We love hockey season. Six weeks of it down and it has us begging for more. Close games and teams picking up steam while others have started to blow their engines. As we near the end of the second month of the season, let’s take a look at each team and how they stack up against each other so far.
32. San Jose Sharks (Previous rank: Unchanged)
It’s no surprise to anyone that the Sharks still find themselves at the bottom of these rankings. They’ve won three total games across six weeks and at this point their season is as good as over unless the hockey gods send a miracle their way. A tank wouldn’t be all that surprising, but honestly, they’re bad enough they don’t even need to.
31. Columbus Blue Jackets (Previous rank: 29)
I was too nice to Columbus. They’ve lost nine games in a row. Johnny Gaudreau is no where to be found. Patrik Laine finds himself a healthy scratch. Hope is seemingly no where in sight for this disheveled team and it just keeps going from bad to worse.
30. Edmonton Oilers (Previous rank: 31)
The Oilers managed to put together three wins in a row, but they were all against similarly struggling teams in Seattle twice and the Islanders. They didn’t look that great against Tampa Bay. While McDavid and Draisaitl have started to find their mojo, this team still seriously lacks depth scoring. Goaltending hasn’t been any better. Jack Campbell finds himself on waivers and Stuart Skinner might not be far behind if he can’t make something happen.
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29. Chicago Blackhawks (Previous rank: 27)
The Bedard hype has finally started to die down and Chicago’s shine is gone. Now people have begun to realize that this team has very little to offer outside of the occasional highlight reel from their top draft pick. A four game losing streak certainly hasn’t helped their image.
28. Nashville Predators (Previous rank: 26)
Congratulations. They beat Chicago and ended their four game losing streak. That doesn’t change the position this team is in. On paper this team’s roster is filled with talent, but in practice they have an aging core that just isn’t working well together. You can’t help but feel for Juuse Saros. He deserves better than this.
27. Calgary Flames (Previous rank: 30)
The Flames got a little too high on their win against Vancouver and found themselves being the team that ended the Islanders’ losing streak. That being said, the Flames have looked better. They still struggle to put everything together, but at least they have found themselves able to win games.
26. Minnesota Wild (Previous rank: 25)
I keep expecting the Wild to play better and then they just don’t. In fact, they’ve done the opposite. They’ve lost five in a row. The only win they’ve had this last two weeks was against the Islanders who were in the middle of their own losing streak. They have no identity or solution to their problems and it’s probably just going to keep getting worse from here.
25. New York Islanders (Previous rank: 19)
Just a couple of weeks ago we were talking about how great the Islanders looked. Now they’re one win removed from a nine game losing streak, tied with Columbus for the longest losing streak this season. Sorokin is trying his hardest to keep this team afloat, but he’s got little to no support on either side of the ice now. This team has started showing its age and that’s bad news.
24. Seattle Kraken (Previous rank: 28)
The only reason the Kraken find themselves higher on this list is because the other teams behind them have managed to look worse. Seattle still has yet to find any real direction outside of flapping around like a fish out of water. That being said, they’ve still shown they can be competitive with anyone. If they can turn that around and start winning games they could find themselves in a much different position.
23. Ottawa Senators (Previous rank: Unchanged)
All things considered, the Senators didn’t have a bad week. They’ve won three in a row and find themselves with a winning record again. It’s hard to trust it thought. The only decent win on their win streak is Detroit, who has been in a slide themselves.
22. Montreal Canadiens (Previous rank: 16)
The Canadiens got so happy that they finally beat the Bruins that they decided to celebrate and lose four in a row. I expected regression from this team, but this seems to have come out of no where. Maybe they really did just crash into a wall.
21. Buffalo Sabres (Previous rank: Unchanged)
Buffalo finds their rank unchanged because nothing about them has changed. They are still unable to find any sort of consistent momentum and the talent we thought we saw last year has not brought that shine this year. It’s not too late for Buffalo yet though, they haven’t find themselves completely buried and a comeback isn’t unlikely.
20. Arizona Coyotes (Previous rank: Unchanged)
The Coyotes might be the only team where being ranked twenty is not an insult in the slightest. They are well ahead of where I thought they would be when the season began and every time you think they’ve hit the wall and are going to start regressing, they regain their consistency. This team is finally on the right track.
19. New Jersey Devils (Previous rank: 6)
It had to happen. New Jersey is an extremely talented team, but they have one win in their last five games. This is not what was expected from this team heading into this season. Expectations and excitement were at an all time high. There’s still plenty of time for a bounce back however, and it’s a good test to see how this young squad handles adversity.
18. St. Louis Blues (Previous rank: 17)
St. Louis is still trudging along. Jordan Binnington looks like an absolute stud on the ice. Robert Thomas has come to play this year. These are good things you like to see from this team. They have good mental fortitude as well. You need it after back to back 5-1 losses. It’s fine to get whipped by the Kings, but by the Sharks? That one had to sting.
