Nine weeks of exciting hockey action are in the books. We’re starting to get a pretty clear picture of which NHL teams are going to be competing for a playoff spot and which teams are going to be competing for the draft lottery.
With the All-Star break and the Four Nations tournament coming up, there’s a lot more exciting action to be had. However, the teams don’t get a break until then, so let’s grade how each NHL team performed over week nine.
Which teams got the best grades in the NHL after week 9?
Anaheim Ducks Grade: F (Previous grade: C)
The Ducks only played two games this week, and they lost them both rather convincingly, which resulted in three losses in their last four games. They started off the week with a 4-1 loss to the Golden Knights and then ended it with a 5-1 loss to the Wild. I can’t ever predict if the Ducks are going to have a good or a bad week, and this was no different.
Boston Bruins Grade: A+ (Previous grade: C-)
The Bruins have now won four straight and five of their last six. They played three of those games this week, beating the Red Wings 3-2 in OT, beating the Blackhawks 4-2, and then ending their week with a 4-3 OT win over the Flyers in which they overcame a 3-1 deficit. It was a much-needed week for the Bruins, and hopefully, they can use this momentum to right the ship and get back on track.
Buffalo Sabres Grade: F (Previous grade: Unchanged)
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Things keep going from bad to worse for Buffalo, as they dropped all their games this week. They lost to the Avalanche 5-4, then followed that up with a 3-2 OT loss to the Jets. They then ended their week with a 5-2 loss to Utah. They’ve now lost six in a row and have found themselves back under .500.
Calgary Flames Grade: D- (Previous grade: F)
A 3-0 win over the Blue Jackets to start their week is Calgary’s only saving grace right now. They would go on to lose to the Blues 4-3 in OT and then ended their week with a 6-2 loss to the Stars. They’ve now lost six of their last seven games, and their road record keeps getting worse and worse. Will this NHL team be able to get some momentum back in week 10?
Carolina Hurricanes Grade: D- (Previous grade: C-)
The Canes tumbled pretty quickly from the top of the mountain. They started off their week with a 4-2 loss to the Kraken. They managed to rebound with a 5-3 win over the Avalanche but would then end their week with a 4-3 loss to the Islanders. That’s four losses in their last five games after previously being in pretty good form.
Chicago Blackhawks Grade: F (Previous grade: D+)
The Hawks have continued to plummet towards the bottom of the standings. They played three games this week and lost all three, putting themselves on a five-game losing streak. They started off the week with a 4-1 loss to the Maple Leafs. They then followed that up with losses to the Bruins and Jets, both by the score of 4-2.
Also Read: Grading All 32 NHL Teams’ After Week 8 Games Of The 2024 Season
Colorado Avalanche Grade: A (Previous grade: D-)
It was a busy week for the Avalanche, but they made it a pretty good one. They started out the week with a 5-4 win over the Sabres. They then lost 5-3 to the Hurricanes but immediately bounced back with a 2-1 win over the Red Wings. Scott Wedgewood then made his Avalanche debut with a 4-0 win over the Devils in a very impressive display.
Columbus Blue Jackets Grade: D- (Previous grade: B+)
The Blue Jackets saw all their momentum come to a crashing halt this week. They played four games and lost three of them. It started off with a 3-0 loss to the Flames, which was then followed up by a 6-3 loss to the Oilers. They then went to Vancouver and lost 5-2. They managed to end their Canadian road trip and their week on a high note, though, beating the Jets 4-1.
Dallas Stars Grade: C (Previous grade: C-)
The Stars had a pretty mediocre week. They started off the week with a 2-1 win over Utah. They then lost to the Kings 3-2, which was followed up by another 3-2 loss to the Golden Knights. They then ended their week with a relatively dominant 6-2 win over the Flames.
Detroit Red Wings Grade: F (Previous grade: C+)
The Red Wings played three games this week and lost all of them, bringing their losing streak up to five games. They started off the week with a 3-2 OT loss to the Bruins. They then followed that up with a 2-1 loss to the Senators. This NHL team then ended their week with a 2-1 loss to the Avalanche.
