The holiday season is upon us and we’ve been blessed with the gift of good hockey. Well, some of us have anyways. As is the case every year, not every season is going to be one worth remembering. As we get closer and closer to the new year we will start to see the playoff picture become clearer. Let’s take a look at how the teams performed this week.
Anaheim Ducks: F (Previous grade: D-)
You could hear the sigh of relief when the Ducks ended their eight game losing streak, only for it to be followed by a groan of despair when they proceeded to lose their next three. The freefall continues for this team it seems.
Arizona Coyotes: C- (Previous grade: A)
The Coyotes had their winning streak ended by losing two in a row, but it doesn’t seem to be of much concern. This team has already shown tons of heart this season and I see no reason why they won’t show it again.
Boston Bruins: C- (Previous grade: A-)
They lost to the Sabres which is embarrassing, but they beat the Coyotes to end their week. They’re mortal, but mortal doesn’t mean bad. This team is still very scary to see on your schedule.
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Buffalo Sabres: D+ (Previous grade: D-)
Beating Boston was the highlight of Buffalo’s week. Unfortunately that win came surrounded by two losses to Detroit and Montreal. I’m not sure what can help Buffalo at this point, especially since Tage Thompson returning hasn’t seemed to give them much spark.
Calgary Flames: D+ (Previous grade: C+)
Calgary went 1-2 this week, beating the Hurricanes, but losing to the Wild and Devils. Calgary is struggling to score goals at any consistent rate. They’re also struggling to win games in regulation. They need to find Jakob Markstrom some support because Vladar has given him no help.
Carolina Hurricanes: F (Previous grade: C+)
That’s four losses in a row for the Canes and all four came this week. They were already struggling to maintain position in their division and this week was crippling as they saw themselves plummet down the rankings.
Chicago Blackhawks: C (Previous grade: F)
A C grade is an accomplishment for this team. They went 2-2 this week, beating the Blues and the Ducks, but losing to the Predators and Capitals. A mediocre week for a below mediocre team.
Colorado Avalanche: D+ (Previous grade: D-)
The Avs didn’t do much better this week, going 1-2. They beat the Ducks, but lost to the Flyers and Jets. The Jets loss especially is rough considering how close that Central division top three are. They’re struggling to keep that top spot and Winnipeg has not made it easy for them.
Columbus Blue Jackets: D- (Previous grade: C)
Columbus had a rough week, going 1-3. Their one win was a 5-2 win against the Blues. They lost to the Islanders, Panthers, and Kings. They were up 3-0 on the Kings as well, before giving up four unanswered goals to lose in overtime. This team is truly dreadful in the third period.
Dallas Stars: D- (Previous grade: B-)
This was a really rough week for a team that was desperately trying to overtake Colorado. They went 1-3 this week, barely beating the Capitals in a shootout, but losing to the Lightning, Panthers, and Golden Knights. They’ve also given up 19 goals in their last four games.
Detroit Red Wings: D- (Previous grade: A-)
Rough week for Detroit. They beat the Sabres as they should, but then lost to the Sharks in a brutal overtime loss that saw them give up a 4-0 lead. They then followed that up with a 5-1 loss to Ottawa.
Edmonton Oilers: A+ (Previous grade: A)
The Oilers are the hottest team in hockey right now. They’ve won seven games in a row pulling themselves out of the hole they dug slowly but surely. McDavid is back to playing like the best player in the world. There’s still a scary lack of scoring outside of the top six, and the goaltending issue has not been fixed, but they’re winning games again.
Florida Panthers: A (Previous grade: C)
The Panthers won all three of their games this week and looked very solid doing it. It’s been mentioned that they were having competitive games against teams they were clearly better than, but that did not seem to be an issue at all this week, as Florida continues to prove they’re ready to make another run.
Los Angeles Kings: C (Previous grade: A-)
The Kings played five games in eight days, four of which were on the road, and they showed that exhaustion towards the end of the week. They dropped back to back games against the Islanders and Rangers, losing their perfect road record in the process.
Minnesota Wild: C (Previous grade: A)
The Wild went 2-2 this week, beating the Kraken and Flames, but losing to the Canucks and streaking Oilers. This team’s issue remains their lack of any real identity (and goaltending), but they do seem to be slowly figuring it out. There still needs to be serious changes.
Montreal Canadiens: C (Previous grade: D-)
The Habs went 2-2 this week. They beat the Sabres and Kraken, but lost to the Predators and once again got showed up by the Kings. Injuries have certainly played a factor in this team’s recent decline, but I reckon it was going to happen regardless. They’re just not ready yet.
