyers (25)
The Flyers continue to play well this season. Many expected a falloff in their game, but here we are: the Flyers are still in the top three in the Metro. They are on a big road trip out West that could change a lot of things. However, Owen Tippett and Travis Konency, along with Sean Couturier, are playing well, not to mention the play of Samuel Ersson with Carter Hart, who is sick, and the Flyers have a chance to remain in this position.
11. New York Islanders (16)
The New York Islanders not only can score but defend as well. Except everyone can have an off night. Noah Dobson is turning into one of the best pure defensemen in the league. We knew they had the goaltending with Ilya Sorokin and Semyon Varlamov, but adding offense with Mathew Barzal, Bo Horvat, and Kyle Palmieri sure helps their cause.
12. Florida Panthers (15)
The Florida Panthers are in good shape right now. They survived their injuries on defense. Sam Reinhart is earning himself a nice contract. They are getting goals despite Matthew Tkachuk not being on the pace he was last year. He is still recovering from that injury in the Stanley Cup Final, but his assist numbers are there. But it is a team game this year, not a one-man show.
13. Minnesota Wild (19)
The Wild shook things up. Sorry for the Taylor Swift reference. New coach John Hynes has got this team playing better. Back in the playoff mix, the Wild are behind the play of Kirill Kaprizov, Matt Boldy, and Filip Gustavsson. Not to mention the play of Brock Faber on defense. We always see the new coach bump, but the Wild are sustaining it.
14. Tampa Bay Lightning (8)
The Lightning are trying to get their mojo back with the return of Andrei Vasilevskiy. It will take him a little longer, but with the play of Nikita Kucherov, Brayden Point, Steven Stamkos and Victor Hedman the Lightning are right where they need to be. Now, let’s see if they can clean up their zone even more.
15. Nashville Predators (22)
Nashville has been a fun team to watch this season. Ryan O’Reilly has been a great addition to this team. Juuse Saros gives the Predators a chance to win in every game he plays in. It is a rebuilding year in Nashville, but Andrew Brunette has got them playing well. They are right in the thick of things with the right guys in the room.
16. Edmonton Oilers (31)
Things are getting better in Edmonton. The Oilers are playing better but still find themselves on the outside looking in. Connor McDavid is back in the Art Ross Trophy Conversation. But it is not the Connor and Leon Draisaitl show. It is a team effort, as the Oilers are sticking to their game defensively to help their goalies.
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17. Arizona Coyotes
How about the Arizona Coyotes? I’m not sure too many people expected the Coyotes to play this well out of the gate. Logan Cooley has been a great addition to go along with Clayton Keller. Add in the play of Connor Ingram, and the Yotes are in playoff position.
18. New Jersey Devils (10)
The Devils have some issues to fix if they want to make the playoffs. Right now, their goaltending and defense have to be better. The two go hand in hand. It is plain and simple. While the Devils are only a few points out of the playoffs, they need to start stringing wins together against teams behind them in the standings if they want to maintain pace.
19. Detroit Red Wings (13)
Detroit is off to a good start, but they have slipped some with the addition of Patrick Kane. Detroit, like most of the teams in the league, has goalie issues. Kane is improving with each passing game, but the Red Wings playoff chances are starting to slip away if they can’t turn this slide around.
20. Montreal Canadiens (20)
The Canadiens are in the hunt for the playoffs somehow. The three-headed monster between the pipes in Montreal is working. Samuel Montembeault has a new contract but is still sharing the net. This young team is playing with no fear. If the Canadiens inch close to a playoff spot this year, the pressure could turn along with expectations. But they are playing well, especially Josh Anderson, who has found his scoring touch.
21. Carolina Hurricanes (9)
The Hurricanes are struggling, especially defensively and in between the pipes. That was not supposed to be the issue. The issue was scoring goals. That is still a problem for Carolina. They need more from Andrei Svechnikov. Frederik Andersen will be skating soon, but they need Antti Raanta to find his game to keep them alive in a strong Metro Division.
22. Washington Capitals (21)
The Capitals are still in contention for the playoffs, with Dylan Strome and Sonny Milano leading the way. Who would have thought Alex Ovechkin would be struggling so much this season to score goals? Evgeny Kuznetsov is missing in action again. It has been the Charlie Lindgren show in Washington. It is hard to imagine the Capitals keep this up.
23. St. Louis Blues
If it was not for Jordan Binnington, the Blues might not be in the position they are in. He has been phenomenal for the Blues this season. He single-handedly beat the Devils last Friday night. The Blues are getting nice performances from Robert Thomas and Jordan Kyrou since the coaching change.
24. Calgary Flames (28)
Look, the Calgary Flames are still alive for the playoffs. But it is not because of Jonathan Huberdeau. Something is amiss there. Recently, Yegor Sharangovich has found his scoring touch for the Flames with 11 points in December, including six goals in his last nine games.
25. Pittsburgh Penguins (30)
It is very shocking to see Pittsburgh at the bottom of the NHL Power Rankings. The Penguins are so Jekyll and Hyde. You never know what team will show up. However, Sidney Crosby continues to show why he is the best player in the world. If he gets the Penguins to the playoffs, he should win the Hart Trophy. Not to mention, Jake The Snake Guentzel will get paid this summer.
26. Buffalo Sabres (18)
You have to classify the Buffalo Sabres as a disappointment to begin the year. Though not surprising for this analyst. While Buffalo has the firepower to score, can a team rely on two young goalies to bring them back to the promised land? It is tough. Things got to start turning around for them.
27. Anaheim Ducks (11)
It was fun while it lasted in Anaheim. The Ducks were right there in playoff contention to start the season until they hit the skids in a bad way, losing 13 of 14 games during a stretch. Now, it is about who will likely get dealt at the deadline. It also hurts that Leo Carlsson will be sidelined with a sprained MCL.
28. Seattle Kraken (24)
Man, it is a different season for Seattle. The goals they were getting last year are not there. Not to mention the goaltending, either. This is a different Kraken team. Scoring is an issue for this team along with injuries.
29. Columbus Blue Jackets (27)
Another team with a bright future is Columbus. They have a talented player in Adam Fantilli. Fantilli does not take a night off and continues to show the mindset of a winner on a team that is struggling. The young guys of Kent Johnson and Fantilli are finding chemistry along with Johnny Gaudreau.
30. Chicago Blackhawks (28)
Take the off-the-ice stuff away from this team for a minute. It is fun to watch Connor Bedard play in the NHL. They have insulated him with the right pieces. Bedard is adjusting to life in the NHL. It will be a long season for Chicago.
31. Ottawa Senators (29)
Talk about turmoil. The Ottawa Senators are a mess off the ice. They might be a mess on the ice, too. Defensively, this team can’t hold a lead. That has been the story of the season for Ottawa. Tim Stutzle and Brady Tkachuk have been excellent, but they need a save. Hopefully, Jacques Martin can solve those issues.
32. San Jose Sharks
The Sharks will be the worst team in the NHL. They are not on the historic pace they were on to start the season, as the Sharks have improved. Tomas Hertl, Mikael Granlund, William Eklund, Fabian Zetterlund, and Anthony Duclair are leading the way offensively. There will be guys heading out of town at the deadline.
That does it for this edition of NHL Power Rankings… Stay Tuned for another edition of NHL Power Rankings in a few weeks, with the second half of the season coming.