NHL Power Rankings – Week Seven

 

Welcome to the next installment of HockeyClan’s weekly NHL power rankings. Each week throughout the season, HockeyClan ranks every team in the National Hockey League from top to bottom.

Who’s #1? Who’s rising? Who’s falling? It’s week seven in the NHL season. Stay tuned each week for updates in our power rankings!

1-Tampa Bay Lightning (16-3-2) No. 1 in offense with 82 goals, No. 1 power play unit converting 27.2% of the time and No. 1 in the rankings for the sixth week in a row. Wins: FLA, WAS, PIT, DET, STL, CBJ, PIT, CAR, DET, FLA, CBJ, LA, SJ, ANA, DAL, CHI Last: 1

2-St. Louis Blues (16-5-1) Back on track riding three-game winning streak. Brayden Schenn (10-20-30) and Jaden Schwartz (11-19-30) tied for the team lead in scoring. Wins: PIT, DAL, NYI, NYR, CHI, COL, CAL, CAR, CBJ, LA, TOR, NJ, AZ, EDM, VAN, EDM Last: 2

3-Nashville Predators (13-6-2) Beginning to find their groove with four victories over their last five. Third-best power play unit at 25.3%. Wins: PHI, DAL, COL, PHI, CHI, ANA, LA, CBJ, PIT, WAS, COL, WIN, MON Last: 5

4-Columbus Blue Jackets (14-7-1) Winners of five straight dating to Nov. 11. Biggest climbers of the week allowing second-best 52 goals allowed. Stingy defense thanks to Sergei Bobrovsky (1.91 GAA, .936 save %). Wins: NYI, CAR, NYR, MIN, WIN, BUF, WIN, BOS, FLA, DET, MON, NYR, BUF, CAL Last: 7

5-Los Angeles Kings (12-8-2) Just one victory in their last five games. Second-best goals against (52) and second-best penalty killing unit (89.3%). Wins: PHI, SJ, BUF, NYI, CBJ, MON, OTT, MON, BOS, TOR, ANA, FLA Last: 3

6-Toronto Maple Leafs (14-8-1) Back-to-back losses to basement dwellers the Coyotes and Panthers raise questions. 23rd in the league in total defense with 68 goals allowed Wins: WIN, NYR, CHI, MON, WAS, DET, LA, ANA, VGK, MIN, BOS, BOS, NJ, MON Last: 4

7-Pittsburgh Penguins (11-9-3) Have dropped three of their last five and now Evgeni Malkin is hurt. Defending Stanley Cup champions showing real holes defensively. Wins: NSH, WAS, FLA, NYR, FLA, EDM, WIN, EDM, AZ, BUF, OTT Last: 6

Related: NHL Power Rankings Week Six

Tier Two

8-New Jersey Devils (12-5-4) Just two wins in their last five games and will be without Kyle Palmieri for four-to-six weeks due to a broken foot. Wins: COL, BUF, TOR, NYR, TB, OTT, OTT, AZ, VAN, FLA, CHI, MIN Last: 8

9-Chicago Blackhawks (10-8-3) Where would this team be without Corey Crawford (2.23 GAA, .936 save %) ? Let two-goal lead slip away in 3-2 loss to Tampa Bay on Wednesday. Wins: PIT, CBJ, MON, NSH, AZ, PHI, MIN, CAR, NYR, PIT Last: 9

10-Winnipeg Jets (13-5-3) 7-2-1 over their last 10 and 6-3-2 on the road this season. How the Jets are exceeding expectations, and how they’re not. Wins: EDM, VAN, CAR, MIN, PIT, MIN, DAL, DAL, AZ, AZ, PHI, NJ, LA Last: 12

11-San Jose Sharks (11-8-1) Snapped three-game losing streak with 3-1 triumph over Coyotes. What happened to Brent Burns (0-8-8, minus-6) ? Wins: BUF, MON, NJ, NYR, BUF, TOR, NAS, ANA, VAN, LA, AZ Last: 10

12-Minnesota Wild (10-8-3) When they’re not shutting out opponents, they’re allowing goals at a scary rate. Dubnyk has been wildly inconsistent. Wins: CHI, CAL, NYI, MON, PIT, MON, PHI, PHI, NAS, BUF Last: 13

13-Calgary Flames (12-8-1) 7-2-1 over their last 10 including back-to-back victories over Flyers and Capitals. Minus-2 goal differential is concerning. Last in the NHL in penalty killing at 72.6%. Wins: WIN, ANA, LA, VAN, NSH, WAS, PIT, NJ, DET, STL, PHI, WAS Last: 15

14-Washington Capitals (12-10-1) Not much of a contribution after Alexander Ovechkin and T.J. Oshie, who account for 37% of the offense. Nicklas Backstrom with no goals in his last 10 games. Wins: OTT, MON, NJ, DET, EDM, NYI, BOS, AZ, PIT, EDM, OTT, MIN Last: 14

15-Vegas Golden Knights (13-6-1) OK, starting to buy in. 8-1 at home this season. 5-5-1 on the road. Plus-12 goal differential. Wins: DAL, AZ, AZ, BOS, BUF, STL, CHI, COL, OTT, WIN, VAN, LA, ANA Last: 17