Edmonton Oilers Grade: A (Previous grade: Unchanged)
It was another relatively solid week for the Oilers as they continued trying to make up ground in the Pacific. With the Flames falling apart and the Canucks hanging by a string, weeks like these will certainly help. They started off the week with a 4-1 win over the Avalanche. They then got shut down by the Golden Knights in a 1-0 loss. They then ended the week with two straight wins, a 6-3 win over the Blue Jackets and a 4-2 win over the Blues.
Florida Panthers Grade: A- (Previous grade: Unchanged)
The Panthers may not have been super solid defensively this week, but they sure were in some pretty exciting games. They started off the week with a 5-4 OT loss to the Penguins. They then bounced back with a 7-5 win over the Flyers in what was a super exciting game to watch. They then ended their week with a 3-1 win over the Sharks, which seems pretty tame compared to the other two games.
Los Angeles Kings Grade: A+ (Previous grade: A-)
The Kings are now on a five-game winning streak, which is the longest streak of the year. They only played two of those games this last week, but man, did they look good. Their first win came against the Stars with a score of 3-2, which was a very solid performance from David Rittich. Darcy Kuemper then returned from injury against his former NHL team as they beat the Wild 4-1. This is by far the best the Kings have looked all season, and I hope they can keep this form.
Minnesota Wild Grade: A- (Previous grade: A)
It was business as usual for the Wild, as they saw another week where they won more than they lost. They started off the week with a 3-2 OT win over the Canucks. They then traveled to SoCal and beat the Ducks 5-1. They ended their week getting completely shut down by the Kings in a 4-1 loss, but two out of three games isn’t bad at all.
Montreal Canadiens Grade: A- (Previous grade: D-)
I won’t say that the Habs blew anyone out of the water this week, but it was a much better week than they’re used to seeing. They started the week off with a 2-1 OT win against the Islanders. They then followed that up with a 3-0 win over the Predators. They ended their week with a 4-2 loss to the Capitals, but they didn’t really look all that bad in that game. A better week, for sure.
Nashville Predators Grade: F (Previous grade: D-)
The hole gets deeper and deeper for the Predators. It doesn’t really feel like there’s anything coming back from it now. They’ve now lost six games in a row and are currently only two points away from last place in the league. Three of those losses came this week. They lost to the Maple Leafs 3-2, then to the Canadiens 3-0, and then ended their week with a 3-1 loss to the Senators.
New Jersey Devils Grade: A- (Previous grade: C)
The Devils saw two wins in three games this week, which is fairly solid. They started off the week with a dominant 5-1 win over their division rivals, the Rangers. They then followed that up with a 3-2 win over the Kraken. This NHL team ended their week getting shut out 4-0 by the Avalanche, but they still have an 18-10-2 record and hold second place in their division.
New York Islanders Grade: C (Previous grade: D)
Another mediocre week keeps the Islanders hovering around the .500 mark. They started off the week with two straight losses, losing 2-1 in OT to the Canadiens and then losing 5-2 to the Kraken. They ended their week with two straight wins, however, beating the Hurricanes 4-3 and then beating the Senators 4-2.
New York Rangers Grade: D (Previous grade: F)
The Rangers are still struggling to get their feet back underneath them. They only managed one win this week, so those struggles very much continued. They started off the week losing 5-1 to the Devils. They managed to rebound with a 4-2 win over the Penguins but then lost 7-5 in a very, very sloppy game against the Kraken. They’re now 14-11-1 and have dropped out of the top three in the division.
Ottawa Senators Grade: B+ (Previous grade: C)
The Senators didn’t see much action until the end of the week, but they did manage to secure two wins in three games. Their first game was a 2-1 win over the Red Wings. They followed that up with a 3-1 win over the Predators. They then ended their week with a 4-2 loss to the Islanders. The team is 12-13-2 and is only a few points out of an NHL playoff spot, so if they could manage to get some momentum, we could see a shift in the division.
Philadelphia Flyers Grade: D- (Previous grade: A)
The Flyers did lose all three of their games this week, but due to the fact that all three games were fun and competitive, I’ve spared them an F grade. Their week started with a 7-5 loss to the Panthers in a super entertaining game. They then blew a 3-1 lead and lost to the Bruins 4-3 in OT. They then ended their week with a 4-2 loss to Utah. They’re now back at .500 with a 12-12-4 record.