Nashville Predators: A- (Previous grade: D)
Since their six game winning streak, Nashville has been playing with renewed confidence. They went 3-1 this week, beating Montreal, Chicago, and Tampa, while only losing to Toronto. It’s doubtful this team will amount to a true contender, but at least they’re above just laying down and dying.
New Jersey Devils: A (Previous grade: B-)
The Devils have finally learned how to win consecutive games in a row and it has helped them tremendously. They went 3-1 this week, beating the Canucks, Kraken and Flames, while losing to the streaking Oilers to end the week. They’re still playing below their talent level, but this is certainly a start.
New York Islanders: B- (Previous grade: Unchanged)
Age is just a number. That’s what the Islanders keep proving as they continue to compete with the best. They went 2-1 this week. While they’ll want to forget about their loss to the Sharks, their comeback overtime win against the Kings should be a fond memory.
New York Rangers: C- (Previous grade: A-)
Watching Jonathan Quick against the Kings was bittersweet to say the least. He got the win, but it just doesn’t feel right. That being said, the 4-1 win against LA was the highlight of the week, as they dropped their other two games against the Capitals and Senators.
Ottawa Senators: B- (Previous grade: D)
The Sens sneakily put together a decent week, going 2-1. They beat the Rangers and Red Wings, while losing a very competitive game to Toronto. This team still needs to find a way to put all of its puzzle pieces together and they’re risking another wasted season here.
Philadelphia Flyers: A+ (Previous grade: D+)
The Flyers have won four in a row, three of which came this week, and two of which came against their bitter rivals in Pittsburgh. Carter Hart continues to be the back bone of this team, but he’s finally getting the help he deserves as this young squad continues to figure out how to compete at the NHL level.
Pittsburgh Penguins: F (Previous grade: D)
The Penguins are on the flip side of Philly. They’ve lost four in a row, three of which came this week, and two of which came against their bitter rivals in Philadelphia. It’s a bitter pill to swallow as the NHL watches this once great team sink into irrelevancy, while Crosby desperately tries to pull them up.
San Jose Sharks: B+ (Previous grade: D+)
The Sharks are still losing games, but now they’re finding ways to be competitive in those games. They went 2-1 this week, winning thrilling games over the Red Wings and Islanders, and then barely losing to the Golden Knights in a shootout.
Seattle Kraken: F (Previous grade: Unchanged)
That’s now eight losses in a row for Seattle. This team had so many expectations heading into this season, but it’s starting to feel like last season’s success was a flash in the pan. You can’t hate on their offense, but the defense and goaltending has been terrible.
St. Louis Blues: D- (Previous grade: D)
The only thing saving the Blues from an F is their win over Vegas to start the week. Outside of that, they lost to Vegas in the rematch, and then went on to drop games to Chicago and Columbus. This team got off to a decent start, but now appears to be struggling to keep up.
Tampa Bay Lightning: B (Previous grade: D-)
The Bolts went 3-1 this week, which was a much needed bounce back given the week they had before. They beat the Stars, Penguins, and Kraken, but lost pretty badly to Nashville. This team isn’t what it used to be, but it’s still impressive they’ve managed to keep from falling apart.
Toronto Maple Leafs: A (Previous grade: B)
Toronto only had two games this week, but they won both of them. They had a competitive win over their Ontario rivals, but then completely outclassed the Predators. It’s still hard to call this team a true contender given their issues with depth, but Joseph Woll has been a nice surprise.
Vancouver Canucks: B (Previous grade: C)
The Canucks have certainly slowed down, but they’re still winning games and fighting for that Pacific title. They went 2-1 this week, beating the Islanders and Wild, but losing to the Devils. Thatcher Demko and Casey DeSmith might be one of the surprises of the year.
Vegas Golden Knights: A (Previous grade: C-)
Vegas won three in a row this week, which was a much needed momentum boost after the last couple of weeks they’ve had. Despite the win streak, the game over the Sharks was scary as Vegas barely beat them in a shootout. What a story Adin Hill and Logan Thompson have turned out to be though.
Washington Capitals: C (Previous grade: C-)
They started off the week losing two in a row, but ended the week winning two in a row including a very nice victory over the Rangers. This team is a pain to play against simply because they’re so stifling defensively. It’s aggravating just to try and get shots on net against them.
Winnipeg Jets: A (Previous grade: D)
The Jets have won four in a row, including a huge win over their division rival in the Avalanche. Connor Hellebuyck is finally starting to look like his old self, and signing Laurent Brossoit might’ve been one of the smartest decisions this team has made. I’m looking forward to seeing the progression they make this season.
