Happy Thanksgiving to all who read this list. We’re just about at the two-month mark of the season, and things are starting to heat up.
Soon, we’ll see if teams are going to sink or swim as the competition gets hotter and the NHL All-Star Break grows closer. We may start seeing some trades as well as we get closer to the new year.
Let’s focus on week seven, though, and take a look at how each NHL team did this last week.
Which teams got the highest grades in the NHL after week 7?
Anaheim Ducks Grade: A- (Previous grade: C)
Not a bad week at all for the boys in Anaheim. They had an impressive 4-2 win over the Stars, which they then followed up with a 3-2 win over the Blackhawks. They ended the week with a 3-2 OT loss to the Sabres. That’s 5 points out of a possible six this week. To top it off, John Gibson seems to be having a return to form. Overall, it was a pretty dang good week for the Ducks.
Boston Bruins Grade: B+ (Previous grade: D)
There’s one massive stain on the Bruins record this week, and that was the 5-1 loss to Columbus. This was the loss that finally had the Bruins fed up. This was the loss that pushed them over the edge. Jim Montgomery is now gone, and big changes are coming to Boston. They ended their week with a 1-0 win over Utah and a 2-1 win over Detroit, so they’re so far 2-0-0 with their new head coach.
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Buffalo Sabres Grade: A (Previous grade: D)
Their tendency to be streaky continues as the Sabres once again bounce back from a bad week with a good week. They won three straight this week, ending their road trip through California with a perfect 3-0-0 record. They beat the Kings 1-0 (in a game where I thought they were mostly outplayed), beat the Ducks 3-2 in OT, and beat the Sharks 4-2. If their recent activity is any indication, then that means they’re in for a rough week in week eight.
Calgary Flames Grade: A+ (Previous grade: A)
The Flames won all three games this week, bringing their winning streak to four games. They beat the Islanders 2-1 in a shootout, beat the Rangers 3-2, and then ended their week with an impressive 4-3 shootout win over the Wild. They’re finding success on the back of an impressive run of play from goaltender Dustin Wolf. Who would’ve guessed that?
Carolina Hurricanes Grade: C (Previous grade: A)
The Hurricanes started off their week with a 4-1 win over Philadelphia. This extended their winning streak to three games. It would be halted by the Devils in their next game, however, as they would lose to New Jersey 4-2. They then ended their week with a 5-4 shootout loss to the Blue Jackets. It’s not the best way to end your week, but a 1-1-1 week isn’t terrible, and one would expect that they’ll bounce back.
Chicago Blackhawks Grade: C (Previous grade: F)
The Hawks have been losing more often than not lately, but this week was an improvement from the last. They had a very impressive 3-1 win over the Panthers, though one could argue that the Panthers have been horrifically underperforming. Their other two games were losses, one being a 3-2 OT loss to the Flyers and the other being a 3-2 loss to the Ducks.
Also Read: Grading All 32 NHL Teams’ After Week 6 Games Of The 2024 Season
Colorado Avalanche Grade: A+ (Previous grade: A)
The Avs have life! They won all three of their games this week, making it six wins in their last seven games. This week, they beat the Flyers 3-2, the Capitals 2-1, and then the Panthers 7-4. They’ll be looking to continue this momentum in week 8, starting off their week with a game against the Lightning.
Columbus Blue Jackets Grade: A (Previous grade: F)
Don’t look now, but the Jackets have won three straight against some pretty decent competition. They started off the streak with a 5-1 win over the Bruins, which got Jim Montgomery fired. They followed that up with what might’ve been the best game of the season so far, a 7-6 OT win over the Lightning. They then ended their week with a 5-4 shootout win over the Hurricanes.
Dallas Stars Grade: B- (Previous grade: A+)
Week eight started off on a sour note, as they lost to the Ducks 3-2. They rebounded relatively nicely, though, beating the Sharks 5-2. They then ended their week with a solid 5-2 win over the Lightning. They’re currently third in the Central, being two points ahead of the Avs and four points behind the Wild.
Detroit Red Wings Grade: D- (Previous grade: Unchanged)
The Red Wings extended their losing streak to three at the start of the week, losing to the Sharks 5-4 in OT. They then managed to get back into the win column with a 2-1 win over the Islanders but immediately fell right back into their losing ways, losing 2-1 to the Bruins. They probably should’ve jumped on Jim Montgomery when they had the chance, but it’s too late for that now. They’ll have to sink or swim.
