Another week has come and gone and it’s time to take look into see how each and every team is doing. Some teams have done way better than expected, while others have failed to meet expectations. Let’s take a look at this week’s power rankings.
32. San Jose Sharks (Previous rank: Unchanged)
The Sharks are currently the only team left in the NHL that has yet to get a win. That tells you all you need to know about this team.
31. Anaheim Ducks (Previous rank: 27)
The Ducks managed to upset Carolina and then completely fall back into their original expectations. This team is not looking good.
30. Washington Capitals (Previous rank: 28)
It’s hard to believe the Caps won the Cup not all that long ago. They certainly seem like a shell of their former selves.
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29. Seattle Kraken (Previous rank: 19)
The Kraken have finally secured their first win of the season, but it’s not enough to stop them from falling down the rankings.
28. Edmonton Oilers (Previous rank: 11)
We certainly weren’t expecting to see this team here were we? They’ve played atrociously and the depth is getting exposed hard. On top of all that, Connor McDavid is out with injury. Not good.
27. Columbus Blue Jackets (Previous rank: 31)
Columbus finds themselves moving up due to the poor performance of other teams more than any improvement in their own play.
26. Buffalo Sabres (Previous rank: 12)
I was counting on the talent of this team to bring them back quickly, but it looks like this fall might need a bit more recovery time. Hopefully they find their footing soon, before they end up buried.
25. Nashville Predators (Previous rank: 26)
This team is in for a long night. They desperately want to avoid rebuild, but if this season continues this way then I fear a rebuild is inevitable.
24. Chicago Blackhawks (Previous rank: 30)
The Blackhawks are not good, but they’ve been competitive enough to see themselves bumped up the rankings. It helps to have Bedard looking as good as he does as well.
23. Calgary Flames (Previous rank: 25)
Calgary can compete, but can they do much more than that? They’re still incredibly reliant on Markstrom.
22. Florida Panthers (Previous rank: 14)
On one end of the spectrum, you have the reigning champs playing amazing. Then you have this team, the runner ups, who look like a far cry from the team that made that glorious finals run just last season.
21. Winnipeg Jets (Previous rank: 15)
Where does this team go from here? We knew dark times were ahead, but certainly they weren’t supposed to come this fast?
20. Minnesota Wild (Previous rank: 16)
The Wild just don’t know who they are. That’s going to be their kryptonite all season long.
19. Pittsburgh Penguins (Previous rank: 17)
The Penguins look better than expected, but that doesn’t mean they look extraordinary. Quite the opposite in fact.
18. Tampa Bay Lightning (Previous rank: 13)
I think the glory days are over. This team looks beaten already. It also appears we’ve seen the end of Vasilevsky’s reign on top.
17. New York Islanders (Previous rank: 22)
The Islanders still have a lot of questions unanswered, but for now they’ve played well enough. They’ve earned the boost.
16. Arizona Coyotes (Previous rank: 23)
The Coyotes actually don’t look half bad. That feels weird to say.
15. Carolina Hurricanes (Previous rank: 3)
The Hurricanes might be the biggest surprise on this list. They look far more mortal then they should. Hopefully it’s nothing they can’t shake off.
14. Vancouver Canucks (Previous rank: 18)
The Canucks started off hot, but two of their three wins were against this falling Edmonton team and now they’ve begun showing cracks. It’ll be interesting to see if they keep up, or if they get buried.
13. St. Louis Blues (Previous rank: 21)
Yet another team that I expected to fail that has come out looking relatively decent. I’ll lose credit if these guys keep proving me wrong.
12. Los Angeles Kings (Previous rank: 10)
The Kings are at .500, but they’ve also had a tough schedule. They’re starting to show just how good they can be though, and Cam Talbot has looked relatively alright in net. Watch to see if Trevor Moore can keep up this hot streak.
11. Ottawa Senators (Previous rank: 9)
The Senators slowed down a bit this week, but it’s to be expected. This is still very much a growing team.
10. Toronto Maple Leafs (Previous rank: 2)
This team has slowed well down as well. Maybe we jumped the gun a bit too fast for them.
9. Montreal Canadiens (Previous rank: 24)
I certainly wasn’t expecting this team to prove me wrong. Yet here they are, in the top ten. Can they keep it up?
8. New Jersey Devils (Previous rank: 5)
Another team that has looked surprisingly mortal, New Jersey has still shown a good amount of talent so far this year.
7. New York Rangers (Previous rank: 8)
The Rangers are playing about the same this week as they did last week. They haven’t seemed to improve all that much from last season.
6. Detroit Red Wings (Previous rank: 20)
Now we start getting into the two shockers of this list so far. The Red Wings have looked astounding. One loss in six games and no signs of slowing down.
5. Philadelphia Flyers (Previous rank: 29)
The Flyers and the Red Wings could be interchangeable here, but given that they were far less likely to be in this position than Detroit, I gave them the top 5 spot. Look at the boys in orange go.
4. Dallas Stars (Previous rank: 6)
The Stars have yet to lose in regulation and have looked like a lock in to be competing for the central division title.
3. Boston Bruins (Previous rank: 7)
We now get into the three undefeated teams so far this season. Boston is 5-0 and the only place they look weak is their tendency to take a lot of penalties. But they’ve yet to allow a power play goal so it might not be much of a weakness.
2. Colorado Avalanche (Previous rank: 1)
This team is just too good. There’s so little weakness in their play and they have true four line depth.
1. Vegas Golden Knights (Previous rank: 4)
This team earned the number one spot by breaking the record for the best start by a defending champion. They’re 6-0 and they look virtually unstoppable.
