The name of the game in hockey is scoring goals. You can’t win a game unless you score more goals than the opponent!
Obviously, stopping goals from being scored is just as important, but if you can’t score yourself, you’re not going to have a lot of fun.
That being said, scoring goals can be a complicated process. It takes strategy, timing, teamwork, and a little bit of luck. Some teams find it easier to score goals than others.
Today, we’re going to look at the offenses of each NHL team and rank them.
Which NHL teams have the highest-ranked offense this season?
32. Chicago Blackhawks
When your entire offense is dependent on Connor Bedard, you can’t expect to be a superpower offensively, and that’s exactly what we saw from Chicago last season. They averaged a measly 2.17 goals per game last season, with a 16% power play success rate. You can’t be too hard on them, though; it’s not like anyone expected anything better.
31. San Jose Sharks
Click on ‘Follow Us’ and get notified of the most viral NHL stories via Google! Follow Us
The basement teams are in the basement for good reasons, and one of those reasons is they usually cannot score goals. San Jose was no exception. They looked completely incompetent in the offensive zone. They averaged just 2.20 goals per game last season, which wasn’t nearly enough goal support for their struggling defense. There’s a reason they failed to even win 30 games last year.
30. Anaheim Ducks
Even when the Ducks were at their best last year, they still couldn’t seem to find the back of the net consistently. They averaged just 2.48 goals per game last year. Don’t expect much to change this year, as they are still very much finding their legs.
29. Seattle Kraken
One of the reasons Seattle failed to make the playoffs last year was that their high-scoring offense from the year before vanished into thin air. They went from having one of the highest-scoring offenses in the NHL to averaging just 2.61 goals per game. I have no idea which Seattle team we will see this year, but they’ll miss the playoffs again if they can’t get that scoring touch back.
28. Washington Capitals
It feels criminal to have Washington this low, given the offensive powerhouse they’ve been for years. It feels even more criminal when you remember they actually made the playoffs last season. Washington snuck into the postseason while only scoring 2.63 goals per game, the lowest we’ve seen from them in over a decade. I still have no idea how they did it.
27. Philadelphia Flyers
While the Flyers didn’t make it into the playoffs, they came pretty darn close despite not having a great offense themselves. They averaged just 2.82 goals per game last year yet managed to compete for a playoff spot all season long off of good defensive play and solid goaltending. There’s something commendable about that, to be honest.
26. Montreal Canadiens
Montreal hasn’t been a force offensively for quite some time and last year was no different. This team just lacks any sort of real umph in the offensive zone and it has hindered them greatly the past couple of years. They averaged just 2.83 goals per game last year, and given the little changes they made to their roster I doubt that offense is just going to magically come alive.
25. Columbus Blue Jackets
It’s a surprise to see Columbus this high, given all their stars had career-low offensive outputs, and they were a complete mess. Given the offseason they had, it’s unlikely that’ll change. They averaged 2.85 goals per game last season, and it’s likely they may average even less this year.
24. St Louis Blues
In a truly odd fashion, we have yet another team that fought for a playoff spot despite having a relatively weak offense. Practically carried by Jordan Kyrou, the Blues sported 2.85 goals per game last year, and it is, in fact, a reason why they came up short in their hunt for a playoff spot. If their key players contribute a bit more this year, that number may bump up.
23. Buffalo Sabres
Buffalo has way too much talent to be producing this little, but here we are. Their top guys did not produce the way they needed to, and that’s why we saw them well out of a playoff spot and only producing 2.98 goals per game. Hopefully, they can get more out of their top guys this year, but it’s hard to have any faith in Buffalo anymore.
22. New York Islanders
An average or good offense usually averages around 3 goals per game. New York barely missed that cutoff, which is pretty good for a team that relies more on grinding down opponents than they do scoring. New York, who was also a playoff team, averaged 2.99 goals per game last year.
21. Minnesota Wild
The Wild’s issue was never scoring goals but keeping pucks out of their own net. They averaged a respectable 3.02 goals per game last year but never really competed for a playoff spot, given their bad defense and atrocious penalty kill. That’s probably going to be the same story this year.
20. Ottawa Senators
The Sens definitely have offensive firepower with the likes of Brady Tkachuk and Claude Giroux. The issue is everything else they do on the ice. They averaged 3.05 goals per game last year but finished well out of a playoff spot due to lackluster play everywhere else.
19. Pittsburgh Penguins
It truly is the end of an era to see a team that has Sidney Crosby this low on the field. That being said, Crosby was pretty much a one-man team last year. Pittsburgh averaged 3.09 goals per game last year, and a big part of that was Crosby himself carrying the team on his back. It’ll be interesting to see how much longer Sid can hold these guys up.
18. Calgary Flames
The Flames’ offensive numbers didn’t take as much of a hit as you thought they would have when they blew up their roster at the deadline. Tied with Pittsburgh at 3.09 goals per game, Calgary can still score, but it’s just not enough to make up for their shortcomings everywhere else.
