Two weeks have come and gone in this young NHL season. We’re almost to the end of October, believe it or not.
The season waits for no one, though, and if by November you’re still struggling to find your footing, you may end up getting buried beyond return. Or maybe you have an Oilers-level comeback and make the Stanley Cup Finals. It’s hockey, baby.
Who can say? Let’s see how each NHL team did this last week.
Which NHL teams earned high grades after week two of games?
Anaheim Ducks Grade: C- (Previous grade: B)
The Ducks didn’t have the best week they could’ve possibly had, but they certainly didn’t have the worst either. They got at least a point in two out of three games despite losing two out of three. They were the first NHL team to beat Utah before turning around and becoming Colorado’s first win of the season in an OT loss. They then ended their week with a 4-1 loss to their greatest rival, the Kings.
Boston Bruins Grade: C+ (Previous grade: B+)
The Bruins started off their week with yet another loss to the Panthers. They have got to be fed up with it at this point. They rebounded with a 5-3 win over the Avalanche before losing their final game of the week in OT to the Utah Hockey Club. Boston hasn’t looked like the defensive powerhouse they’re usually known for being, nor has Jeremy Swayman looked as unstoppable as usual.
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Buffalo Sabres Grade: D (Previous grade: Unchanged)
A 4-2 win over the Blackhawks is not enough to save Buffalo from a poor grade this week. They lost a high-scoring game 6-5 in OT to the Penguins, then got dropped 6-4 by the Blue Jackets. Clearly, Buffalo has the ability to score goals, but they don’t seem to have the ability to stop them.
Calgary Flames Grade: A (Previous grade: A+)
Calgary fell from the ranks of the unbeaten with a 2-1 OT loss to Seattle at the end of the week. They have yet to lose in regulation, though, and their only other game this week was a 3-1 win over Chicago. There are still a lot of unanswered questions about Calgary, like how they will stack up against the elite of the elite, but right now, things are looking pretty good.
Carolina Hurricanes Grade: B- (Previous grade: C)
Carolina won two out of three this week. They beat the Devils 4-2, which was a very solid win. They then went on to beat the Penguins 4-1 before losing a competitive game to the Blues 4-3. Still not the fastest start they could’ve had, but they’re not looking too bad early. We still need to see a little more out of them before any solid conclusions can be made.
Also Read: All 32 NHL Teams Win-Loss Predictions For The 2024 Season
Chicago Blackhawks Grade: D (Previous grade: Unchanged)
Chicago did manage to beat the Sharks this week, but so has everyone else who’s played the Sharks so far. This doesn’t negate the fact that they lost their other two games this week, both in regulation and in both games, they never really looked like much of a threat. Calgary has been hot lately so maybe there’s not too much shame in that, but getting shut down by Buffalo is not a good look.
Colorado Avalanche Grade: D (Previous grade: F)
Colorado took advantage of playing some non-elite NHL teams in order to finally get a couple of wins this season. However, beating the Ducks and the Sharks isn’t a crowning achievement, especially given how bad the Islanders and Bruins made them look beforehand. It’s been a very bad start for Colorado; it’s their worst start in a while. One can only wonder how and if they’ll even rebound.
Columbus Blue Jackets Grade: D (Previous grade: B-)
Columbus went 1-2-0 this week, and while it was fun to watch them beat the Sabres, it wasn’t nearly as fun to watch them get shut down by the Wild once again. They also lost to the Panthers but were able to make it fairly competitive, losing 4-3 in the end. They were able to make games competitive last season, too, but were never able to close them out and get the wins they needed.
Dallas Stars Grade: B+ (Previous grade: A+)
The Stars were bounced from the ranks of the unbeaten by the Capitals this week but still managed to go 2-1-0 overall. While they had a very solid 4-1 win over the Oilers, they did look a bit shaky in their win over the Sharks, requiring a shootout to get it done. That being said, the Stars look amazing on defense right now, and it’s nearly impossible to score on them.
Detroit Red Wings Grade: D- (Previous grade: D+)
The Red Wings ended their week with a 5-2 win over the Predators, but given that the Predators are 0-5 to start the year, is that really that impressive? Their other two games saw them get shut down by the Rangers twice in a row, with scores of 4-1 and 5-2 respectively. They only have two wins so far this season, and both were against Nashville.