17. Pittsburgh Penguins (Previous rank: 24)
The Penguins had their five game winning streak ended by a two game losing streak, but they rebounded with a good win over the Knights. Sidney Crosby is red hot right now and it has spurred this team on. They still don’t look like the team they used to be, but at least they’re giving themselves a fighting chance.
16. Anaheim Ducks (Previous rank: 13)
The Ducks have seriously slowed down. But even slowed down they’re still so much better than they’ve been the last few years. This team has taken large leaps in the right direction and even though they find themselves at .500, I won’t be surprised if we see them compete for a playoff spot this year.
15. Detroit Red Wings (Previous rank: 12)
We knew Detroit would regress and they have. That wasn’t the question. The question was whether or not they would be able to catch themselves and keep winning games when the regression did come. We haven’t had that answer quite yet, but hopefully in the next couple of weeks we’ll have an idea on Detroit’s resiliency.
14. Tampa Bay Lightning (Previous rank: 18)
What’s wrong with the Lightning can be summed up in a simple sentence. They need Vasilevsky back. That man has been their life line for years and with him gone this team is vulnerable. They’ve managed to keep their heads above water, but for how much longer can they?
13. Carolina Hurricanes (Previous rank: 10)
The Canes followed a win one lose one pattern this last week and that level of momentum has pretty much summed up their season so far. This is clearly a very talented team, but their goaltending has not risen to the occasion and right now, they just seem lost.
12. Washington Capitals (Previous rank: 11)
The Capitals are one of the surprises this year. The last two season saw serious regression from this team, with them missing the playoffs last season. However, they appear to have captured some of that old magic, and it’s showing on the ice at this point in time. The question is if they have the stamina to keep it up.
11. Winnipeg Jets (Previous rank: 15)
The Jets have won three in a row, and six of their last seven. The opening part of the season had many of us worried about this team and where they would find themselves, but they appear to have pulled it together in the best possible way they could. Hellebuyck’s play might still be a bit behind what you would want, but nothing to be too worried about yet.
10. Philadelphia Flyers (Previous rank: 22)
This team somehow has pulled us right back in. A five game winning streak behind them, a netminder in Carter Hart that’s making his claim for a Vezina, and a young core that seems to have figured out how to compete at the highest level. I didn’t want this team to give me hope, but here they are, giving me hope.
9. Toronto Maple Leafs (Previous rank: 14)
Last week I said Toronto might be the worst first period team in the league. That still rings true, however they make up for it by being the best third period team in the league. It’s an exciting way to win hockey games, but it’s not a lasting one. This team needs it’s depth to start showing up and they’ve got to figure out a way to not fall behind early every game.
8. Florida Panthers (Previous rank: 10)
The Panthers have turned it around. Bobvrosky has found some consistency in his game and the top guys are finally starting to produce the way you want them to. The depth was already having to step up to make ground, but now they have scoring throughout the roster and they’re showing why they made a run to the Finals last season.
7. Colorado Avalanche (Previous rank: Unchanged)
The Avs had a solid comeback week this week, winning three in a row after that atrocious 8-2 loss to the Blues last week. The offense appears to have found their mojo again and the defense is stepping up as well. Hopefully this team continues on this trend and doesn’t slip again.
6. Los Angeles Kings (Previous rank: 8)
Somebody tell Cam Talbot that he wasn’t supposed to be this good. LA didn’t just find an unlikely solution in net, they’ve found the solution everywhere. Gavrikov has added a much needed physical presence on the blue line and Dubois has added to an already insane amount of depth at center. This team has depth scoring and scoring from their top stars as well. They’re a serious contender this year.
5. Vancouver Canucks (Previous rank: 4)
The Canucks had a rough week, dropping two in a row to the Kraken and Flames. We knew this team would most likely regress to a point and maybe that’s what happened, but it also could’ve just been a brief blemish. Vancouver bounced back early there’s nothing to say they can’t bounce back again.
4. Dallas Stars (Previous rank: 5)
They had their four game winning streak snapped by the Avs, but this team hasn’t lost any mojo. It’s been a long time coming, but Dallas appears to finally have a team that can compete at the highest level, and compete at it consistently. Keep it up Dallas, we’re all watching.
3. Vegas Golden Knights (Previous rank: 1)
Vegas is finally dethroned after holding the top spot for five straight weeks. This team doesn’t look bad by any means, but they have begun to look a bit more mortal this last week. There’s no cause for any huge concern, this team is still very good and will most likely be a contender again this year.
2. New York Rangers (Previous rank: 3)
While Vegas may have slowed down, these next two teams have not. The Rangers continue to dominate, their only rival in the Eastern Conference being Boston. This is the level of play that fans had been hoping for from the last two seasons. This is the Rangers team we all wanted to see. So far, they’ve delivered.
1. Boston Bruins (Previous rank: 2)
Boston takes Vegas spot at number one and for very good reason. They’ve lost only one game in regulation, and only three games total across the span of six weeks. This team has outstanding goaltending, defense, and offense. The only black eye this team has had was Milan Lucic being arrested and leaving the team. I doubt it’ll affect the play too much however.
