Week 3 seemed to go by pretty quick. Each team has begun to carve out the story of their season and the images get more and more clear after every week. Let’s take a look at how each team performed this week, and give them a grade.
Anaheim Ducks: B- (Previous grade: F)
The Ducks are a strange team. One second you think they’re taking their place at the bottom of the league, then suddenly they bounce Boston from the ranks of the undefeated and beat Philadelphia to boot. Are you good or not Anaheim?
Arizona Coyotes: C- (Previous rank: B)
The Coyotes have had a rough week. They’ve lost three in a row, one of which they blew a 4-1 lead. They either end the slide and continue performing, or they find themselves buried and in the same place they’ve always been season after season.
Boston Bruins: A+ (Previous rank: A+)
They may not be unbeaten anymore, and losing to Anaheim might’ve stung, but this team is nonetheless still very, very good. They don’t show many weaknesses and they seem like they have the Atlantic under their thumb.
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Buffalo Sabres: C+ (Previous grade: D-)
The Sabres are finally starting to show their talent a little bit. It’s hard to say they’re exactly where they should be, as trading wins and losses is still a bit disappointing, but beating Colorado 4-0 is a massive plus regardless.
Calgary Flames: D- (Previous grade: D+)
This team is standing on quick sand and refuses to escape. Instead they continue to struggle and the rest of us have to watch as they sink further and further into the ground until they are completely swallowed up.
Carolina Hurricanes: C+ (Previous grade: C-)
The Canes still aren’t where they should be, but they do appear to be slowly figuring it out. At least one can hope. They were predicted to be the best team in the league at the start of the season and so far they have a long way to go to meet those expectations.
Chicago Blackhawks: D (Previous grade: D)
You can hardly look anywhere without the NHL posting highlights or stories of Connor Bedard. That was to be expected. What they don’t show is that he is currently the only positive Chicago has going for them.
Colorado Avalanche: A (Previous grade: A+)
Losing to Buffalo and Pittsburgh has bounced Colorado from the ranks of the unbeaten, and most likely stung the ego a bit. This team still looks rock solid though and I have no doubt they’ll shake it off and keep performing,
Columbus Blue Jackets: C- (Previous grade: D+)
It’s hard to get a formal grasp on this team. They still show a lot of issues and those issues largely prevent them from winning games at a consistent level. However, they keep showing glimpses of hope and find themselves competing in games they shouldn’t be competing in .
Dallas Stars: A (Previous grade: A)
The Stars finally lost in regulation, but man they still look good. Jake Oettinger already looks like a future Vezina winner and he’s still so young. Jason Robertson is already an absolute stud and who can forget the vets like Jamie Benn.
Detroit Red Wings: B (Previous grade: A)
Detroit has faltered slightly, but not enough to be given an average grade. They still look way better than they were supposed to and that’s impressive in its own right. Keep it up Detroit, it’s fun to see you playing good hockey again.
Edmonton Oilers: F (Last Week: F)
As expected, losing McDavid has only done this team even worse. Despite some highlight reel saves this week, Stuart Skinner and Jack Campbell are still playing far from Vezina level, and this team’s lack of depth has never been more exposed.
Florida Panthers: D (Previous grade: C-)
One might start to think the Panthers are trying to recreate last season. However, they may soon find that if they wait too long, that playoff berth will end up being out of reach. Let’s figure it out Florida, your run last season was magical.
Los Angeles Kings: B- (Previous grade: C+)
Cam Talbot is the main surprise of this team as he’s playing relatively good hockey. However, Phoenix Copley is struggling badly. Trevor Moore has seemed to find a goal scoring touch though and Kopitar and Doughty look as good as ever. This team still struggles against the elites though.
Minnesota Wild: D (Previous grade: C-)
Where do you go from here Minnesota? You’ve dug quite the hole for yourself and now you have to find a way to dig your way out. With as competitive as the Central is, that’s going to be a very tough task indeed.