16-Anaheim Ducks (10-8-3) Mini three-game winning streak snapped by Vegas. Rickard Rakell (8-10-18) best player no one has heard of on the east coast. Wins: AZ, NYI, MON, PHI, TB, CAR, VAN, BOS, FLA, SJ Last: 16

Related: NHL Power Rankings Week Five 

Tier Three

17-New York Islanders (12-7-2) 6-3-1 over their last 10 and undefeated at Barclays Center (7-0-2). 5-2 triumph over Tampa Bay a real boost in confidence. Wins: BUF, SJ, NYR, SJ, AZ, NAS, VGK, COL, STL, CAR, TB, PHI Last: 18

18-New York Rangers (11-9-2) Incredibly, 8-2 over their last 10 after abysmal 3-7-2 start. Putting the puck in the net, too. (72 goals-for, 5th; 23.4% PP, 5th) Wins: MON, NSH, AZ, VGK, TB, FLA, CBJ, BOS, EDM, OTT, CAL Last: 20

19-Boston Bruins (9-7-4) Officially a goaltending controversy thanks to the play of Anton Khudobin (6-0, 2.13 GAA, .938 save %). Brad Marchand on IR. Wins: NAS, AZ, VAN, SJ, VGK, MIN, LA, SJ, NJ Last: 21

20-Ottawa Senators (8-6-6) Losers of four straight and just three wins over their last 10. Ties just aren’t good enough. Team needs to start winning games. Wins: VAN, CAL, EDM, TOR, PHI, DET, COL, COL Last: 11

21-Dallas Stars (11-10-1) Second-best power play (25.4%) and 8th-best penalty kill (83.8%). Even-strength another story altogether. Wins: DET, COL, AZ, AZ, CAR, CAL, VAN, BUF, NYI, EDM, MON Last: 19

22-Vancouver Canucks (11-8-3) Just 3-5-3 at home, but 8-3 on the road. Explain that one. Nothing in the numbers suggest this is a good team yet they just keep on winning. Wins: EDM, OTT, BUF, DET, MIN, WAS, PIT, CAL, LA, PHI, PIT Last: 23

23-Detroit Red Wings (10-9-3) Getting it done on special teams with 6th-best power play (23.2%) and 4th-best penalty kill (84.8%). Future bright in Dylan Larkin (4-16-20) and Anthony Mantha (10-9-19). Wins: MIN, OTT, AZ, VGK, FLA, AZ, EDM, VAN, CAL, BUF Last: 24

24-Carolina Hurricanes (9-7-4) Teuvo Teravainen with five goals and nine assists in his last 10 games. Still, fifth from the bottom with just 57 goals scored. Wins: MIN, EDM, CAL, TOR, FLA, CBJ, DAL, BUF, NYI Last: 28

Related: NHL Power Rankings – Week Four 

Tier Four

25-Colorado Avalanche (11-8-1) Raise your hand if you thought Avs would be 7-1-1 at home. Now put your hand down. Nathan MacKinnon going from star to superstar (finally). Wins: NYR, BOS, BOS, ANA, DAL, CHI, CAR, PHI, WAS, DET, DAL Last: 26

26-Philadelphia Flyers (8-9-5) Hot start all but forgotten thanks to six-game slide. Last victory was way back on Nov. 9 against Blackhawks. Fourth-worst penalty killing unit (75%). Wins: SJ, ANA, WAS, FLA, EDM, TOR, STL, CHI Last: 22

27-Edmonton Oilers (8-12-2) Minus-15 goal differential. Safe to say one of the biggest disappointments of the season after last year’s playoff success. Still time to turn it around though. Wins: CAL, CHI, DAL, NJ, NYI, NJ, VGK, DET Last: 25

28-Florida Panthers (8-11-2) Three victories over their last five thanks to the return to form of Roberto Luongo (2.59 GAA, .931 save%). Vincent Trocheck (9-13-22) quietly putting together solid season. Wins: TB, STL, WAS, ANA, BUF, DAL, SJ Last: 29

29-Montreal Canadiens (8-12-3) Losers of five straight and officially in panic mode. 27th or worse in every single category (GF, GA, PP, PK). Is it time to trade Shea Weber to the Leafs? Wins: BUF, FLA, NYR, OTT, WIN, CHI, VGK, BUF Last 25

30-Buffalo Sabres (5-13-4) Losers of seven straight games! Minus-27 goal differential. 2-7-1 at home. Housley-Botterill era couldn’t have got off to a worse start. Wins: ANA, BOS, DET, AZ, WAS Last: 30

31-Arizona Coyotes (5-16-3) Winners of three of their last four games. ROY frontrunner Clayton Keller with 11 goals in 24 games. No one else on the team has more than seven goals. Wins: PHI, CAR, MON, OTT, TOR Last: 31

* records and rankings through 11/23

 

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Main Image: Jonathan Quick #32 of the Los Angeles Kings makes a save as Vladislav Namestnikov #90 of the Tampa Bay Lightning as Drew Doughty #8 searches for a rebound at Staples Center on November 9, 2017 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images)

 

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