Edmonton Oilers Grade: C+ (Previous grade: F)
The Oilers did have a better week this week, managing to notch their first two wins of the season. However those two wins came against the Flyers and Predators, not exactly the top of the competition list. They ended their week by getting shut down 4-1 by the Stars. The biggest cause for concern is once again their defense and goaltending.
Florida Panthers Grade: A (Previous grade: D)
After a shaky week one, the Panthers rebounded quite well, going 3-0-1 in week two. That’s at least a point in all four games, and it was good enough to get them to first place in the Atlantic. Their one loss came in OT against the Canucks. They played three other games this week, beating the Blue Jackets, Bruins, and Golden Knights all by a score of 4-3.
Los Angeles Kings Grade: C+ (Previous grade: Unchanged)
The Kings have had it rough to start the year, having not played a single home game yet this season and having to travel all over the eastern conference. That being said, they rebounded from poor defensive showings resulting in losses to Ottawa and Toronto with two very good defensive showings that saw them beat Montreal and Anaheim. You would still like to see more from them against the elite NHL teams though.
Minnesota Wild Grade: A (Previous grade: C-)
Minnesota has looked surprisingly solid so far this year, having yet to lose a game in regulation. They only played two games this week and won both of them. They beat the Blues 4-1, which was a very solid win, and then beat Columbus 3-1 to sweep the season series. A big part of their success is the sudden improvement in play from goaltender Filip Gustavsson, which has also helped their penalty kill a lot.
Montreal Canadiens Grade: F (Previous grade: A)
The Habs lost all three of their games this week, only managing a single point in a 4-3 shootout loss to the Islanders. Their other two losses weren’t as close as they lost 6-3 to the Penguins and 4-1 to the Kings. It’s possible they may have already hit their wall, but it’s also possible that it was just a rough week. We’ll have to wait and see how they respond in week three.
Nashville Predators Grade: F (Previous grade: Unchanged)
Nashville has started 0-5-0 this year. They haven’t managed a single point in any of their games, and they’ve only ever had the lead twice. They had three games this week against the Oilers, Red Wings, and Kraken, and they lost every single one, giving up 16 goals in the process. It’s been a horrific start for Nashville, far worse than the slow one they had last year.
New Jersey Devils Grade: A (Previous grade: Unchanged)
New Jersey had four games this week, which was a grueling schedule, and yet they only lost one in regulation. That one loss was a 6-5 OT loss against Washington, meaning they got at least a point in three of four games. Their other three games were wins against Utah, Ottawa, and Carolina. They beat Utah and Ottawa rather impressively but fell 4-2 to the Hurricanes. That being said, it’s a much better start for New Jersey this year.
New York Islanders Grade: A- (Previous grade: D-)
The Islanders went 2-0-1 this week, managing points in all three games which is not bad at all. They topped the Avs 6-2 to start their week, before losing 1-0 in OT to the Blues. They then rebounded by beating the Habs 4-3 in a shootout. Their impressive losing performance to St Louis, on top of beating struggling teams to keep themselves out of the bottom, is enough to earn them a good grade this week.
New York Rangers Grade: A+ (Previous grade: B)
After losing their first game of the season to end last week, New York went on to win all three of their games this week, all in fairly dominant fashion. They beat Detroit twice in a row by scores of 4-1 and 5-2 respectively. They also beat Toronto by a score of 4-1. That’s 13 goals scored while only allowing 4. That’s some pretty impressive defensive stats from last year’s President’s Trophy winners.
Ottawa Senators Grade: A- (Previous grade: B-)
The Sens started off the week with a bang, winning an absolute shootout against the Kings 8-7 in OT. They followed up that crazy game with a rather meager one in comparison, a 3-1 loss to the Devils. They rebounded from that by being the first NHL team to beat Tampa this season, winning 5-4. It’s still early, but Ottawa does look fairly improved from last season.
Philadelphia Flyers Grade: F (Previous grade: C+)
The Flyers have been unable to add another win to their record since winning their season opener against Vancouver, having now lost four straight. Three of those four losses came this week. They started off the week with a 4-3 OT loss to Edmonton, giving the Oilers their first win of the season. They then went on to lose 6-4 to the Kraken and then ended their week losing 3-0 to Vancouver.