17. Utah Hockey Club
Last season, Utah was still the Arizona Coyotes. Given that the player roster is still pretty much the same, we’ll be using Arizona’s offense to judge Utah. They averaged 3.10 goals per game last year, which is certainly respectable and a big reason why they competed for a playoff spot last year. Let’s see if they can keep that up this year.
16. Los Angeles Kings
The Kings probably could’ve scored more goals last year if their entire system wasn’t based on waiting for their opponents with a neutral zone trap. That being said, they still had a fairly respectable 3.10 goals per game last year. They’re ditching the 1-3-1 this year, so maybe that number will go up.
15. Winnipeg Jets
The Jets were absolutely stellar defensively and in the net, with a decent offense to back it all up. Averaging 3.16 goals per game last year, the Jets were one of the most well-rounded teams throughout the regular season. That all imploded in the playoffs, though, so maybe we can wait to see what they can do this year.
14. Vegas Golden Knights
The fact that Vegas is this low is a testament to how high-powered the top offenses in the NHL are. Vegas averaged a solid 3.21 goals per game last season with their well-constructed system. They’re not really a team that blows people away with scoring, though; they’re more of a team that gets the lead and holds it.
13. Boston Bruins
The Bruins offense certainly took a hit from losing guys like Patrice Bergeron, but Brad Marchand and David Pastrnak were still there to carry them through. They averaged 3.21 goals per game last season, and it’s likely they’ll do similar this year, given that their roster is relatively the same.
12. New Jersey Devils
No one doubted the Devils could score. That was never their issue. Their issue was always on the other side of the ice. That being said, they did average 3.22 goals per game last season, which is pretty good for a team that floated around .500 pretty much all year long.
11. Florida Panthers
The Panthers owe their goal-scoring prowess to a well-constructed forechecking system that beats their opponents into submission. They averaged 3.23 goals per game with this system and it led them to a Stanley Cup victory. We’ll see if the NHL adjusts to it this year or if Florida will continue their dominance on the forecheck.
10. Nashville Predators
The fact that Nashville’s core is still pumping out respectable goal numbers is beyond impressive to me. Their work in the offensive zone is a massive reason they were able to turn their season around and work their way into the postseason. They averaged 3.24 goals per game last year and will be looking to ride that wave into this year.
9. Detroit Red Wings
Detroit is the definition of a one-dimensional team. On one side, their offense is averaging 3.35 goals per game and can absolutely blast your goalie into the ground. On the other hand, they’re completely lackluster defensively, and their goaltending was fairly mediocre at best. The offense shouldn’t be what they have to worry about this year.
8. Carolina Hurricanes
The well-rounded Canes sported a solid defense and a solid offense that had scoring throughout the roster. Averaging 3.38 goals per game last year, the Canes were often able to outpace opponents on both ends of the ice, which is part of why they score so often.
7. New York Rangers
The Rangers offense is a sexy offense. Chris Kreider and Artemi Panarin lead the way for this high-powered offensive machine to smash defenses into the ground. Averaging 3.39 goals per game last year, New York was a force in the offensive zone, although it is worth mentioning that a lot of that offense came from their outstanding power play.
6. Vancouver Canucks
Vancouver is a very technical team that uses basics and strategy to score a lot of goals. They do have decent star power to bolster those numbers, though. They averaged 3.40 goals per game last year, which carried them to their first playoff appearance since 2015 and their first playoff series win since 2011.
5. Tampa Bay Lightning
I don’t know how this core keeps producing the way they do. It makes absolutely zero sense. Yet here they are, producing 3.51 goals per game. It didn’t help them in the NHL playoffs, but it was impressive that a core this run down is still able to put up these impressive numbers.
4. Edmonton Oilers
The Oilers do attribute a lot of their offense to having the NHL’s best powerplay, but the fact is they can score just as well at even strength. They’re fast, they’re skilled, and they’re very hard to stop once they set up in the zone. Connor McDavid led the way for this team to average 3.56 goals per game last year, and that offense would continue to be prominent as they made a run to the Cup finals.
3. Dallas Stars
A lot of Dallas’ offense comes from their well-roundedness. They’re able to smother teams defensively and then beautifully build up an attack from their own end. Their well-rounded system and impressive team depth led them to have 3.59 goals per game last year, and they will most likely continue putting up impressive offensive numbers this year.
2. Toronto Maple Leafs
You can flak on the Leafs for a lot, but one thing they’ve always done well is score goals, and that was no exception this year. This is an offense that almost forces you to try and match its pace, and before you know it, they’ve scored three goals on you (most likely scored by Auston Matthews). They averaged 3.63 goals per game last year, and there’s no reason to assume they won’t match near that number again.
1. Colorado Avalanche
Once again, Colorado’s high-powered offense has landed them near the top of the NHL. How couldn’t it be with guys like Cale Makar and Nathan Mackinnon? They do need more depth scoring, though, and most likely a replacement for Valeri Nichuskin if they want to continue putting up 3.68 goals per game.
Also Read: Ranking All 32 NHL Teams (Season Opener)
