A month has come and gone in the NHL season, and each team has begun carving out its own path.
By now, the teams should be starting to get a fairly decent grasp of their strengths and weaknesses, and hopefully, they will be looking for solutions to better their NHL teams throughout the winter.
Let’s take a look at how each NHL team performed this week and give them a grade.
Which teams got the highest grades in the NHL after week 4?
Anaheim Ducks Grade: D- (Previous grade: Unchanged)
The Ducks went 1-1-1 this week, meaning they only have one win in their last five games. No one really expected the Ducks to be good, though, and weeks like these are the relative norm, despite Lukas Dostal’s surprisingly good play throughout the first month of the season. It just feels wasted right now.
Boston Bruins Grade: C (Previous grade: D-)
The week couldn’t have started worse for the Bruins. They ended up getting shut out by the Flyers, then being dominated 8-2 by the Hurricanes. They managed to salvage it somewhat though, getting back to back shutouts over the Kraken and Flyers to end the week. Hopefully they can use that momentum to get themselves back on the right track.
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Buffalo Sabres Grade: F (Previous grade: A+)
After winning three straight games, the Sabres went on to lose three straight games this week, putting themselves right back into the hole. They’re not going to get anywhere fast if they can’t stop getting in their own way.
Calgary Flames Grade: D- (Previous grade: A)
Oh how the tables have turned. Calgary has just one win in their last six games after starting their season 4-0. All the momentum they seemed to have had is gone just like that. Their one win was a 3-0 win over the struggling Devils and that’s about the only success that has been seen the last week.
Carolina Hurricanes Grade: A+ (Previous grade: Unchanged)
The Canes won all three of their games this week, which brought their win streak up to six games and firmly placed them in second place in the Metro division. If NHL fans were expecting another slow start from this team, they were sorely mistaken. This team appears to have a fire lit under them at this moment.
Chicago Blackhawks Grade: A (Previous grade: F)
Blackhawks may have accidentally given their fans some hope. They had four games this week and they won three of them, one of which was an impressive comeback win over the Kings. Funnily enough, their one loss was to the Sharks of all teams. That may be enough to say hey, maybe this NHL team ain’t there yet.
Also Read: Ranking All 32 NHL Teams’ Offenses From WORST To FIRST For The 2024 Season
Colorado Avalanche Grade: F (Previous grade: A+)
The Avalanche’s five game winning streak came to a crashing halt this week and now they’ve lost three in a row. They haven’t looked exactly pretty either, giving up 15 goals in those three games. It’s hard to know if this NHL team has any hope right now. The defense and goaltending will have to be addressed before they can even hope to return to their Cup winning form.
Columbus Blue Jackets Grade: C (Previous grade: C-)
The Jackets started off their week with a 2-0 win over the Islanders and then absolutely stomped the Oilers 6-1. They then followed that up with two relatively one-sided losses to the Jets and Capitals, losing 6-2 and 7-2, respectively. Still, they’re off to a better start than last year, and a little improvement is still an improvement.
Dallas Stars Grade: D (Previous grade: B)
The Stars only had two games this week, both against the Panthers in the Global Series. They lost both of them by the scores of 4-2 and 6-4. An unfortunate weekend, but they still got to take part in something pretty cool so it’s not a total loss. They’ll be looking to get back on track this week.
Detroit Red Wings Grade: C (Previous grade: D)
The Red Wings had a short week this week, only playing two games. They beat the Sabres 2-1 and lost to the Jets 6-2. Despite getting some fairly solid goaltending from Cam Talbot and Alex Lyon, the Red Wings are still letting in a lot of goals. They also give up a lot of shots per game.
Edmonton Oilers Grade: B (Previous grade: B-)
They started off the week in a pretty embarrassing way, losing to the Blue Jackets 6-1. They rectified that by kicking the rap out of the Predators 5-1 and stifling their rival Flames 4-2. They are still without Connor McDavid, which is obviously a concern given their lack of depth scoring, but they haven’t completely fallen apart yet.
Florida Panthers Grade: A+ (Previous grade: B+)
The Panthers played three games this week, including two against the Stars in the Global Series, and they won all three. This brings their winning streak up to five games. If you want to shake off a Stanley Cup hangover this is certainly the way to go about it, as Florida looks very much like their usual selves.
Los Angeles Kings Grade: D+ (Previous grade: B-)
It’s really hard to get a grip on this team. They started off losing to the Sharks of all NHL teams by a score of 4-2. They then rebounded by dominating the Knights in a really impressive 6-3 win. Then it looked like they were going to coast to an easy win over Chicago before falling apart in the third period and losing in a shootout. That being said, a 6-3-3 start really isn’t that bad.
Minnesota Wild Grade: A+ (Previous grade: A-)
The Wild rebounded from the loss to the Flyers last week by winning all three of their games this week. They beat the Penguins, Lightning, and the Maple Leafs this week and looked rather impressive doing it. This is a completely different-looking team from last year, and it’s honestly rather shocking.
Montreal Canadiens Grade: F (Previous grade: C+)
The Habs lost all three of their games this week, including a dominant 8-2 loss to the Kraken. To make matters worse, Sam Montembault’s play is already starting to regress, which is terrible news for the Canadiens. They could maybe turn things around, but it seems unlikely they turn themselves into a playoff team this year.
Nashville Predators Grade: D+ (Previous grade: A+)
The Preds started off the week getting their winning streak snapped by losing 3-2 in OT to the Lightning. They then got smashed by the Oilers 5-1. They managed to rebound and take out the Avs 5-2 to end the week. Everything aside, 3 points in three games isn’t all that bad. They kick off week 5 against the Kings, and they’ll want to keep their momentum going.