Edmonton Oilers Grade: C (Previous grade: B+)
What a mediocre week for the Oilers. They lost to the Habs 3-0 at the start of the week but rebounded with a 5-2 win over the Senators. They then lost to the Wild 5-3, only to rebound again by beating the Rangers 6-2. They currently find themselves in fourth place in the Pacific, being only one point behind the Kings, but this is far from the NHL team we saw last year.
Florida Panthers Grade: F (Previous grade: D+)
You would think the Panthers would keep some momentum after beating the Jets 5-0 last week. Instead, they went and lost three in a row. They got beat by the very same Jets 6-3, then lost a painful game to the Hawks 3-1. They then ended their week by losing 7-4 to the Avalanche. It’s been a rough couple of weeks for the defending champs, and you can bet they want to rebound this week.
Los Angeles Kings Grade: C (Previous grade: D)
It was another meh week for the Kings. They only played two games, but not a lot happened in those two games. They lost to the Sabres 1-0 in a game I thought they mostly outplayed Buffalo but couldn’t find the back of the net. They then ended their week with a 2-1 win over the Kraken, which saw a very nice defensive performance and some good goaltending from David Rittich.
Minnesota Wild Grade: B (Previous grade: C)
The Wild continue to rack up points, getting five of a possible six this week. They started off the week with a 4-2 win over the Blues, which they followed up with a 5-3 win over the Oilers. They then ended their week with a 5-4 shootout loss to the streaking Flames. They currently sit in second in the Central, but they’re gaining on the Jets awfully fast.
Montreal Canadiens Grade: C (Previous grade: B)
At first, it looked like the Habs would be able to carry their momentum into this week, beating the Oilers 3-0 to start the week. They would then end their week with a 6-2 loss to the Knights, which halted that momentum in its tracks. Nobody expected the Habs to be world-beaters this season, but at some point, they’re going to have to start showing actual improvements.
Nashville Predators Grade: C (Previous grade: D)
A short week for the Preds that saw some success and some failure. They lost to the Kraken 3-0 in a game where they absolutely could not find their way past Joey Daccord. They rebounded with a win over the top NHL team in the Central, the Jets. However, with a record of 7-11–3 which sees them only one point ahead of the bottom place Chicago, they have a lot of ground to make up.
New Jersey Devils Grade: A+ (Previous grade: B)
The Devils only played two games this week, but it was against very good competition, and they beat both of them. They beat this year’s surprise team, the Capitals, 2-1 in their first game of the week, then followed up with an equally solid 4-2 win over the
Hurricanes. The Devils currently hold first place in the Metro, though they do have three more games played than the second-place Carolina.
New York Islanders Grade: D (Previous grade: C-)
The Islanders aren’t doing much to get over .500, are they? They had three games this week and went 1-1-1. They lost to the Flames 2-1 in a shootout, then followed that up with a 2-1 loss to the Red Wings. They then ended their week with a 3-1 win over the struggling Blues. A win is a win, though, and it probably felt good to end the week on a win as opposed to a loss.
New York Rangers Grade: D- (Previous grade: B+)
The Rangers’ struggles against higher-tier NHL teams have become concerning. They played three games this week, with all three coming against teams currently with winning records and in the playoff race. They only won one. They beat the Canucks 4-3, but then followed that up with a 3-2 loss to the Flames and then a 6-2 loss to the Oilers. They’ve dropped to fourth in the Metro, though they are only two points behind Washington.
Ottawa Senators Grade: F (Previous grade: D+)
Oh boy, what a rough week for Ottawa. They’re starting to resemble the disappointment of a team we’ve seen the last few seasons. In the three games they played this week, they lost to the Oilers 5-2, lost to the Golden Knights 3-2, and lost to the Canucks 4-3. This brings their losing streak up to five games now, and they’re plummeting down the standings like they have cinder blocks tied to their ankles.
Philadelphia Flyers Grade: D+ (Previous grade: A)
The Flyers are keeping themselves out of the basement and getting some much needed development so far this season. While this last week wasn’t great, it certainly wasn’t the worst it could be either. They did lose to the Hurricanes 4-1 and to the Avalanche 3-2 in a game that almost saw them stage a comeback. They ended their week with a 3-2 OT win over the Hawks though.
