Six weeks have come and gone and it feels like they’ve flown by. This is shaping up to be an incredible season, with the greatest players already starting to step up and show case their stuff. The goaltending in particular this year has been extremely fun to watch, with guys like Carter Hart and Igor Shesterkin continuing to play their role, and then less likely guys like Cam Talbot stepping up and playing their hearts out. Let’s take a look at each team and grade how they played this week.
Anaheim Ducks: C- (Previous grade: A-)
The Ducks have lost three in a row. Losing to the Panthers and Avalanche is nothing to be ashamed about though, especially at the stage of development this team is currently at. Losing to the Blues isn’t terrible either, though you would hope the Ducks would be able to find ways to beat teams at that level. It’s okay, they’re still making steps in the right direction.
Arizona Coyotes: C (Previous grade: Unchanged)
The Coyotes went 1-2 this week, but it’s hard to be too harsh on them. You already know this team is not one of the elites, but the fact that they’ve at all been able to compete at the level that they are is somewhat heartwarming. This team has a lot of turbulence around it with the years of bad play, the arena discourse, and lack of fandom. To see them finally on the right track is a very good sign.
Boston Bruins: A+ (Previous grade: Unchanged)
Boston continues their dominance for another week. We talked about how losing Patrice Bergeron and David Krejci would affect this team. Add other losses in like Taylor Hall and it was safe to expect they would be good, but not as good as last season. We were wrong. This team hasn’t appeared to miss a beat at all.
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Buffalo Sabres: C- (Previous grade: C)
The Sabres went 1-2 this week, dropping games to the Bruins and Jets whilst beating Chicago. Not the worst teams to lose to and you expect them to beat Chicago, but given the expectations around this team you just expect them to compete at a higher level than what they are right now.
Calgary Flames: C+ (Previous grade: F)
Calgary started off the week strong by winning two in a row against Ottawa and Vancouver. They must’ve celebrated the Vancouver win too hard, because they ended up being the team that snapped the Islanders nine game losing streak. That being said, this team has separated themselves from Edmonton at the very least.
Carolina Hurricanes: C (Previous grade: B)
The Hurricanes went 2-1-0 this week, but they have been following a pattern of win one lose one recently. They have a winning record and are in the top five of the division, but this inability to gather themselves and create any real momentum is going to hurt them badly as the season progresses. They need a goalie to step up as well.
Chicago Blackhawks: F (Previous grade: D)
Blackhawks have lost four in a row and now that the new toy shine of Connor Bedard has worn off, the luster around this team is completely gone. They find themselves in the exact same situation they were in the last two seasons. The bottom of the barrel with no way out, except now they’ve torn their roster apart for one guy.
Colorado Avalanche: B+ (Previous grade: D)
This is the Avs we like to see. After that atrocious 8-2 loss to the Blues, the Avs have bounced back this week with three in a row, scoring 19 goals across those three games. This team showed some mortality the last couple of weeks, but believe in their roster. They have what it takes to handle adversity.
Columbus Blue Jackets: F (Previous grade: Unchanged)
Columbus is in the worst spot possible. They’ve lost nine in a row. Patrik Laine has been benched. Johnny Gaudreau might as well as be a ghost out on the ice. He has one goal this season and it was an empty netter. It’s a dark chasm that Columbus has found themselves in, with no sign of light or hope for that matter.
Dallas Stars: A+ (Previous grade: Unchanged)
They had their four game winning streak snapped by the Avs at the end of the week, but that doesn’t change how good this team has played. They’ve won four of their last six, with the only two losses coming to other heavy hitters in Boston and Colorado. You would like to see Dallas start winning some those games however.
Detroit Red Wings: D+ (Previous grade: C)
Detroit had two games this week and they lost both of them. They only have one win in their last five and that one win was the Blue Jackets. We knew the regression was coming, now it’s time to see if Detroit can handle the adversity or fall. It’s sink or swim guys which one are you going to do?
Edmonton Oilers: C+ (Previous grade: F)
On one had, Edmonton went on a three game winning streak (that got snapped by Tampa) and McDavid and Draisaitl are finally starting to pick it up. On the other hand, two of those wins were the Kraken and one was the Islanders mid losing streak. The one time they played a decent team this last week they lost. They still have no answer to their poor goaltending and there is absolutely no depth on this team.
Florida Panthers: A (Previous grade: Unchanged)
Before losing to the Kings on Thursday, Florida had won five in a row. They rebounded from that loss with a solid win over the Ducks. While this team looks much better, with Bobvrosky playing more consistently and the top guys finding their groove, there are still some glaring defensive holes that could end up being very worrying.
Los Angeles Kings: A+ (Previous grade: B)
We had hope the Kings would bounce back from their two game losing streak and bounce back they did. They stifled the Panthers winning streak in a 2-1 win that showed a terrific defensive performance. Then they battered the Blues 5-1. Cam Talbot played amazingly in both games. The team has completely fixed their penalty kill from last season as well. The Kings have arrived ladies and gentlemen.
Minnesota Wild: F (Previous grade: Unchanged)
The Wild find themselves deep in a five game losing streak. Their playoff hopes quickly getting further and further away with each passing day. They can’t win games no matter how close they are. Their goalie tandem is not stepping up to stop the puck. This team lacks identity, direction, and leadership. This could just be the start of a long fall down.