Pittsburgh Penguins Grade: A (Previous grade: Unchanged)
Just as it looked like the Penguins had completely given up, they’ve now won five of their last six games. This week saw them win two of three, starting with a 5-4 OT win over the Panthers. They lost their next game 4-2 to the Rangers but ended their week with an absolutely solid 5-2 win over the Maple Leafs.
San Jose Sharks Grade: D (Previous grade: A)
It wasn’t the best week for the Sharks, but it also wasn’t the worst we’ve seen them have. They started off the week with a pretty solid 2-1 OT win over the Capitals. They then got absolutely decimated in an 8-1 loss to the Lightning. They then ended their week on a more competitive loss, losing 3-1 to the Panthers. The most surprising turn of events is that the Sharks continue to not be the bottom team in the NHL.
Seattle Kraken Grade: A (Previous grade: D-)
It was a pretty good week for the Kraken, outside of the one glaring fact that they struggle to win games when Phillip Grubauer is on goal. They started off the week with a 4-2 win over the Hurricanes. They then won again by a score of 5-2 against the Islanders. They then got their one and only loss of the week by a score of 3-2 against the Devils. They then ended their week with an exciting 7-5 win over the Rangers.
St Louis Blues Grade: A- (Previous grade: Unchanged)
The Blues played three games this week and won two of them, which gives them a 4-1-1 record since Jim Montgomery took over. They started the week with an impressive 4-1 win over the Jets. They then followed that up with a 4-3 OT win over the Flames. They ended the week with a 4-2 loss to the Oilers, which was their first regulation loss since the coaching change.
Tampa Bay Lightning Grade: A (Previous grade: C)
They only played two games this week, but they looked pretty good in those two games, to say the least. Their first game this week was them absolutely demolishing the Sharks 8-1. They then ended their week with a fairly solid 4-2 win over Vancouver. They’re now 14-9-2 and stand three points outside of a top-three spot in the Atlantic division.
Toronto Maple Leafs Grade: C (Previous grade: Unchanged)
The Leafs had a fairly middle-of-the-pack week, which is below what they usually expect. In four games, they went 2-2-0. The two wins came at the start of the week, beating the Blackhawks 4-1 and the Predators 3-2. They then lost two straight against the Capitals and Penguins by scores of 3-1 and 5-2, respectively.
Utah Hockey Club Grade: B (Previous grade: B+)
Utah started off their week on Monday with a 2-1 loss to the Stars. They then didn’t play again until Saturday, when they had a back-to-back. They ended their week with that back-to-back, beating the Sabres 5-2 and then beating the Flyers 4-2. This NHL team is one win over .500 right now, but they have some decent momentum.
Vancouver Canucks Grade: D+ (Previous grade: A-)
It wasn’t an absolutely horrific week for the Canucks, but it probably wasn’t the one they wanted, with Vegas and LA widening the gap and Edmonton nipping right at their heels. They started off their week with a 3-2 OT loss to the Wild. They then got their only win of the week, beating the Blue Jackets 5-2. They then ended their week with a 4-2 loss to the Lightning. They are three points behind the Kings and seven behind the Knights while being tied with the Oilers.
Vegas Golden Knights Grade: A+ (Previous grade: C-)
The Knights bounced back extremely well from the embarrassing 6-0 loss they suffered at the end of last week. They started off this week with a 1-0 win over Edmonton. They then went on to win their next two as well, beating the Ducks 4-1, and ending their week with a 3-2 win over the Stars. They currently still hold the division lead, being five points ahead of the second-place Kings.
Washington Capitals Grade: A- (Previous grade: A+)
A 2-1 OT loss to the Sharks is what’s bogging the Caps grade down a bit this week, but outside of that, it’s been pretty much business as usual as they won their remaining two games of the week. They beat the Maple Leafs 3-1 and then ended their week with a 4-2 win over the Canadiens. With a record of 19-6-2, they’re not only number one in the Metro division but number one in the whole league.
Winnipeg Jets Grade: C (Previous grade: D-)
It seems the Jets are doing just enough to stop themselves from completely falling apart, which is more than a lot of NHL teams would be doing in their situation. It was a four-game week for them, and they went 2-2-0. They lost to the Blues 4-1 to start the week, then bounced back with two straight wins, beating the Sabres 3-2 in OT and beating the Blackhawks 4-2. They then ended their week with a 4-1 loss to the Blue Jackets.
Also Read: Ranking All 32 NHL Teams After Week 9 Games