Montreal Canadiens: A (Previous grade: A-)
It’s still really, really hard to trust this team, but man are they playing good hockey. This is not the start that I or many other people really expected from them, even if they were moving in the right direction the last couple of seasons.
Nashville Predators: D+ (Previous grade: D-)
A D+ might be overly optimistic, but this week did appear better than the last. The true story is that this team is still playing below average hockey, and are relying on a core that can’t produce anymore. Saros has been this team’s saving grace and he continues to be, but that’s a large workload for anyone to handle.
New Jersey Devils: A- (Previous grade: B+)
The Devils are beginning to show their stuff and that spells trouble for the Metro division. The battle between them and the Rangers is going to be a good one this year as both teams look absolutely outstanding early.
New York Islanders: A- (Previous grade: B)
Did anyone expect this from the Islanders? They were expected to be a middle of the pack non playoff team, yet here they are competing with the best in the sport. Are they going to burn out or are they a playoff team this year?
New York Rangers: A (Previous grade: B)
I said the Rangers were too reliant on Shesterkin and in a way that still rings true, but the rest of the team looks really good right now. Shesterkin’s stellar play this year is just a cherry on top.
Ottawa Senators: C- (Previous grade: B)
The Senators appear to be struggling to find any real identity. The talent is there, the coaching is there, this team just needs to find a way to put it all together and begin competing. It might take them some time to do it though.
Philadelphia Flyers: B+ (Previous grade: A)
The Flyers had their worst week of the season so far, but it wasn’t really that bad. The loss to Anaheim was a bit of a stinger, but they gave Vegas and Dallas all they can handle. There’s no shame in losing to those teams especially when you push them like that.
Pittsburgh Penguins: D- (Previous grade: C)
The Penguins had a good win against Colorado, but it’s their only win in their last 5 games. This team is old and while Crosby can still bring it, it’s tough to tell if the other vets can. Pittsburgh’s time in the sun is over.
San Jose Sharks: F (Previous grade: F)
The Sharks has still been unable to find a win this season. One can only guess how crippling that must be three weeks and 9 games into the season. This could either spark them and make them dangerous, or more realistically make them struggle even more.
Seattle Kraken: D (Previous grade: F)
The Kraken have been playing better, but they still haven’t found a way to win consistently. Their games usually come down to them simply just being outgunned. Their offense can hang with anyone, but their defense and goaltending is letting them down tremendously.
St Louis Blues: C- (Previous grade: B)
The Blues’ burnout appears to be coming sooner rather than later. They looked good through the first two weeks, and while they still look better than I expected them to, they do appear to be faltering pretty bad.
Tampa Bay Lightning: B (previous grade: C-)
This is the first week this season where Tampa has looked like Tampa. They may be tired and worn and in dangerous salary cap territory, but somehow this team is still finding ways to compete at the highest level.
Toronto Maple Leafs: A- (Previous grade: C+)
Perhaps I was too harsh on Toronto last week, but with their history who can blame me? They’re back to playing stellar hockey, but if they want to make a deep playoff run they’ll have to be more consistent.
Vancouver Canucks: B+ (Previous grade: B)
Just when you thought Vancouver was starting to slip, they brought it right back and proved us wrong. A very good week from Vancouver is very encouraging for this team and should help their confidence moving forward, knowing they have the ability to bounce back.
Vegas Golden Knights: A+ (Previous grade: A+)
Vegas is no longer undefeated, but they still look absolutely incredible. This team already looks like a lock to win the Pacific Division, and they may even make another deep playoff run if they don’t run into a burnout. I guess the Stanley Cup hangover doesn’t affect this team.
Washington Capitals: C+ (Previous grade: F)
The Capitals had a pretty decent bounce back week, managing to win a couple games and get themselves back above .500. However, those wins are against mostly weaker competition and may not provide too much hope going forward.
Winnipeg Jets: D- (Previous grade: D)
Hellebuyck might be finding his game, but the rest of this team is not. They appear to have no real direction and have completely stagnated while other teams around them get better. This team has a cloudy future, and no real help on where they’re supposed to go.