Montreal Canadiens: D- (Previous grade: B)
Montreal lost all four of their games this week and found themselves quickly slipping down the Atlantic division rankings. This is a hard division to climb back up as well. This is Montreal’s true test. They’ve already showed that they’re ready to start competing for playoff spots, but can they handle the adversity that comes with it.
Nashville Predators: F (Previous grade: Unchanged)
The Preds ended the week by beating Chicago to snap a four game losing streak. The win is a nice way to end the week and get some confidence, but it’ll only go so far. This team is most likely going to have to make serious moves at the deadline and start it all from scratch.
New Jersey Devils: D- (Previous grade: D+)
The Devils only have one win in their last five games. They look shook. They’re playing well below their talent level. Every week see’s them slowly slip down the standings as they watch the others get further and further away. It could just be a bump in the road, or it could be the signs of some shaken confidence. Only time will tell.
New York Islanders: F (Previous grade: Unchanged)
The Islanders managed to snap their nine game losing streak with a 5-4 shootout win over the Flames. That’s a big breath of fresh air. Long losing streaks can be suffocating and absolutely ruin a team’s confidence. This team has a few vets that can lead them back into a proper mindset, but will they be able to recover and compete for a playoff spot? Hard to say.
New York Rangers: A+ (Previous grade: Unchanged)
The Rangers only had one game this week and it was a 5-3 victory over the Devils to boost their winning streak to four games. Across these last six weeks, the Rangers have only lost three games, amassing a record of 12-2-1. They look good on every part of the ice and finding out how to beat them is going to be a headache for any team.
Ottawa Senators: B (Previous grade: C)
The Senators won three in a row this week which is a good momentum starter. The best win on that winning streak was Detroit, but if Ottawa can continue to beat lower tier teams then they can gain confidence and momentum to start competing. We’ll see if they can follow through with that, or if they simply fall back into old habits.
Philadelphia Flyers: A+ (Previous grade: C+)
We all counted out the Flyers once they started to slip. It seemed inevitable that their time in the sun was gone. And what did they do in response? They went out and won five games in a row to claim the number two spot in their division. Carter Hart is playing incredible hockey right now, but it’s been Owen Tippett that’s truly caught everyone’s eye these last couple of weeks.
Pittsburgh Penguins: B (Previous grade: A)
The Penguins had their five game winning streak ended by a two game losing streak, but they managed to end the week on a high note with a 3-0 win over the Knights. Sidney Crosby is on fire right now and you can see the boost of confidence it has given his team. Pack that on top of some solid goaltending the last couple of weeks, and you have a Pittsburgh team that’s refusing to go down without a fight.
San Jose Sharks: F (Previous grade: Unchanged)
San Jose is pretty much kissing their season goodbye. With just three wins across six weeks and a roster that’s in as many pieces as they are, it’s unlikely they find themselves competing for anything other than the chance to win the number one pick in the lottery.
Seattle Kraken: C (Previous grade: D-)
The Kraken started the week losing to the Avs and Oilers. They then rebounded by beating the Islanders and then getting a huge win over the Canucks. This team has shown that they can compete, but they haven’t been able to find a way over that hump to start consistently winning games. Once they do, I reckon they can compete for a playoff spot again.
St. Louis Blues: D+ (Previous grade: C+)
They started off the week strong with a 5-0 victory over the Lightning, but then they ran into back to back 5-1 losses. Getting whooped by the Kings is no big deal, but the Sharks? That one’s going to sting. They managed to rebound at the end of the week with a solid 3-1 victory over the Ducks. It’s hard to tell where this team will end up at the end of the season though.
Tampa Bay Lightning: C- (Previous grade: D)
The Lightning started off the week with a 5-0 loss to the Blues that increased their losing streak to three. However, they ended their week by winning two in a row against the Blackhawks and Oilers. Not the most elite teams in the world, but they’re still wins on the record and hopefully some confidence builders as well. That being said, this team needs Vasilevsky back.
Toronto Maple Leafs: A (Previous grade: B-)
Toronto has won four in a row and their ability to make a third period comeback is second to none. Auston Matthews remains red hot, but this team has some issues that need to be fixed. Their first period play is atrocious and they can’t expect to win a Cup from third period miracles. They have no depth scoring either. If this team wants to be taken seriously as a contender they need to fix these.
Vancouver Canucks: C- (Previous grade: A+)
Losing two in a row to the Flames and Kraken is not a great look for this team. That being said, it could just be a momentary slip. We expected this team to regress, but I don’t think they’ve hit a wall nor will they any time soon. Expect a bounce back week from this team, even if they slow down a little bit.
Vegas Golden Knights: D+ (Previous grade: A+)
Vegas only had two games this week and they lost both of them. There’s no concern that this team will go on a slide, at least not yet, but they have looked more mortal these last couple of weeks. I trust this team though, as should you.
Washington Capitals: A (Previous grade: B-)
The Capitals won all three games this week, increasing their win streak to four. They find themselves in third place in their division and in an interesting spot regarding the fact that they weren’t ever supposed to be in this position when the season began. Evidently they still have some more left in the tank before they start to tear apart the roster.
Winnipeg Jets: A (Previous grade: B-)
The Jets have turned it around. The start of the season seems far away now as this team is now competing with the best of the league. You want to see a little bit better play from Hellebuyck, but he’s not playing bad by any means and the rest of the team is playing incredibly in front of him. Hopefully they find themselves having much success this year.