Pittsburgh Penguins Grade: F (Previous grade: Unchanged)
Another stinker of a week for the Pens, losing all three of the games they played and only picking up one point. The Lightning beat them 3-2 in OT, and then the Jets beat them 4-1. They then ended their week by getting dominated by Utah 6-1. This makes two wins in their last ten games, a horrific stat. They still have the worst goal differential in the league, and now they’re at the bottom of their division.
San Jose Sharks Grade: D- (Previous grade: D)
The Sharks only got one win out of four games played this week, but I’ll be darned if some of those games weren’t exciting. While they still have the worst record in the league, they’re leaps and bounds more entertaining than they were last season. This week, they beat the Red Wings 5-4 in OT, then lost their next three. They lost to the Stars 5-2, lost to the Blues 3-2 in a shootout, and then lost to the Sabres 4-2.
Seattle Kraken Grade: C- (Previous grade: A)
A short week for the Kraken. They went 1-1-0 this week, bringing themselves back to .500. While they started the week with a solid 3-0 win over the Predators in which they completely shut Nashville down, they followed it up with a 2-1 loss to the Kings, where they looked completely uninspiring and flat. That’s pretty much the story of the Kraken; you never know what NHL team you’re going to get.
St Louis Blues Grade: D (Previous grade: F)
Another low-quality week for the boys in blue. They went 1-2-0 this week, with their one win being a shootout win over the Sharks. Their two losses were a 3-1 loss to the Islanders and a 4-2 loss to their division rivals, the Wild. There’s one spec of good news, though, and that’s that they hired Jim Montgomery as their new head coach. If anyone can bring change to this team, it’s him.
Tampa Bay Lightning Grade: D+ (Previous grade: A)
Up and down the Bolts go, as each week brings a different story. They started off the week by extending their winning streak to three games by beating the Pens 3-2 in OT. They then had that winning streak snapped by the Blue Jackets in a 7-6 OT loss in what might’ve been the game of the season so far. They then ended their week with a 4-2 loss against the Stars, where they really didn’t look all that good.
Toronto Maple Leafs Grade: A+ (Previous grade: B)
The Leafs only played two games this week, and they won both of them, extending their winning streak to four games. They beat the Golden Knights 3-0 to start their week, then ended it with a 3-2 win over Utah. They now hold first place in the Atlantic and so far have been the best team in it. At least, it’s the most consistent, anyway.
Utah Hockey Club Grade: D- (Previous grade: C-)
Utah continues to drop further and further down. They did have a dominant 6-1 win over the Penguins this week, but that didn’t stop them from losing their other three games, and that’s really a testament to how poorly Pittsburgh has been playing. They lost to the Capitals 6-2, lost to the Bruins 1-0, and lost to the Leafs 3-2. This makes only two wins in their last seven games.
Vancouver Canucks Grade: C (Previous grade: Unchanged)
The Canucks split their two games this week, and it’s honestly starting to get concerning. They were the only NHL team to lose to the Rangers this week, and their win was against the struggling Senators. Their cracks are starting to show, and they’re trading wins and losses rather than putting anything together.
Vegas Golden Knights Grade: A- (Previous grade: C+)
The Knights went 2-1-0 this week. They did lose to the Leafs 3-0, but they also beat the Senators 3-2 and beat the Canadiens 6-2. Not a terrible week, but you still expect better from this team. There’s just something about them so far this year that’s been relatively lackluster. Maybe it’s Adin Hill playing as badly as he has, or maybe it’s something else entirely. I can’t put my finger on it.
Washington Capitals Grade: D+ (Previous grade: A)
This week was the first hiccup that Washington has had in a while. After starting off their week with a 6-2 win over Utah, they then dropped their next two. This is the first time Washington has lost two consecutive games this season. They lost to the Avs 2-1 and then lost to the Devils 3-2. There’s probably no reason to panic yet, although they are playing without Ovechkin.
Winnipeg Jets Grade: B (Previous grade: D+)
The Jets did bounce back relatively decently from last week, but they are slowly starting to appear more and more mortal. They avenged their loss to the Panthers last week by beating them 6-3 this week. They then followed that up with a 4-1 win over the Penguins. However, they ended their week on a relatively sour note, losing to the Predators 4-1.
Also Read: Ranking All 32 NHL Teams After Week 6 Games