Pittsburgh Penguins Grade: C (Previous grade: D+)
The Penguins had their three-game winning streak snapped this week by losing two in a row. They started off the week with a 6-3 win over Montreal, then followed that up with a 6-5 win over Buffalo. They then lost 4-1 to Carolina and then ended their week losing 6-3 to Winnipeg. Despite Evgeni Malkin coming out of the gates firing, Pittsburgh is having serious issues defensively. If they can’t patch that, they’re not going to get anywhere fast.
San Jose Sharks Grade: F (Previous grade: Unchanged)
San Jose is one of two teams that remained winless so far this year, though unlike Nashville, they at least have managed a couple of points. That’s merely a consolation prize however, as they’ve done little but manage to be a free win for anyone who’s played them so far this year. They played Chicago, Colorado, Dallas, and Winnipeg this week, and the highlight of their week was managing to take Dallas to a shootout before losing.
Seattle Kraken Grade: A+ (Previous grade: D+)
The Kraken came alive this week, winning all three of their games and ending the week with a very impressive 2-1 OT win over the Flames to hand them their first loss of the season. They also beat the Flyers and the Predators this week, which is less impressive for obvious reasons. The most encouraging thing about this for Seattle and its fans, though, is that the Kraken seem to be able to score goals again.
St Louis Blues Grade: A- (Previous grade: B)
The Blues only played twice this week, but they won both games, scraping together solid performances against the Islanders and Hurricanes. The Blues can attribute their success to a fantastic defensive start and some very good goaltending performances so far this year. I’ve been impressed with them so far; hopefully, they can keep up the good work.
Tampa Bay Lightning Grade: A (Previous grade: Unchanged)
The Bolts ended the week with a 5-4 loss to the Senators, losing their undefeated record after a 3-0 start. They still beat both the Golden Knights and the Canucks this week, though, and they looked very good doing it. It could be possible that Tampa has gotten some steam back after back-to-back first-round exits. Hopefully, my saying that doesn’t completely jinx them.
Toronto Maple Leafs Grade: B- (Previous grade: A-)
Toronto didn’t have a bad week by any means, but it wasn’t a great look with how easily New York was able to handle them. They only played one other game this week, which was a fairly dominant 6-2 win over the Kings. Auston Matthews has started uncharacteristically slow this year, though I wouldn’t say it’s too concerning for Toronto just yet.
Utah Hockey Club Grade: D+ (Previous grade: A+)
I don’t think this week was a derailing week for Utah by any means, as they’re still 5-1-1 to start the year. They started off the week with their first two losses of the season, losing 3-0 to New Jersey and then losing 5-4 in OT to Anaheim. They then rebounded off the poor Anaheim performance to have a solid 2-1 OT win against Boston. This is still a way better start than I expected from this NHL team, and I really hope they can keep it going.
Vancouver Canucks Grade: B- (Previous grade: D)
After starting their year 0-1-2, Vancouver has now won two straight. After losing 4-1 to the Lightning to start the week, they managed to bounce back and have a solid win over Florida to net their first win of the season. They followed that up by getting revenge on the Flyers, completely shutting them down en route to a 3-0 win. Vancouver carries some momentum into this next week, and we’ll see if they can keep it going.
Vegas Golden Knights Grade: F (Previous grade: A+)
After starting last week completely undefeated, Vegas has now lost three straight. It started with Washington handing them their first loss of the season with a 4-2 defeat. They then followed it up with losses to Tampa and Florida, with the Florida loss coming in OT. They’ll need to find a way to bounce back this week and stop themselves from sinking too far down.
Washington Capitals Grade: A+ (Previous grade: C-)
The Capitals not only won all three of their games this week, but they also handed two undefeated teams their first losses of the NHL season. If beating Dallas and Vegas wasn’t cool enough, they also got revenge over New Jersey, which beat them in their season opener last week. It’s a good start from Washington, but we should still be concerned about their goaltending, as well as the lack of depth and slow start from their regular stars outside of Tom Wilson.
Winnipeg Jets Grade: A+ (Previous grade: Unchanged)
Winnipeg is not only the current best defensive team in the league. They’re also the only remaining undefeated team. They dominated the Sharks and beat the Penguins this week, bringing their record to a perfect 5-0-0. If that wasn’t enough, their offense and power play have seemingly come alive after being relatively dormant last season. This is going to be a tough team to beat if they continue to play this way.
Also Read: Ranking All 32 NHL Teams After Week 1 Games