New Jersey Devils Grade: A- (Previous grade: D)
The Devils rebounded from a rough week with a solid week in week four. They did get shut out by the Flames 3-0, but they also absolutely creamed the Canucks in their home. They also smacked around the Ducks a bit too. So overall, certainly not a terrible week for the Devils, and one they could probably be happy with.
New York Islanders Grade: D- (Previous grade: C)
The only thing saving the Islanders from an F grade this week is their 4-3 win over the Sabres and even then it’s close. They got shut out by the Blue Jackets, dominated by the Rangers, and beaten by the Ducks in their other three games this week. Not a great look guys.
New York Rangers Grade: A (Previous grade: A-)
The Rangers started off the week with a hard-fought 5-3 loss to the Capitals. They then rebounded with a solid defensive performance in a 2-1 win over the Senators and then completely shut down the Islanders 5-2 to end the week. The Rangers have hardly skipped a beat from their President’s Trophy-winning season last year, but the competition has been a bit stiffer in their division this year.
Ottawa Senators Grade: C (Previous grade: D+)
The Sens have decided to trade wins and losses a bit. They started the week dominating the Blues 8-1. They then got beaten in a tight 2-1 game against the Rangers. They then rebounded and beat the Kraken 3-0. Obviously, they are a better NHL team from last year, but have they improved enough? We have yet to see.
Philadelphia Flyers Grade: A- (Previous grade: D-)
The Flyers certainly looked better this week, starting off the week with a 2-0 victory over the Bruins. They then continued the momentum with another solid defensive performance, beating the Blues 2-1. Their struggling offense would come back to bite them, though, as the Bruins would exact their revenge and beat them 3-0 to end the week.
Pittsburgh Penguins Grade: A- (Previous grade: F)
The Pens had a better week than they’re used to having recently. They had three games and won two of them. They lost to the Wild 5-3 to start the week, then won two in a row against the Ducks and Canadiens. Not the best competition, but they’ll take any wins they can right now.
San Jose Sharks Grade: A- (Previous grade: F)
The Sharks getting a grade higher than a D is insane. But they did it. They won three of four this week and beat some decent teams. They beat the Kings, Utah, and Chicago this week while only losing to the Canucks. Probably the most impressive week they’ve had in a very long time.
Seattle Kraken Grade: D- (Previous grade: F)
The Kraken have fallen on tough times lately. This NHL team only won one game this week and only have two wins in their last seven. It looked like they were turning things around when they beat the Canadiens 8-2, but then they lost their next three against the Maple Leafs, Senators, and Bruins, with both Boston and Ottawa shutting them out.
St Louis Blues Grade: D- (Previous grade: C)
The Blues had another mediocre week. Not too bad, but certainly not great. They lost 8-1 to the Habs and then 2-1 to the Flyers. They then somehow turned around and beat the Maple Leafs. A solid way to end the week at least.
Tampa Bay Lightning Grade: C (Previous grade: Unchanged)
The Lightning won their first two games of the week, then lost their last two. They haven’t really had too many games where they looked bad, either. They’ve got to be relatively happy with the start of their season, and they’ve seemed to have had a bit of a resurgence.
Toronto Maple Leafs Grade: C (Previous grade: F)
It wasn’t the best rebound from their awful week last week, but it wasn’t a bad one, either. They were the first team to beat Winnipeg, which is impressive. They followed it up with a win against the Kraken. Then they lost two in a row to the Blues and Wild. Now, they’ll have to get their momentum back again.
Utah Hockey Club Grade: D (Previous grade: F)
Utah’s struggles continued this week. Despite beating the Flames 5-1, another struggling NHL team, they also lost to the Sharks this week. That wasn’t their only loss either as they also lost to Vegas although that’s far more forgivable. It would be nice to see Utah regain their legs, but who knows if it will happen.
Vancouver Canucks Grade: D (Previous grade: A+)
It wasn’t a great week for Vancouver, but it certainly could’ve been worse. The black eye of the week is obviously the 6-0 loss to New Jersey on home ice. That had to have stung. They also lost to the Hurricanes, but that was in OT. They ended their week with a 3-2 win over the Sharks, so at least they stopped the bleeding a bit.
Vegas Golden Knights Grade: A- (Previous grade: A+)
The Knights continued their winning streak with a 5-0 win over the Flames to start the week. They then lost the winning streak by losing 6-3 to the Kings. They rebounded relatively well with a 4-3 OT win over the Utah Hockey Club. Overall, it is another solid week for Vegas that keeps them moving in the right direction.
Washington Capitals Grade: A (Previous grade: A-)
It was another solid week for this year’s surprise team. They won their first two games, beating the Canadiens 6-2 and then beating the Blue Jackets 7-2. They then ended their week with a 4-2 loss to the streaking Hurricanes, and there are definitely worse NHL teams to lose to. Washington continues to impress and well exceed expectations.
Winnipeg Jets Grade: A+ (Previous grade: Unchanged)
The Jets did suffer their first loss of the season to the Leafs but then immediately rebounded with another three wins in a row, all in fairly dominant fashion. This improves their record to 11-1-0. That kind of record in today’s NHL is extremely impressive. One has to wonder if they can keep this up all season.
Also Read: Ranking All 32 NHL Teams’ Defenses From WORST To FIRST For The 2024 Season
